I jerk my head back. He has no idea what’s happened recently between Aria and me, but the words still sting because they very well could be true.
“Pennsylvania isn’t that far away at all. You could still see her on weekends—nights even when you’re not working late. Don’t be an idiot. Because I assure you, Aria will move on at some point, and you don’t want to be stuck here at a paper run by Marjorie and Oliver Strauss.” He turns for the door but pauses before opening it. “Think about it, and give me your answer before the end of the day. I have to get the names to Paul by seven tonight.” He leaves, not closing the door behind him.
Aria looks up from her desk, her eyes questioning me. It can’t look good that I was conferencing with Monohan after putting in for the position at The Sentinel. If I go through with this and get the job, she’ll think I was conspiring with him the whole time.
I run my fingers through my hair, noticing it needs a trim. Then I walk out of the conference room and into the break room. Caffeine might be the only way to ward off the headache I know is coming. Oliver is pouring himself a cup of coffee when I get there.
He looks up at me before adding creamer to his cup. “I guess it’s a case of ‘may the best man win,’ huh?”
“You’re forgetting about Aria.”
Oliver smirks. “Yeah, like she’s going to get the position over either of us. You have the experience, and I have the better job title. She’s got nothing, really.”
Clearly, he thinks he’s got this in the bag, and my ego wants to prove him wrong. “I guess we’ll see.” I grab a paper coffee cup and fill it to the rim while Oliver adds a third creamer to his. “Heavy on the creamer, I see. Not man enough to handle the taste of black coffee? Or are you used to the way your mommy makes it for you?” It’s no secret Oliver lives with his mother.
He tosses the creamer cup into the trash and storms out, leaving his coffee behind.
“I’ll see if Edie wants this. She drinks it this light, too,” I yell after him.
He grumbles, but I can’t make out what he’s saying. I make a big show of bringing the coffee to Edie, whose desk is close enough to Oliver’s office for him to see. He slams his door shut.
“What’s up his ass?” Edie asks.
“Guess he didn’t get his caffeine fix this morning,” I say with a smile, heading back to my desk.
Aria is turned in my direction, most likely still trying to figure out what’s going on. First she catches me talking to Monohan, and then she sees me piss off Oliver. My smile fades as I realize this makes me look really bad in her eyes. She swivels her chair around, going back to work.
I spend the next few hours updating the ads online, and when I look up at lunchtime to see if Aria wants to grab something, her desk chair is empty.
“Hey, David,” I say, leaning forward.
He turns around. “What’s up?”
“Where’s Aria?”
“She left for lunch about ten minutes ago.”
“Oh.” She and I always grab lunch together when we’re both in the office.
“Maybe she wants to prepare for her interview, you know, away from her competition.” He raises a brow. “I heard about the meeting. It’s weird that you both are going for the same job.”
“Yeah.” No matter my intentions when I threw my name in for the interview, the job is definitely causing weirdness between Aria and me. Telling her the truth would only destroy her confidence because she’d know she’s being passed over for someone who doesn’t even want the position. And forget about bowing out at this point. She’d never forgive me for throwing my career away because of her. I’m stuck, and with how uncomfortable we’ve been with each other for the past few days, this job might be the last straw in our relationship.
Chapter Seventeen
Aria
“You haven’t talked to him in days?” Ashley’s eyes widen as she grabs another slice of green pepper from the veggie platter we’re splitting as an appetizer.
“Nope. Not since Tuesday morning.”
“But your party is tomorrow night. I can’t believe neither one of you told me about this. I’ve been talking to Nate all week.” She dips the green pepper in the peppercorn ranch dressing and chews it loudly.
“Why would Nate mention it to you? He’d never drag you into the middle of this. I’m sure that’s why he went through with helping you plan the party, so he didn’t have to tell you that he...”
She swallows and rests her arms on the table. “What exactly did he do? Other than put in for the same job you did?”
“He encouraged me to interview, but it’s obvious the position is already his. Monohan and Oliver both seem to know it, too.”
“So he’s a ringer and you and Oliver are just interviewing for show?” Her eyes widen. “That sucks, Aria. What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to interview. Monohan said my interview was Monday morning at nine. I plan to show Paul Weston that not only am I capable of doing the job, but I’m the best candidate for the job.”
She smiles, crosses her arms, and leans back in her chair. “Well, look at my little sis, taking on the man and letting the world know you can’t mess with her. I’m proud of you.” She sits up again and reaches for another green pepper. “You may want to wear something low-cut, though. Oh, and those charcoal pants that hug your ass.”
“My charcoal pants do not hug my ass.”
She stabs the green pepper in my direction. “They so do, and you know it. That’s why you always wear them to important events.” She wags a knowing eyebrow and bites into the pepper.
“Think Nate will even go to my party?” I trace the rim of my salted glass with my finger and then lick it.
She lowers her eyes to the table. “It’s at Last Call. We rented out the back room, so I’d say there’s a pretty good chance. Will that be a problem?”
I sip my margarita. “It’s fine. With everyone there, we won’t have a chance to talk anyway.”
“Has he called you or anything?”
“A few times. I had to silence my phone Tuesday night, but after I managed to avoid him Wednesday at work, he stopped trying.” I inhale deeply. “Whatever, right? He’ll get the job and move to Pennsylvania, and that will be that.” Twelve years of friendship down the drain. Of course, the real reason it went down the drain was probably my fault. I’m the one who made things weird between us. He probably begged Monohan to convince Paul Weston to take him so he could get away from me.
I finish the rest of my margarita, giving myself a bad case of brain freeze. Ashley laughs at me and raises her hand to flag down our waiter. She points to both our glasses, and he nods in response.
“He’s pretty cute,” she says.
“Nate?”
She cocks her head. “No, our waiter. Good to know you’re still thinking of Nate that way, though.”
Any woman with a pulse would think of him that way. I force myself to look at the waiter, who’s now approaching with two drinks in hand. He looks to be about twenty-nine or thirty, with dirty blond hair and a piercing in his left eyebrow. Not my type. I like guys with dark hair and toned arms, not too big but some muscle. This guy probably couldn’t bench press a poodle.
“Here you go, ladies.” He smiles at us, his eyes lingering on Ashley, who is conveniently covering her left hand with her napkin. Not that she’d ever cheat on Neil. She’s just a flirt and likes to get compliments from men.
“Thanks, TJ,” she says, reading his nametag.
“Let me know if you need anything else.” He doesn’t even look in my direction.
“Will do.” Ashley sips her margarita, and I have to look away.
“If Neil could see you now,” I say.
“How do you think I got him?” She laughs. “Back to your party. Neil and I will pick you up at eight.”
“Okay.”
She holds her hands up in front of her and waves them slightly like she’s doing a really weak impression of jazz hands. “Whoa, r
ein in that enthusiasm, would ya?” She rolls her eyes. “I paid a lot of money for this party.”
I glare at her, calling her bluff.
“Okay, fine. Caleb totally hooked us up. I still sent out invites.”
“E-vites, they’re killer.” This time I roll my eyes and then sip my margarita, which is much stronger than the previous one. “Holy crap. I think TJ is trying to get us liquored up so he has a shot with you.”
“It’s not that strong.” She takes another sip and shrugs.
“Okay, then maybe mine was meant for you.”
“Or he’s looking to take you home,” she counters with a wag of her brows.
“He hasn’t even looked at me except to ask what I wanted to eat. Speaking of which, where are our meals?” I scan the restaurant for TJ, spotting him flirting with a brunette at a corner table. “Don’t look now, but your boy toy is making his rounds.” I nod in his direction.
“Good for him. Looks like we’ll both get laid tonight.” She smiles at me.
About ten minutes later, our food finally arrives with an explanation for what took so long. Neil is walking with TJ. He takes the seat next to Ashley, giving her a kiss. No wonder TJ moved on to the girl in the corner. Neil obviously called and placed his own order with instructions to hold ours until he got here.
“Sorry I held you ladies up. I didn’t realize I could make it here tonight, but when I did I called the restaurant immediately.”
“How did they know who we were?” I ask, knowing the wedding ring on Ashley’s finger wouldn’t give us away since she hasn’t let anyone see it.
“I said you were the two most beautiful girls in the place.” He shrugs a shoulder. “And I knew what Ashley was wearing.”
She snuggles up to him, TJ long forgotten. “That’s because you took it off me about five minutes after I got dressed this morning. I had to iron the dress.”
I hold up a hand. “I beg you to stop.” The two of them are like bunnies. I really don’t need to hear about it.
Ashley smiles, her eyes locked on her husband, who leans down and kisses her again.
“You know, I’m going to take my food to go. I’m not really in a social mood anymore and you two look like you could use some privacy.”
Ashley reaches across the table and grabs my hand. “Stay. We’ll behave. I promise.”
“Honestly, I want to curl up in bed, eat my food, and fall asleep. I’ll see you guys tomorrow night, okay?” I stand up, taking my plate of food with me.
Ashley stands and hugs me good-bye. “Love you, little sis.”
“Love you, too.” I carry my plate to the bar at the other side of the restaurant. “Excuse me,” I say, getting the bartender’s attention.
He looks over, raising a brow at the plate in my hand. “Is there something wrong with your food? Would you like me to get your waiter for you?”
“No. I have to leave and was hoping I could get this wrapped up and pay for my portion of the bill.” I glance back at Neil and Ashley, who are still sitting side by side even though I left. “Actually, I’d like to pay the entire bill.”
The bartender nods. “Who was your server?”
“TJ.”
“And that was your table over there?” He points in Ashley and Neil’s direction.
“Yes.” I continue to watch them as he prints the check and then disappears into the kitchen to wrap up my food. Luckily, the bar isn’t crowded, so I don’t have to dodge dirty looks from people waiting to be served.
Neil is feeding Ashley a bite of his steak. They’re so perfect together. A lot like Nate and I used to be. Of course, without the constant touching and the “I want to rip your clothes off” look in our eyes.
“Here you go, miss.” The bartender hands me the container of food, which he placed in a to-go bag.
I slide the check and cash across the bar top to him. “Thank you.”
“Here.” He scribbles something onto one copy of the check and hands it to me. “You forgot your copy.”
I’m about to thank him again when I see it was his number he wrote down.
“I’ve seen you here before. Usually you’re with a guy. Since you’re bailing on the couple groping each other over there, and you look so sad, I’m assuming you’re no longer in a relationship.”
Bold assumption. “Actually, that guy is just a friend.” Or he was a friend.
The bartender smiles. “Even better. I’m Dan.” He extends his hand, but with the food in one hand and the check in the other, I have none to offer in return.
I hold up both items and shrug, which makes him laugh.
“How about your name?”
“Aria.”
“Beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Do you have plans tomorrow night, Aria?” He rests his arms on the bar, leaning toward me.
“I do. It’s my birthday.”
His eyes light up. “Does the birthday girl have a date for these big plans?”
A date? I thought he’d back off when I said I had plans. I can’t show up at Last Call with a date. Can I? Dan looks like a nice enough guy, though more forward than I’m used to. No. This isn’t a good idea at all.
“Unfortunately, it’s a set guest list. I couldn’t get you in even if I wanted to.”
He straightens at my choice of words. “Well then, happy birthday.” He heads for a customer who just sat down at the other end of the bar.
I shake my head at myself. I didn’t mean to insult him. Taking my food, I walk to the door. My car is parked two rows over, but when I reach the first row I stop short at the sight of Nate opening the passenger door of his truck. He extends his hand, and a woman with sandy brown hair steps out.
Is this his mystery girl?
Chapter Eighteen
Nate
I spend all of Friday showing Charlotte around Priority News. Mr. Monohan wants to make her transition as smooth as possible, so I’m basically showing her how to do my job before I actually leave. I’ve come to terms with leaving. Monohan was right. If I don’t take this job, I’ll be jeopardizing my career and it won’t help Aria one bit. Paul Weston will hire someone else entirely. I plan to start looking for an apartment the day of my interview, which is Monday. From what I’ve heard, Oliver has the eight o’clock interview, Aria has the nine o’clock, and I’m last at ten. We were scheduled that way so I could stick around and get a tour of the building—since, according to Mr. Monohan, Paul Weston has already confirmed the job is mine. The interviews are strictly formalities.
Like every year on her birthday, Aria takes the day off, which means I don’t have to worry about running into her or trying to dodge the judgmental stares as I show Charlotte around. Monohan is spinning it as Charlotte being so versatile she can fill the position of whoever gets the job at The Sentinel. Aria would see right through that, but Oliver is clueless and the rest of the office doesn’t really care because they all think I’m the most qualified.
Charlotte is more than qualified for my job. She spent the last three years working for a small paper in Ohio. She worked her way up to advertising manager and jumped at the opportunity to come here.
“This is one step closer to New York City. I’m slowly working my way there, putting in the time and logging the man hours.”
“You’re going to do great,” I tell her, glancing up at the grandfather clock, which is less than a minute from chiming six o’clock. “I think we should call it a day.”
“Thanks for showing me the ropes.” She looks around and lowers her voice. “Any idea when you’re officially out of here?”
Monohan made her privy to my leaving. “Not yet. You’ll be among the first to know, though.”
She nods. “Everyone here seems great. Really easy to work with. Even that Oliver guy everyone warned me about.”
Of course. The smug bastard thinks Charlotte will be his replacement. He has no reason not to like her. “The staff is great,” I say, opting for the PC response. “Shall we?” I motion to the elevators.
Charlotte grabs her purse, and I follow her out, saying good-bye to David and Emily on the way. Emily is the only one who isn’t thrilled to have Charlotte on board. Most likely because David’s jaw dropped the second Charlotte arrived. I’m sensing some office drama in the works.
“So, are you all settled into an apartment?” I ask as we ride the elevator to the parking garage.
“Well, I’m sleeping there, but I haven’t unpacked a thing. Other than my sheets, that is.” She smiles and looks down at the floor. “It’s a little lonely not knowing anyone yet, so I’m focusing on the job. I spent all last night researching the area and exploring the Priority News site and reading the stories.” She lets out a long sigh. “I guess I’ll unpack tonight since I don’t have any other plans.”
It’s obvious she’s looking for an invite, some sort of human connection. I get that moving to a new state can be intimidating and lonely—I’m sure I’ll find out just how much soon—but I have Aria’s party tonight.
“Look, I would help you unpack or something, but I have a party to attend tonight.”
“A party?” She instantly perks up. “That would be a great way to meet people. Make a few friends.”
“It’s mostly people from work.” I hope that will deter her, but instead she beams at the thought.
“That’s perfect.” She clasps her hands together. “I’ll get to know everyone outside of the office.” When I don’t respond, her cheeks redden. “Oh, I’m so sorry. Look at me talking like I’m going with you. That was so rude of me.”
Damn it. I can’t stand to see anyone looking this lonely. “I’m sure it would be okay if you came along, but you should know it’s a birthday party. For someone we work with, actually.”
It Was Always You (Love Chronicles Book 1) Page 11