Yet it was the fight with Nadine that weighed heaviest. He struggled against the need to reach out and smooth things over but knew he would inevitably be the first to break. It was what he’d always done in his relationships, the same way he’d agree instead of speaking up on everything from where to go for a weekend to what to have for dinner, feeding his intense need to simply make sure things went well no matter what.
Which was why he was surprised when his phone beeped with a message from Nadine on Wednesday.You were wrong but do you need a ride to Dot’s this week?
Wes laughed out loud, feeling immediately lighter. That was what he would expect from Nadine, and he was glad not to have to talk about this misunderstanding ad nauseam.You were wrong and I do need a ride, he wrote back.Thanks.
Sometimes two people saw things in different ways, and that was it. It was good enough to agree to move on.
Even if one of them was totally wrong.
Thirteen
Nadine pulled up at Wes’s house a few minutes early and tried to decide the best way to deal with him. They hadn’t texted after their semi-apology exchange on Wednesday, which was fine by Nadine. She was satisfied with how they’d gotten over their spat. It wasn’t like they were friends, despite their long history, and they didn’t need to have heart-to-heart discussions when they disagreed. The best way to move forward was as if they were work acquaintances from different departments. That was the energy she’d go for. In the spirit of good working relationships, she would even refrain from mentioning that she knew he ate one of the lemon squares from her box.
Pulling out her phone to tell him she’d had to park half a block away, she saw a text from Lisanne.I heard something.
Gossip was always a good bonding mechanism, particularly helpful since Nadine knew she hadn’t been the best friend to Lisanne after the news about her big story. At least Lisanne had been too busy to notice.Tell me, she wrote, grateful text made it possible to camouflage emotional nuance.
The response came fast.The Herald is hiring a Bay Areacorrespondent. It’s for a year.
Nadine read the message twice and felt her heart sink to her knees then jump to clog her throat. It was an unnerving sensation.Really?She wrote. That was neutral.
You’d be perfect for it. Think of all those times you talked about wanting a foreign corro position.
They’ve been hinting at this for two years, Nadine typed, which was true.I’ll believe it when I see it.
She could worry about applying when it happened. She wasn’t going to have to push herself yet.
True, replied Lisanne.I can put in a good word to Daniel if you want.
Nadine glared at the screen. She might not be the editor in chief’s golden child, but she didn’t need Lisanne’s help to get ahead.
I’m good, thanks.That should put an end to that.
She saw Wes looking around, dressed in a natty polo instead of his usual sweater, a rare admission of sartorial defeat under the intense onslaught of the July sun. She gave a little beep of the horn, and he turned like a model about to board his yacht.
“Thanks for picking me up,” he said when he opened the door.
“No problem.”
He got in, and her eyes snapped to the deep line of his triceps as he reached for the seat belt. She hadn’t known Wes worked out, but she appreciated the results. In a work acquaintance kind of way.
“Here.” He handed over a small paper bag.
She looked inside. “A brownie?”
“I ate one of your squares from Maria accidentally.”
“Accidentally?”
“Accidentally on purpose,” he admitted. “Then I felt a bit bad because they were pretty delicious.”
The brownie looked amazing, with sea salt on the top. “Is this a bribe?”
“For what?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
“Just eat the brownie, Nadine.”
