“No!” Lina jumped to her feet and danced around the kitchen. “Don’t you understand? He told everyone he broke up with her. He was ready to take down the girlfriend wall!”
“I think I’m lost.” Paige put her head down on the table. “I was up at four this morning for a move. My brain hurts.”
“I’m lost too.” Ashley reached over and rubbed Paige’s head. “He’s never shown any indication that he wanted to be more than friends with me. What are you saying, Lina? That he does want more now?”
Lina’s expression went shrewd. “Do you want more, Ash?”
Ashley looked down at her plate. Yes, she wanted more. But she hated admitting it. “I just want to save our friendship.”
“That’s not what you said on the phone at lunch. You said your feelings toward him had changed.”
Ashley squirmed. “I don’t know anymore.”
“Well, it sounds to me like Chase just wanted to clear the air. It’s got to be hard to keep up a lie like that. Keep his friendship, but let’s find you someone who actually wants to date you.”
That was the most disappointing answer ever. Ashley didn’t want to find someone else. She suddenly wished she hadn’t eaten all that dip. “I think I need to go for a jog.”
Paige propped her head back up. “You hate jogging.”
“A walk then.” She ignored them and stumbled to her feet, looking around for her shoes. “I need some air.” She yanked the front door open to get away from their concerned whispers at the table, though she caught Lina’s louder voice saying, “You better vet this guy, Paige. Cause she’s flat-out in love with him, no matter what she says.”
Great, now they knew she was in love with her emotionally unavailable co-worker, who only saw her as a friend. Ashley made it to the sidewalk before they followed her out. Lina was in flip-flops and Paige barefoot. They eyed her like she might be a lost patient needing to be herded back into the mental ward. Well, they’d have to catch her first. She took off jogging down the street, a stitch immediately starting in her side. Dang them and their extra workouts. She could hear them padding up from behind. They caught up easily and jogged beside her.
“I’m sorry,” Lina said. “That wasn’t very nice of me. Of course, Chase is interested. Guys don’t do the friendship thing without an end game in sight. It’s just how they’re built. But I wanted to know how you truly felt about him, and I wasn’t patient enough to let you tell me when you were ready. So I said the opposite.”
“That’s evil, Lina.” Paige gave her friend a shove. “Can we turn around now? I think my toe is bleeding.”
Ashley stopped jogging and headed back to the apartment complex, taking long walking strides as her breathing slowed back to normal.
Paige hobbled alongside her, and she sat just inside the door to examine her toe.
“So, what about the secret admirer?” Lina asked.
Funny that it should become such an afterthought. Nothing like it had ever happened to her before. And yet, Ashley was starting to care less and less about it. Poor romantic anonymous guy. He was losing out to another coworker and didn’t even know it.
Ashley described the return of her bracelet and the flower left at her desk. She thought Paige would scoff, but she tilted her head and sighed. “That’s actually super sweet. What else has he given you?”
The strawberry pencil topper was in her purse, and she dug it out to show them. She had the yellow highlighter in there too, the word strip still attached.
Lina fingered the little strip of paper. “Oh, I get it. He ‘highlighted’ all your good qualities. Ash, I hate to say this, but you may need to forget about Chase and find this guy. Unless this is Chase too? Are you sure he isn’t your secret admirer?”
Now Ashley felt more torn than ever. What if Lina was right? What if this secret admirer was exactly who she’d been looking for? Yes, she’d love for it to be Chase, but logic said it was not. “I’m pretty sure it’s not him. He’s got so much on his plate right now with his car repairs and his sister getting sick. Plus, it just doesn’t seem like something he’d do.”
“Three kids.” Paige tsked. “Is that something you think you could take on, Ash?”
Paige was going to be a constant worrier for the rest of Ashley’s life. She was sure of it. “Why don’t I see if I can get through one date with him first.”
“You have a date with Chase?” Lina’s eyes widened.
“Kind of. It’s Monday night.”
“Is everything ‘kind of’ with this guy?” Paige hopped over to the couch and sat down. “Though Shaun seems to like him.”
“What did Shaun say about him?”
“Nothing. Which for Shaun is weird. All he would tell me is that Chase’s car is a piece of junk, but he’s a nice guy.”
Both true. Both not helpful in figuring Chase out. Ashley sighed. “I guess I’ll see what Monday brings.”
