Chapter 17 #2
I open my mouth to say yes. What comes out instead is, “Unfortunately, I am committed to my Cobb salad today. But thank you for asking.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dottie shaking her head in disappointment.
“Alright,” Matt says good-naturedly. “We’re heading to Sugar Bear afterward to get the kids a treat. Text me if you want me to bring you some of those root beer candies you like.”
How does he know I like root beer candies?
“I noticed the little dish of them on your desk.” He answers my unspoken question and starts to walk away, but stops and turns back to me. “We’ve never exchanged numbers, though, have we?”
“I mean, we collected your number when we hired you…” I mumble.
“Right, but I don’t have yours.” He steps closer and reaches his phone out to me. “Why don’t you punch it in here, so I’ll have it?”
I don’t answer right away.
“Friends can have each other’s phone numbers, right?” He winks.
“Oh, he’s smoooooth,” Dottie says under her breath, not nearly as quiet as she thinks she is.
“Sure,” I say. “Of course.”
I dutifully enter my phone number.
Matt smiles, and without another word, he heads to meet up with Eugene and his nephews.
Dottie makes that ‘tsk tsk’ sound she makes when she’s disappointed in me as she approaches. “Am I correct that you won’t be giving me any juicy details about your dalliance with this gentleman?”
“Correct. Because there’s nothing to tell.”
“Sure there isn’t, sweetie.” She pats me on the cheek. “You just let me know when you’re ready to talk. See you at lunch!”
I roll my eyes at her.
When Dottie’s gone, I turn to Keira. “Well, lunch awaits. Shall we?”
I’m not convinced Keira even hears me. She’s watching Eugene and Matt bundling up the kids, that dreamy look still in her eyes.
“It’s nice to see male friendship like that, isn’t it?” she says. “They seem to always have each other’s backs. I’m not used to seeing that. Tagg’s friends are all douche canoes.”
I hold myself back from saying, “That’s because Tagg himself is a douche canoe.” Instead, I agree and say, “Yeah. It is nice to see.”
“What’s-her-name doesn’t deserve him,” Keira says.
“We’re going to keep calling her what’s-her-name, huh?” I joke.
“We are.” Her face is stone when she says it.
Eugene notices Keira watching him and gives a little wave as he exits. Keira waves stiffly, embarrassed, and immediately looks away.
“So, lunch?” she says, acting as if nothing just happened.
“Yeah,” I say softly. “Let’s go.”
We start walking toward the elevator closest to the conference room.
“Can I ask you a question?”
Keira’s pace picks up considerably. “If it’s about the marketing campaign for the Spring sneaker rollout, I’m way behind and have nothing to share.”
I scoff. “No, it’s not about the—hey, could you slow down for a second? This is serious.”
She stops and faces me. “What is it?”
Geez. She’s all fired up.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Fine, yeah. Is that your question?”
“No. I was wondering… did you, um—Did you ever tell Eugene about the affair? Sorry, I know you don’t like that word. What are we calling it?”
“I’ve decided to call it The Betrayal,” she says.
“I like it!” I chirp, then backtrack. “I mean, I hate it obviously, but…” I soften my voice. “Did you end up telling Eugene about The Betrayal?”
“No.” Keira sighs. “I didn’t.”
“Do you think maybe you should?”
“I don’t know!” She covers her face with her hands. “I planned to! That was the whole reason I went to Bossfit in the first place, because I found out she was connected to one of the owners.”
“Wait. I thought you went there the first time because you wanted to invite them to the auditions?”
“Nope!” She shakes her head. “I was on a one-woman mission to expose what’s-her-name to her fiancé.
But then I saw him—Eugene, I mean. He just seemed so kind, you know?
He had this openhearted energy and this trusting face and…
I just couldn’t do it. In the moment I decided, ‘Well, they’re hot, so I might as well invite them to audition for World’s Fittest Santa while I’m here. ’”
It’s weird to think that if Keira hadn’t gone on that thwarted mission that day, I might never have met Matt.
I don’t like thinking about that.
Keira plops down on a bench. “I have no idea if I did the right thing or not. But I didn’t ask for any of this, you know? Now suddenly it’s my job to tell Eugene and destroy yet another relationship?”
I sit down beside her and place a hand on her knee. “First of all, you haven’t destroyed any relationship. Not yours and certainly not Eugene’s. Any responsibility for that falls squarely on Tagg and whatshername’s shoulders.”
Keira nods, and we fall silent for a bit, watching the holiday shoppers milling around.
“Her name is Elinor,” she says after a moment. “I told you that, right? Elinor. With and ‘I’ and no ‘E’ at the end. What were her parents thinking?”
I don’t bring up the fact that Keira named her children Sutton, Sloane, and Sylvan like a little collection of bougie S-babies running their own law firm. They’re adorable kids, and the names suit them. I guess.
“Yeah, what were they thinking?” I say in solidarity.
“I barely know the guy, you know?” Keira says sadly. “It just doesn’t feel like my place to blow up his life like that.”
I don’t feel right about this.
“I hear what you’re saying, but—”
“Penny? It’s not my place.” She stands, her decision made. “I’m not telling Eugene.” She hesitates before saying, “And I need you to promise me something.”
“What’s that?” I stand beside her.
“Promise me that you won’t tell Matt either.”