“Mm-hmm.” Leon’s eyes twinkle. “But if you’re looking to make it up to him, I happen to know that the head of our office has a soft spot for RockyRoad candy bars. And if one or two happened to appear on his desk, let’s just say it would go a long way to help soften him up.”
Turning to help myself to some spaghetti, I realize that Derrick and Andy have gone quiet. Their dinner plates are still three-quarters full, but their attention is elsewhere. My eyes follow their sight line to the bar.
Two women sit perched on stools, laughing over a shared plate of calamari. One wears a white puffy-sleeved blouse and has auburn hair in a low ponytail. The blond sports a blackStar Wars CelebrationT-shirt and is currently using a breadstick like a lightsaber.
“Who are they?” I ask in a teasing tone.
“Amaya from accounting in the white blouse. And Ela from HR in the black shirt,” Andy says, not taking his eyes away from the pair. “They come here on Mondays and always order seafood and the house beer.” He jabs a thumb toward Derrick. “And he has a crush on Amaya.”
Interesting.
“Don’t throw me under the bus,” Derrick hisses. “You’ve got a thing for Ela.”
I blink at them. “So are you two going to talk to them?”
Both guys look horrified. “Talk?” Derrick squeaks. “To them? But they’re women.”
“News flash—I’m also a woman,” I deadpan.
“You don’t count,” Andy says. “You’re Kaori. You’re one of us. They’re”—he gestures weakly—“out of our league.”
“Ouch,” I say.
Leon turns his laugh into a cough. “A lesson for all you young padawan. Think before you speak.”
That’s a lesson I’m going to be taking to heart from now on. I know better. This is exactly why I’ve always beentaught from birth to never make my opinions public. How could I forget it?
Andy frowns. “What did I say wrong?” He stares at me for several moments.
“Wait for it?” Leon says.
“Dude, you just implied Kaori wasn’t out of your league,” Derrick says.
“Ding. Ding. Ding.” Leon mimics a slot machine.
Andy’s cheeks redden up to his ears. “I’m sorry,” he says quickly. “I never meant you weren’t as hot as them. Or...”
“Lesson two. Don’t say more than needs to be said. A simple apology will do,” Leon tells him.
I wonder if I should be writing all this down so I don’t suffer another case of foot-in-mouth disease again in the near future.
“I’m sorry,” Andy mutters, looking at the floor.
“It’s fine.” I shoot Leon a silent“stop being a troublemaker”look and clear my throat. “Look, these womenaren’tout of your league. One of them is literally wearing a Star Wars shirt and quoting Yoda with a breadstick. She’s one of our people. All you have to do is make eye contact, smile, and introduce yourself. The rest will take care of itself.”
Derrick looks stricken. “What if it doesn’t?”
“There’s always the weather.” I lean back, crossing my arms and studying them both. They glance wistfully toward Amaya and Ela again.
If I don’t push them to go talk to the women, their butts will stay glued to their seats like Han Solo encased in carbonite. Time for me to play a few of my own Jedi mind tricks. “Go talk to them, or I will personally walk over there and announce your crushes to half the restaurant.”
“You wouldn’t,” Andy whispers.
“Try me.”
“She means business, guys,” Leon says, helping himself to another serving of spaghetti.
Without another word, two chairs scrape back. They march to the bar like stormtroopers heading to inevitable doom. A shaky hello. A shared laugh. Amaya pats a stool. Ela waves them closer. They sit.
