I hurried after Sadie, who was almost to the elevator. The combination of her long legs and determined stride meant I was always working to keep up with her, and she knew it.
Sadie held the elevator doors open for me after getting in. “Come on, short stop. Dan just texted and said he has a new friend coming home with us.”
“Human or animal?” I asked. Dan had a knack for collecting lost things, including people who needed rides home and other people’s unwanted pets.
“Human this time. Elena from HR had car problems this morning. Her ride home didn’t work out. She lives pretty close to Dan so we’re going to drop her off on the way.”
Good. Elena could sit in the middle, and I wouldn’t even have to look at Noah. There would be no touching or shared smiles. I wouldn’t have to breathe in the scent of him like I had on the car ride here when my brain told me to wake up because my crush was leaning in. Noah didn’t wear a strong cologne. You had to get close to his face and neck to catch a scent of his clean skin, mixed with something woodsy and almost citrusy. He’d been way too close. Both this morning and at lunch.
I sighed. Yep, Elena would be the perfect buffer. Despite being a few years older than us, she was quite attractive and chatty. Next to her, I’d be invisible. Better yet, I’d be protected.
My phone buzzed in my purse, but I ignored it, afraid Noah had the same thought about clearing the air. I was fine with the air staying nice and murky between us.
My phone buzzed again moments later, and Sadie glanced over. The last thing I needed was more questions. Maybe I was stressing myself out over nothing. It could be my mom. Or the dentist confirming my appointment next week. Or Lauren texting from Hawaii saying hello. Or my cousin who liked to exchange Jane Austen memes.
I unzipped my purse and held my phone up. Nope. It was Noah.
Carpool Noah: No one else is at the car yet. You okay?
Carpool Noah: I’m sorry about earlier.
I gripped my phone. I would not be moved. I was granite. I was fifteen applications of Botox. Nothing would sway me. Another message came in.
Carpool Noah: Your hair looked nice today.
Seriously? What was he trying to accomplish here? He was like a boy pulling my metaphorical pigtails from the seat behind me. Before I thought better of it, my thumbs started flying and I’d hit send.
Jenny: Can we just be friends without any weirdness? You called me up out of the blue, and I happened to need a date to a wedding. Let’s not make it more complicated than that. If I could’ve gotten away with taking a cardboard cutout of you, I would have.
There was no response, and I smiled to myself as I reread what I’d written. I went to put my phone away, but Noah chose that moment to respond.
Carpool Noah: Are you saying you have a cardboard cutout of me? Or just that you’d like one?
I pressed the phone to my forehead. The cold glass felt nice against the heat filling my face. Why hadn’t I just said a cardboard cutout and left it at that? Of you. Those two extra words had destroyed my ultimate burn. And why was I trying to burn him anyway?
“Jen, you coming?”
I looked up and saw Sadie waiting for me to get off the elevator on the first floor. I hurried out before the doors closed and put my phone away. If Sadie noticed I was acting strangely, she didn’t say anything. Dan and Elena caught up to us at the entrance, and we walked out together. Our parking lot was across the street and down a ways, and we joined the crowd of business people walking towards it. There was always talk about a multilevel parking garage going up next door, but I’d given up on believing those rumors years ago.
Elena left Dan’s side and came to walk next to me. “Jenny, right?”
“Yep.” The only time the two of us ever interacted was when it was time to renew the company’s health insurance plan, but she’d always seemed nice in a surface-level way. She had a bright, toothy smile and a greeting for everyone, making sure no one was left out. I’d assumed it was an HR thing, along with the way she so meticulously dressed and did her hair, with nothing casual or out of place.
Even now, she still had a jaunt in her step, despite wearing four inch heels that would have crippled me in the first hour. I wondered if she walked in the door at home and dropped the act, heading straight to the fridge like a normal person.
“What happened with your car?” I asked.
Elena sighed. “It almost overheated on the way over. That shop about a block from here has it. I didn’t want to risk driving it farther than that.”
“Well, I hope it’s a simple fix.”
“Thanks.”
I spotted Noah up ahead, draped across Sadie’s car. We were too far away for me to tell if he was actually asleep or just being dramatic about the wait.
“Watch this,” Sadie said with a smirk. She lifted up her car keys and set off her alarm, sending Noah stumbling back with his arms flailing.
I laughed, but Elena looked horrified, and then she glanced at me and looked even more horrified. I tried to curb my amusement. Pranks clearly weren’t her thing.
