I hit save on the document I was working on. “Yep.”
“Good, because I’m starving to death.”
“Didn’t you visitthe buffetlike two hours ago?” I asked as I reached into my desk for my purse. Given our industry, the breakroom was always stocked with food, compliments of our clients. But during the holidays, the room resembled a buffet table on a cruise ship.
She rolled her eyes. “For your information, I only had half a bagel, and it was three hours ago. Not all of us can survive solely on caffeine and stress.” She turned on her heels and I followed her as I slipped on my jacket.
Sydney stopped at Jamie’s desk. The twenty-five-year-old was Sydney’s right hand. Jamie started working here as an intern while in college and climbed her way into a power position in record speed. She was smart, serious, and ridiculously efficient.
“Waverly and I are going next door for a quick bite. Do you want me to bring you back anything?”
“No,” the younger woman said. She barely looked up from her computer monitor. “I brought something from home. But thanks anyway.”
“Okay,” Sydney said. “Text me if you need me.”
Jamie tipped her head slightly and returned her attention to her work.
Shortly after we ordered our food, I said, “You’re a funny lady. You have the nerve to make fun of me and always call me a control-freak-worry-wart?”
“What do you mean?”
I groaned. “The way you acted with Jamie before. You guys do accounting! You don't perform open-heart surgery. No one’s life is at stake here. What kind of emergency do you think will happen in the time it takes us to eat a sandwich?”
Sydney threw her head back, laughing. “I think it’s a force of habit. Every time I leave Amanda with a babysitter, I say the same thing. She makes fun of me, too. Enough about my neurosis. I have something more important to discuss.”
“I’m all ears,” I said as the waitress dropped off our sandwiches.
“I know you weren’t interested in the lawyer, but Craig has another friend who I think would be perfect for you. Keith Emerson is a judge. He has an apartment in the city, and he just bought a house on the beach for the summers. He’s quite handsome, in his late forties, and very driven. Like you, he has commitment-phobic tendencies but is eager to try to change his evil ways and meet someone. He…”
She continued to sing this chap’s praises but I stopped listening. I knew she meant well, and while he did sound appealing, I didn’t think I had it in me to try to date right then. I’d never admit it to another living soul, but a part of me was pining for Pete. I even dreamt about him the night before.
“Have I worn you down yet?” She practically bounced in her seat.
“What?” I asked, a bit startled.
If she noticed I tuned her out, she didn’t show it. “Please. Say you’ll let me set you up with Keith? I think you will be perfect together.”
I took a bite of my turkey melt and chewed slowly. “I don’t know.”
“What’s there to know? It’ll just be dinner. Even if there isn’t a love connection, you’ll get out of your house, away from your laptop, and enjoy a good meal.”
Before I could make up an excuse, Sydney’s phone rang. She closed her eyes as if in prayer. “I hope it’s not the school. The stomach flu is going around. Again,” she said as she rummaged through her bag. She scrunched her face as she saw who was calling. “Hey, Jamie, what’s up?”
Sydney didn’t utter a word. She just listened. When the color drained from her face, my heart began to pound hard and fast in my chest. I knew something bad happened.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered, but she didn’t reply. Instead, she pulled her wallet out from her bag, threw a stack of bills down on the table, and stood.
“Get up.” She practically screamed at me. “We have to go. Now!”
19
Fortunately,the air cast did the trick, and my ankle healed perfectly, which was a good thing because I had to run to keep up with Sydney. I have never seen the woman move so fast or abandon a half-eaten meal.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” I asked when we finally entered her office.
Before Sydney could open her mouth, Jamie walked into the room. Her skin was also ashy looking, and her hands and lips trembled. My eyes zigzagged between the two traumatized women. “Will one of you please tell me what happened?”
Sydney looked at Jamie. “Go ahead, tell her.”
