Chapter 22
Lexie
When Kim comes to my desk to relieve me promptly at noon she asks, “What’re you doing for lunch today, Lexie?”
“I’ve got to meet Gabriel in conference room two, I guess.”
“What’s he got planned? Something romantic?”
“At work? I hope not.” I really hope not. That’d be awkward.
I hang my purse strap over my shoulder and walk around a set of cubicles to conference room two. I knock on the door to be safe and hear a woman’s voice. “Come in.”
I open the door and blink. The room is empty except for an older woman; I’d estimate her age to be between fifty-five and sixty-ish. She’s dressed in a dark skirt, and a light pink sweater set ala Landsend. Her hair is silver and cut bluntly at her chin. She looks very put together and rather distinguished. “Um, hello?”
“Are you Alexia?”
Oh, geesh. “Lexie. It’s just Lexie.”
“Lexie. Right. Would you like to have a seat?”
I look at the table and see it’s set with dishes, silverware, and glassware but there’s only one set. I shrug and step over to the table. Not knowing where she wants me to sit, she raises her arm to the seat with the dishes. I roll out the chair and plop down into the leather seat.
“Lexie, my name is Catherine and today we’re going to talk about dining etiquette.”
Oh, you’ve got to be effing kidding me right now. “Dining what?”
“Etiquette.”
“Why? Why are we talking about dining etiquette?”
“Well, apparently there was a mishap at dinner last night.”
“A mishap?”
I watch her pull a tiny notepad from her purse. “Let’s see. You drank excessively ‘like a sailor,' it says here. You spoke about a television show from the 1970s, and you repeatedly mentioned dead baby animals throughout the meal. Also, you didn’t seem to know which utensils to use with each course.”
I stand up and away from my chair. I’m offended. So much so I feel those stupid tears again. But, I bite them back to save for later. “I’ll have you know that my mo-mother taught me table manners.”
“Well, she must not have––”
“Stop. Stop right there!” I say with my hand out in front of me. “You will not disparage my mother’s teachings. She was the b-b-best person I ever knew.” Oh hell, here they come. I concentrate on holding them back. Not. Going. To. Cry. “As for the dinner conversation, please tell Mr. Parker to shove it up his arse right along with eti-fucking-whatever training this is. If I embarrass him so much, tell him to take someone else.”
I turn to leave. “Oh, and another thing. You need to know. I never cuss. So, I’m sorry I said that word. But the man is an a-hole and very, very presumptuous. He drove me to it. Why don’t you tell him to have training on being a proper boyfriend because he s-u-c-k-s, sucks at it.”
I open the door and shut it behind me. I wanted to slam it shut but I can’t do it. It’ll draw too much attention to myself. I walk past Kim right to the bank of elevators. I’ll spend some time in the lounge on the main level getting myself together. Then I’ll buy some veggies and something for myself to eat for dinner, because I will not be dining out tonight with Mr. Jerkface. That, I can guarantee.
