But tonight had also left me with another feeling. Hope. Something I’d felt often as a child, but the feeling had slowly disappeared as I gained more experience in my world. Maybe it was the soft way he looked at me, the understanding in his eyes, and the sweetness of his words that left me lighter. A bit more free. As I readied myself for bed in the quiet of my apartment, I found that the word hope had a melody, and ever so softly, it sung me into the sweetest sleep.
17
That next Monday,I didn’t see Duke all morning.
Our dinner on the rooftop had been full of secrets and melodramatic angst. After a weekend of overthinking and overanalyzing until I finally pretended indifference for my sanity, I was ready for friendly, flirty Duke again. For some reason, that side of him seemed safer. Untouchable, even. The side of him that knew my secrets and weaseled information out of me while stuffing me full of sweet-and-sour chicken and MSG was by far the most dangerous Duke of all.
Today was the day the interns would be meeting with our managers and the owners regarding the marketing project they had ready for us. The competition would soon be starting. We’d all heard bits and pieces of the project throughout our two months of initiation, but today we’d finally be getting our assignments. If what Tenisha said was true, I’d be working closer with Duke during this last month.
“Hey.” Anita slid into my space, parking her pert rump on her beloved spot at the edge of my desk. Her bold red dress clearly meant business, and so did she. Her posture was faux friendly, with a hint of toxic undercurrent. “Are you excited to be working with Duke on your project?”
I guess we’re getting right after it today.
“Sure.” I gave her a smile as real as her own before typing nonsense into my computer. “I hadn’t really thought about it much.”
“Oh, really?” Her head cocked to the side, her eyes big and inquiring. “You guys seem pretty chummy.”
I rubbed at my temples. Unless she’d been spying on us in the evenings while I was vacuuming up her fingernail clippings, Duke and I hardly interacted at all at the office, beyond our soda can notes. Even then, I’d been ultra-careful, only sneaking those in at lunch time or whenever those I was most concerned about—i.e. Anita—were in meetings or on a phone call. Which meant she was baiting me with catlike purrs and claws that stung and retracted.
“I don’t really know him very well,” I stated blankly. Very well was one of those relative terms. It all depended on context.
“Then if you don’t care, would you mind if I asked to work with him on the project instead?”
A bolt of jealousy shot through my stomach, surprising even me with its intensity. I had worked hard to be intentionally obtuse about working with Duke, simply to keep Anita believing I was nonchalant about the whole thing. Not because I actuallywasnonchalant.
“Canwe switch? I thought they already had them assigned,” I managed, clicking into my email to give my fingers something to do.
“They are,” Shawn’s dry voice filtered loudly between our cubicles. I hid a smile.
Anita rolled her eyes and looked toward me for commiseration, but I pretended to pull a hair off my shirt.
“Duke brought in a big skincare company client for RDM last year. I’m really hoping to be able to do a marketing package for a friend of mine who’s starting a new all-natural make-up line. I just think he’d be the best one to help me.”
Liar.
Before I could say anything, Shawn said, “You won’t even know if a makeup company is an option. The owners said they’d have three picks for each of us to choose between.”
Anita sighed impatiently, her voice so slow and full of barely bridled hatred that I almost shivered. “I’m aware of that, Shawn. Thank you so much for your help. But I’m going to ask if I can pull in my own client instead of being assigned.”
“I’m guessing they have their specific picks for a reason,” Shawn said again cheerfully.
I leaned back in my chair, suddenly craving popcorn.
Anita made a strangled cry, looked again to me for understanding, and found none. “Never mind. You two are impossible.” She slipped off my desk and stalked away in the direction of the women’s restroom.
Using my hands, I lifted myself up out of my chair enough to see Shawn’s eyes over the partition. He winked at me. I laughed and settled myself back down at my desk, working through some client emails Tenisha had asked me to respond to.
* * *
Shawn,Anita, Tenisha and the two other designers, April and Susan, were already seated at the conference table by the time I arrived at the meeting that afternoon. I took my seat next to Tenisha.
My chair was pointed directly toward the front door, but the energy of the room completely changed when Duke came striding in. He was wearing gray dress pants and a fitted, white button-down shirt, rolled at the sleeves. A light-blue tie rounded out the attractive ensemble. I looked away before I started drooling.
His eyes were on me for a long moment before he scanned the room, smiling at us all.
“Morning. Looks like I beat Ryan and Mike here. I’d like everyone to take note.”
Tenisha and the two other designers in the room laughed at that, while the rest of us looked on, slightly confused.
