Page 2 of About That Pact

“This week, work was like an episode of Punked. Cliff notes version: a manager went over headcount for his team. We stray away from reduction in force if we can help it. It took forever to find the right person to transfer from his team to another. The finance department worked from home all week because they said their manager okayed it. I reached out to the finance lead, but she decided to take this week off and isn’t responding to emails. I feel like that team planning a corporate Boston Tea Party. An employee is complaining about only having an hour lunch. Apparently, she was taking two-hour lunches because she needed daily massages.”

Charlotte finished off her glass of wine. It was exhausting even talking about her work shenanigans.

Rachel scrunched up her face. “Ugh, that sounds like a nightmare. I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with employees. I would tell their tea throwing asses to get back to work.”

Jada clapped her hands. “I love the ongoing American Revolution analogy.”

Charlotte patted the table to stop them all from getting off track. “I forgot, we also had a lunch thief.”

“A lunch thief? The nerve.” Her brother put both his hands on his cheeks, acting aghast.

She lightly knocked her foot against his leg under the table. They had no idea what it had been like dealing with the phantom snack stealer. “Laugh it up. I had to print out signs reminding everyone to eat their own food and post them everywhere like a scorned teacher reprimanding her students.”

“Which means she didn’t have any eyewitnesses to interrogate to catch the criminal.” Jason sounded like he was on the news, reporting a story.

Jada gave her a friendly elbow to the side. “I bet you wanted to.”

“You have no idea.”

“He obviously didn’t realize he had Detective Charlotte Madison on the case,” Rachel added in. More people were surrounding the happy hour area at the bar, so she had to raise her voice a bit to be heard.

“Exactly. As it turned out, an employee from our design team was doing it because his wife had put him on the Atkins diet.”

“I’d steal food if I couldn’t eat bread too. I’m all about that pasta life.” Rachel drove the point home by chomping into one of the complimentary rolls from the basket their waitress dropped off.

Charlotte agreed. “I did empathize with him. Poor guy was embarrassed. I promised not to out him so long as he stopped. While it was a pain in the ass, I don’t think he’ll raid anymore lunches.”

“Congrats, sis.” Her brother raised his glass to toast. “To ending crime in corporate America.”

Rachel finished her drink and stood up. “I hate that I have to head out so soon, but my parents are visiting tomorrow and my house looks like a tornado went through it.”

“Same here. Well, not the parents and tornado, but I have to go. I promised my sister a movie night. She’s hating her third trimester, so I thought I would visit.”

They all said their goodbyes, and it was only her and her brother left at the table.

“This didn’t go as expected. I assumed your friends were staying for a while.” His eyes bounced from the doors to her. “Would you say you are in a better mood now?”

“I have wine. Of course I am. Why?” Charlotte asked him.

“I may or may not have invited someone.”

“Stop being cryptic, who?”

Two hands grasped her shoulders from behind. “Hi there, Charlie.”

She knew the owner of that voice instantly. Now, it made sense why her brother had been beating around the bush. Her heart raced at the touch of the man she often referred to as the devil. She tried to jerk her shoulders out of his grip, but his hands didn’t let go.

“NOT EVEN A hello?” the sinisterly smooth voice belonging to the one and only Rafe Bianchi scorned her.

“Let go of me,” she snapped, still trying to tug away from him.

At the same time, her brother announced he had to go to the bathroom, then made his way to talk to the redhead at the bar. Charlotte narrowed her eyes at the liar.

“Charlie, don’t you miss me touching you?” the rascal taunted, his fingers mindlessly stroking the skin on her neck.

Charlotte hated her old nickname almost as much as she hated the man who’d said it. “If there’s one thing I do not miss in my life, it’s you touching me.”

Finally, he stopped his lingering touch so he could sit down in the empty chair next to her.