Chapter 16
Charlotte
Tip #16: Never underestimate the power of nosy colleagues armed with smartphones.
R avi and Arisa stood huddled like conspirators next to Arisa’s workstation. I made a beeline for them, my heels clicking on the linoleum.
“Hey, you two.” I smiled. “I hope you had a good morning?”
“Charlotte, hello! And absolutely—it was a very productive, very enlightening morning.” Ravi beamed at me and then casually smoothed his tie, navy blue dotted with smiley-faced hearts. I was hoping it was a coincidence and not planned, given that it was the Monday after my Friday night dinner date with Isaac.
Arisa only gave me a curt nod, but I could see the warmth in her eyes.
“How’d it go with the new hires?” Ravi asked.
“I finished training them on the scheduling software.” I tucked my hands into the pockets of my trousers—it was always cold in the office. “They’re both proficient with Excel and the other finance programs we use, so next up is reviewing the SOPs—standard operating procedures.”
Arisa tucked a lock of her ink-black hair behind her ear. “Where are they now?”
“I believe Lola and Theo took them to the cafeteria for lunch,” Ravi said. “Isn’t that right?”
I nodded. “They did. I think they’ll get along great, and being social butterflies, Lola and Theo will introduce them to everyone they see.”
The new hires—Scott and Jen—were in their thirties, so they weren’t too much older than Lola and Theo.
Arisa folded her arms. “How many more days do you have left here, Charlotte?”
“A little over three weeks.” I could feel my heart engage in a tug-of-war. I was eager for a more balanced life, but if I ignored my exhaustion, I still wasn’t ready to let go of Warner Print and all the coworkers I loved. “HR talked me into working right up until the day before I leave for my vacation.”
“We appreciate you sacrificing your preparation time,” Arisa said.
I waved her off. “It’s fine. I’ve been preparing for this trip ever since I handed in my notice, and I’m so excited about it I’ll probably pack and repack my suitcase twice before I leave.”
Ravi clapped his hands together once, then rubbed them like he was about to dive into a juicy story. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again.
“Ravi?” I raised an eyebrow.
Arisa let out a small, exasperated sigh. “He wants to know if dinner Friday night with Isaac was just friendly like you claimed it was, or if it was a date like we believed.”
Ah, yes. The tie really was a bad omen.
Thinking of Friday night, I’m ashamed to admit my mouth actually went dry as I recalled Isaac’s declaration. “Have you heard anything from Jordan?” I asked, wondering how few details I could dole out.
“Jordan from finance?” Arisa said, frowning.
“Yes!” Ravi cackled, his eyes lighting up. He pulled out his cell phone and thrust it into the center of our little circle. “Look at this !”
The screen showed a picture of Isaac and me at 99 Tanuki. Isaac was leaning forward with that infuriatingly charming grin of his, and I was smiling back at him like an idiot. The soft glow of the restaurant’s lanterns cast a warm, intimate light over the table, making it look even cozier than it had felt.
“He got a picture?” I said, my voice unsteady with dread.
Arisa studied the screen. “That was definitely a date.”
I started massaging my temple, trying to knead the growing knot of tension away. “How is anyone going to take me seriously—professionally speaking—when the finance department is getting picture updates about my life?” I muttered.
“Don’t worry about it,” Arisa said. “Most people already assumed you and Isaac were secretly dating and just hiding it from HR.”
“What?” I said, my voce wavering.
“You’re the only one besides Logan and Samuel who can leash him,” Arisa said. “But we know better than the other gossips. Although, between you and me, I wouldn’t let Isaac’s mother see that photo. She might frame it to put it in his office like she did with that other canvas print of you two.”
Ravi put his phone away and looked at me with the eager anticipation of a kid waiting for story time. “So, how did it go?”
“It went nowhere for now.” I realized the mistake in my wording as soon as the sentence left my lips, and I hurried to add “That is, it’s going nowhere forever.”
Ravi ignored my correction and jollily slapped his belly. “Nowhere for now is somewhere later!”
I sighed. “It’s a good thing I’ve only got a few weeks left. I’d lose my mind if I stayed any longer.” I turned to walk away but not before catching the knowing glance Arisa shot Ravi and the hopeful shrug he gave in return.
I narrowed my eyes. “You two?—”
“Charlotte?” Isaac called from the doorway of his office. I shot my coworkers a warning look, then started across the office, wincing when the strap of my shoe rubbed the back of my heel.
One thing I dearly hoped for my next job was that my boss would be a great deal shorter than Isaac. Wearing high heels all the time to make sure Isaac didn’t tower over me so much wasn’t doing my feet any favors.
I stopped in front of Isaac. “Is something wrong?”
He shook his head. “Are you ready for your lunch break?”
“Yes, but did you want an update on the new hires’ training progress first?”
“That won’t be necessary.” Isaac paused, and I could almost see the gears in his head whirring. “Would you like to go off campus for lunch?”
I mashed my lips together, flattening them into a thin line. “Is this your attempt to lure me unknowingly out on another date?”
Isaac chuckled as he shifted his stance in the doorway, inching closer to me. I keenly felt even that tiny change, despite there still being proper social distance between us.
Something about that date—even though I’d turned Isaac down—made me a lot more aware ofhim. He’d always owned the space he stood in with his confidence, but now I was more physically aware of his body.
“No,” Isaac said, rattling me from my thoughts. “Logan already reminded me to keep things professional during company hours. However, I’m aware you have three weeks left, and I want to make the most of them.”
I hesitated. That was… thoughtful.
“Sure,” I said. “Just let me get my coat.”
Isaac glanced at his wristwatch—the bronze one with the glass face that showed some of the inner springs and gears, another gift from me. “Good. Lunch break will start now.”
I started to turn, but Isaac’s voice stopped me. “Charlotte.”
“Yes?”
“Would you be interested in another date later this week?”
I should have seen that coming.
I stared him down, waiting for him to backpedal, to add a joking “just kidding” or something. But Isaac wasn’t one to joke like that, and he didn’t make mistakes, so he met my gaze unapologetically.
“I said I’d keep trying.” He reminded me. “But I will respect your boundaries.”
This was so surreal.
I was used to Isaac being a close friend and thoughtful of me, but he’d gone from zero to ninety in the romance department awfully fast.
“I’m concerned you’re losing it,” I said, though not unkindly.
“I am.” Isaac said. “I’m losing you in three weeks.”
We locked eyes again. I could see the genuine earnestness in his eyes. There was something about his gaze that wasunsettling. Not uncomfortable, just a lot more intense than how he usually looked at me.
Was it… desire?
I almost choked on that embarrassing thought and made myself focus on answering him. “You’re not losing me as a friend, Isaac. You’re just losing me as a coworker.” I paused, considering. “What did you have in mind?”
He smiled, blindingly handsome, and I could feel my resolve start to melt under its heat.
That smile didn’t bode well for my overall well-being. But I hoped that at least this time there wouldn’t be a Warner Print employee lurking in the shadows to record photographic evidence of this date.