“That’s okay. I trust the police to do their job. Besides, I have to plan what I’m going to wear to the meeting. And for the plane ride. Oh, and I was looking for things to do, so I’ll need to have something to wear to explore the city on Friday afternoon and evening.”
He ignored me the rest of the afternoon, and I welcomed the peace and quiet to get as much work done before Friday.
After work,I stopped at a large departmentstore, hoping I’d find something for the meeting that would be sophisticated and proper. I found a lot of low necklines, but decided against having my “girls” out that evening. Then, the colors seemed too bright and overpowering. Finally, I saw something that might easily have stayed hidden forever because it was black and blended into the corner—a mid-calf, cap-sleeved sheath dress with a round neck.
I slipped into the fitting room, hopeful. Thankfully, it fit beautifully. Everything that should be covered was covered, and the color was perfect and neutral. The last thing I wanted to do was stand out.
I paid for the dress and went home to pack, a process that I soon found would take me all evening, as my indecision kept me from progressing as fast as I would have liked.
On Thursday,Grant and I gave each other the silent treatment. Until Colin appeared at our desks.
“Nothing on Maggie yet, huh?” he asked.
I froze. Maggie. Not “Ms. Flame.” Not “your boss.”Maggie.
I wanted to look at Grant to see if his eyes would convey the same confusion that I was experiencing. Why would he use her nickname if they’d never met? But I didn’t look at Grant. I kept my gaze on Colin Slade.
“Ms. Flame still hasn’t contacted us,” Grant said, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was. He’d never called her Ms. Flame, not once in the three years she’d been working with us.
“Strange. Based on the reputation she has here, I wouldn’t have expected this,” he said.
“You never got to meet her, right?” Grant asked in a way that sounded offhand and casual.
“Oh, I did. But it was only one evening as a meet-and-greet. She seemed lovely.” He looked at his phone, held up a finger, and walked off toward the elevator.
“He said, ‘She seemed lovely.’ Seemed. Past tense,” Grant said.
I wanted to contradict him, but the truth was, I too had a niggling suspicion that something was off about our new boss.
“If you’ll speak to me again,” I said, almost regretting it, “I can keep you updated throughout the work trip and try to bring Maggie up to him again. See what he says.”
“Are you crazy? You’re seriously going out of town with a guy you believe might have done something to her?”
“Come on. I don’t think he did anything. Why would he? He’d just met her. Besides, I don’t plan to be alone with him,” I said to ease his concerns. And my own.
He turned back to his computer. “I’ll accept a text or two from you for the purposes of our investigation.”
I stifled a laugh and returned to my work.
The next day,I boarded the plane to find Colin already seated in the row in front of me. We greeted each other casually, and I was delighted with how normal I felt. No racing heart. No sweaty palms.
When we landed, I followed him off the plane, had a conversation about the city, and actually relaxed around him as we sat in the SUV that took us to the hotel. Colin took call after call on the way, and I wondered if I’d be able to ask him more about his meet-and-greet with Maggie.
It didn’t seem I’d get the chance. As we were getting to the hotel front desk, he covered the phone and whispered to me, “I’ll meet you back here at noon tomorrow to go over a few things.”
I spentthe afternoon walking the Magnificent Mile, taking an architecture boat tour, and pretending I wasn’t lonely. After taking an embarrassing number of selfies at the Bean in Millennium Park, I was absolutely beat.
When I walked into the hotel at 7:30, the idea of showering to leave again for dinner was like asking me to prepare to climbMount Everest. I berated myself for not getting something to eat at the line of food trucks I’d seen on my walk back to the hotel.
At that moment, Colin walked into the lobby. He walked past me and toward the elevator, still wearing his suit.If he could walk around the city in a suit, then I could definitely manage to shower and get some dinner, I told myself.
After a long, hot shower, I headed out to Navy Pier, enjoying the sights and sounds of the lively waterfront. I’d never hear the end of it from my mother if I didn’t try deep-dish pizza, and so I took a picture of myself eating it.
After visiting a bar, having a drink, and chatting with a group of women on a bachelorette trip from Phoenix who insisted on adopting me for the evening, I told them I’d have to call it a night. It was past midnight, and while I was having a lovely time and wished the bride-to-be well, there came a point when I realized I was truly an outsider. One woman gushed on and on about her lifelong friendship with the bride, and that was my cue.
It was a reminder of my group of friends. Well, ex-friends.
The friends for whom I’d been a bridesmaid. Even the maid of honor to one of them. Four bachelorette parties. Four weddings.
