Friends ForNever

by Melissa Baldwin

Chelsie leans back in her chair and starts to chew on her pen cap. "Erin, I seriously doubt you have anything to worry about. You have a very good shot to get one of those positions. Your dedication to your job far exceeds anyone else on our team. Of course, I'm not making the final decision, and you never know what they're looking for."

  Great. Nothing like stressing me even more than I already am. I find it hard to believe that she doesn't know what they're looking for. I'm about to leave when I remember what Aiden had said about the opportunity that would be here if I didn't go to Paris. Now is as good a time as any to ask her more about that.

  "Chelsie, can I ask you something?"

  "Yes," she says, giving me a worried look. "What about?"

  I shift around in my chair. "Let's say I don't get chosen for the project. Any chance there would be more opportunities for those who stay here?" In other words, I really want my own office, I think to myself.

  ''Like what?" she asks curiously. "Don't you want to go? I thought everyone in this building would be fighting tooth and nail to get there."

  Crap. I don't want her to think I don't want to go. But maybe Aiden is right, what if I do go? When the project is over, I will most likely be back here and stuck in my little cubicle between Bre and Aly fighting over Harry.

  "No, I absolutely want to go. But you did just make a good point. We don't know what they are looking for, and what if it's not me? I was just curious if any other opportunities will be open here for those of us that stay." I trail off because I can see that Chelsie is processing what I'm saying. At least, I think she is. For all I know she could be thinking about last week's episode of Vampire Diaries. There have to be other people with a TV addiction like mine. Right?

  "We can discuss that after the interview process is done," she says finally. "But, in the meantime, you shouldn't worry too much about it."

  I leave her office feeling completely discouraged. That was not the turn out that I was hoping for, but I guess I should feel good that Chelsie has so much confidence in my work.

  I make my way back to my desk to find Aiden waiting for me. I instantly feel better. He's sitting comfortably in my chair, talking to Aly.

  "Thank you so much, Aiden," I hear her say. "It's really hard being the new girl, and I just want to do good. This job would be a huge start to my career. I feel so much better knowing someone on the interview panel." She leans over and puts her hand on his leg. A huge wave of jealousy comes over me. Maybe I'm imagining it, but I think she even gives him a wink.

  "What a nice surprise," I say loudly to let them know I'm standing here.

  "There you are," he says with a warm smile. Aly looks over at me and smiles but doesn't move her hand from his leg. I may need to slap it off.

  "Aiden and I were just chatting about the interview process," she says as she very slowly slides her hand off his leg. "I'm getting more nervous by the day. I told him how much help you've given me."

  I have the same stupid smile plastered on my face. I'm silently reminding myself not to jump to any crazy conclusions.

  "Of course," I say calmly. "I keep telling you that you have just as much of a chance as anyone."

  Aiden gets up from my chair. "I need to get back to work. Just wanted to pop in and say hi." Damn. He's already leaving.

  "I'm sorry. My meeting with Chelsie went a little long," I say disappointedly. Aly is sitting in her chair watching us. I glance at her, but she doesn't take my hint.

  "I'll walk with you," I say, linking my arm in his. I'm not sure where this newfound courage has come from.

  "Perfect," he says. "See you later, Aly," he calls over his shoulder as we head to the elevator. When we are safely inside, our arms are still linked. I innocently ask him about Aly. "So, did she ask you about Harry again?"

  He shakes his head. "Surprisingly, no. She was asking a lot about the job in Paris. She must think I have more influence on the decision than I really do."

  The elevator quickly arrives at his floor. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you when we can go out again, but I really need to get back. Can I call you later?"

  I smile. "Of course."

  "Awesome." He leans in and kisses me on the cheek right as the doors open.

  I'm in a daze as the elevator sails back to my floor. Maybe I'm reading too much into Aly's actions. Aiden doesn't seem a bit phased by them, so maybe I shouldn't be either. I sit down at my desk and get back to work.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  "I just don't understand why you haven't had time to go out with him yet."

  I'm on my weekly call with my mom and, of course, the first thing she asks about is Will.

  "Mom, I've been busy. We have a lot going on at work," I explain. Truthfully, Will must be busy too because I haven't heard back from him since I agreed to go to dinner.

  "Well, I had brunch with Sharon a few days ago, and we're both excited for you two to spend some time together," she replies. Of course they are. "We agree that you are a perfect match."

  "And how would you ladies know that?" I exclaim. I'm trying to keep my cool, but I can feel my blood pressure slowly rising.

  "Oh, honey, you will understand when you're a mother." That is her go-to answer anytime I question her about anything.

  "Even your father agrees. He thinks Will is a wonderful man, too."

  Now is my chance to change the subject. "What's going on with you and Dad? You sure seem to spend a lot of time together for two people who just got divorced." She doesn't say anything for a few seconds.

  "I'm not sure what you mean by that," she says defensively.

  "I guess I'm just confused as to why you got divorced. You seemed pretty close at the party."

  "Erin, we were married a long time, we have a family together, and we're best friends. There's nothing wrong with our relationship," she insists. "And you shouldn't be so worried about my love life and worry about your own."

  Ouch, that was harsh.

  "Okay, I better go, Mom. I will keep you posted on things. Love you." I hang up quickly.

  About an hour after I get off the phone with mommy dearest, I get a text from Will.

  The moms won't stop. Let's go to dinner :)

  I laugh out loud. I guess he had a similar conversation with Sharon as I did with my mother. I send him a text.

  Sure. When is good?

  We text back and forth for a while, making plans for Saturday. I consider calling my mom back to tell her that Will and I have made plans but decide to let her suffer for a few days instead.

  I stay up late working on my submission, and I've finally finished. At least, I think I finished. I even resisted the urge to turn on the TV. I'm definitely feeling more confident than I was a few days ago. Thankfully, I've been so busy with work that I haven't had time to worry about the fact that Aiden and I haven't made any new plans to go out. We've talked, but with both of our schedules being hectic no plans have been made.

  * * *

  The next morning, I walk into work feeling like I can conquer the world. As soon as I get off the elevator, I feel both excited and annoyed. Aiden is leaning against my desk talking to Aly…again. I know I shouldn't feel annoyed because he's there waiting for me (at least, I think he is).

  "Good morning," I say cheerfully, trying to hide my annoyance.

  "Hey, good morning," Aiden says. "I was hoping to catch you before work. How are you?"

  Ah-ha, so he is waiting for me.

  "I'm good other than being a little tired. I finished my article early this morning," I say excitedly. I take my laptop out of my bag and start to unpack my stuff.

  "That's great," Aly chimes in. I give her a grateful smile. It's not her fault that Aiden keeps showing up looking for me and she's there. It would be ridiculous for me to get mad about that.

  "Good for you," he says as he puts his arm around me and pulls me in for a side hug. A side hug—I guess it's better than nothing at this point.

  "Do you have time to grab some coffee?" he asks. I nod my head. Like he
has to ask.

  "Aly, if Chelsie is looking for me, can you tell her I will be right back?" I ask. She's still being nosy and watching our conversation.

  "Of course," she says sweetly.

  I grab my handbag, leaving all my other stuff strewn all over my desk and the floor around my desk. Aiden and I walk quickly to Starbucks.

  "I'm so sorry we haven't been able to make plans," he says right after we order. "I just didn't want you to think that I don't want to hang out."

  "I know," I tell him, giving him a warm smile.

  After we get our coffee, we slowly stroll back to the office. "So, ET." He gives me a wink, and I punch him on the arm. "How about dinner on Saturday night?"

  He grabs my arm and stops me from walking. Again, our faces are inches apart. "Saturday would be perfect," I say. I think he's about to lean in to kiss me until he remembers where we are.

  He cringes. "I guess I better not kiss you being that we're on the clock."

  I frown. "I guess not."

  "I want to," he whispers.

  OMG. Why do we have to be at work? We walk side by side toward the elevator, neither of us saying a word. I'm not sure if other people can see our physical attraction, but I imagine it's hard to ignore.

  Again, I float slowly back to my floor. I want to dance around singing that I have another date with Aiden, but I need to act professional. I quietly sneak over to my desk and start to get ready for the day. I know Bre has arrived because her stuff is thrown all over her desk.

  "I would ask you how your coffee date was, but I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to that," Aly says a few minutes later.

  I laugh. "I try not to be so obvious," I reply. "Anyway, enough about me. I keep meaning to ask if you mentioned anything to Aiden about Harry." I'm surprised that she hasn't brought him up at all.

  "No, I figured that he would have reached out to me by now if he was interested," she says softly. "Aiden is awesome though. He was here for about twenty minutes before you got here."

  I give her a fake smile.

  "He's so encouraging. You guys definitely have that in common," she continues.

  The more she talks about Aiden the more it bothers me. I've never thought of myself as a jealous person. Now, I'm acting like a possessive crazy girlfriend. Aiden is certainly welcome to talk to anyone he wants. I'm the one who's going out to dinner with another guy. Wait a second. Oh no! I realize that I just told Aiden I could go out on Saturday, and that's the night I'm supposed to go out with Will.

  "Damn, what did I do?" I exclaim out loud, interrupting Aly's rambling. She gives me a strange look.

  "What's wrong?"

  "Oh. I'm sorry I just realized I forgot about something and double-booked myself." I dig for my phone, trying to decide how to get out of this mess. I'm dying to go out with Aiden again, but my mom might kill me if I cancel on Will.

  "Where were you?" Bre asks, rushing off the elevator. "I have a crisis, and I need to talk you now."

  Ugh. Now is not the time for one of her crises, especially when I'm having my own crisis.

  "Give me a few minutes," I demand. I scroll through my phone, looking for Will's number.

  Just then Chelsie buzzes in on my phone.

  "Erin, can you come to my office really quick?"

  I want to scream! My day started off fantastic, but the excitement of finishing my article and my coffee date with Aiden are quickly becoming forgotten. I was so excited to make plans that I totally forgot about dinner with Will.

  "Be right there," I call back to Chelsie.

  I'm still scrolling through my phone. What am I looking for? I'm so frazzled.

  "Erin, this is really important," Bre continues to beg.

  I find Will's number and send him a quick text.

  Something came up on Saturday. Friday?

  I put my phone down and head to Chelsie's office. "Hang on. I have to see what Chelsie wants," I call over my shoulder to Bre.

  I sit down in Chelsie's office, and she starts talking to me about next months' submission. Why does she have to do this now? I completely tune her out. Not to mention I'm hoping to be in Paris next month. She must read my mind.

  "Of course, if you are in Paris, I could get someone else to cover your article."

  There's no way I'm letting that happen. I need to remember to look at the big picture. My future is here, and if I want to move up, I need to make sure I show her, and everyone else, that I can handle anything.

  "No, I can do it," I tell her.

  "I wish they would hurry up and get things moving," she adds. "There was some delay, but it looks like interviews will start in a few days. Don't say anything yet. An official announcement will be released later today or tomorrow."

  Here we go, I think to myself. It will be mass hysteria around here.

  "Of course," I agree. "And I will get a head start on next month right away."

  I feel a sense of relief that I already have my piece done for my interview. I head back to my desk to find Bre with an ice pack on her head. Is she kidding? That's a bit overdramatic. Aly is busily typing on her laptop.

  "There you are. I need you," she says loudly. "Take a walk with me." She grabs my arm and drags me toward the conference room.

  I've been at work for hours and still haven't gotten a thing done. I also really need to check my phone to see if Will texted back.

  "I have a huge dilemma," she says after she shuts (and locks) the door.

  "As if I didn't figure that out by now—I think the ice pack was a good indication," I say sarcastically.

  "Never mind this," she says, throwing it on the table. "I met with the dating doctor a few days ago. Following that meeting, he put me in contact with two fantastic men." She stops and inhales deeply. "Come to find out they're cousins, and both amazing. And then to top it off, your stupid boyfriend's brother finally calls me. Seriously, this is too much stress for one person to handle. Not to mention I'm going to be in Paris soon, and it's not the best time to start a new relationship."

  I'm completely speechless. Is this girl for real? This was her huge crisis? And she really believes that she's definitely going to Paris? I hate to crash her dream, but honesty is important between friends.

  "I think you're getting ahead of yourself." She looks questioningly at me. "I mean, why not get to know these guys before you make up your mind?" Man, I'm good.

  "I guess," she says, shrugging her shoulders. "So, can you talk to Aiden and get the story on Harry? He's seems so elusive, and I can't put my finger on it, but I think there's more to him than meets the eye."

  I don't reveal anything Aiden told me. If Bre found out that Harry is some wealthy businessman, she would be all over it.

  "What makes you say that?" I ask innocently. "He seems fine to me."

  Bre leans in toward me. "I have to tell you something," she's practically whispering. "I did some digging and it appears that Harry is really Harrison Thomas. And he's more than just some local small business owner. I don't know all the details, but it looks like he's pretty successful."

  Of course she researched him. Aiden is naïve to think that these girls wouldn't do their homework.

  "Well, what did Harry say when he called?" I ask. I'm actually pretty curious to hear what he had to say. It's been a while since he asked for their numbers.

  "Not much, really. He asked me out to a Warrior's game. I'm not really into basketball, but I certainly wasn't going to tell him that, and he said he's got floor seats. I would have been crazy to turn those down. I'm just curious if Harry said anything to Aiden about me. I would ask him myself, but I already know he's not going to tell me anything. Would you ask him for me?" she asks as she gets up from her seat. She looks completely relaxed now, nothing like the girl who rushed in here with an ice pack on her head.

  "What makes you think he will tell me anything?" I ask.

  She gives me a wicked smile. "I'm sure you could find a way to convince him."

  I should have known
she would say something like that.

  "I'm going to ignore that comment, and I really need to get to work. I haven't done a thing all day." I start to head for the door when she grabs my arm.

  "Oh, and what's the deal with your newfound best friend Aly? I've noticed you two have really become close," she says as we slowly make our way back to work.

  "She's not my new best friend," I snap. "What is your problem with her anyway? She hasn't done anything to you."

  She shrugs her shoulders. "I just don't trust her. You should watch your back because something is up with her, too. Oh, and good job getting her hopes up. Now the poor girl thinks she has a chance of going to Paris. How old is she, twelve? I actually feel sorry for her, well, kind of."

  Talk about denial. Bre is so sure she will be going to Paris. She would probably lose it if Aly got the job in her place. You never know, though, what could happen. For all I know, Aly could get it instead of me.

  "Hey, Erin, your phone has been blowing up," Aly says when Bre and I return. She gives me a curious look. I see I have six text messages and two missed calls. A few of the messages are from Will about rescheduling and saying Friday night works. I'm about to text him back when a call comes in from my mother. Did Will actually tell his mother that I canceled? This could definitely impact me going out with him.

  I let her call go to voice mail. I can't spend any more of my day dealing with nonsense.

  "You're very popular today," Aly says curiously. She's staring at me, and I suddenly get a really weird feeling. I wonder if she looked at my phone. Maybe she saw the texts from Will? But would she really snoop through my phone?

  "I guess? It's just a busy day," I say nonchalantly.

  "Mm-hmm."

  I finally check my emails for the first time today and see the email from Chelsie has arrived.

  Team,

  All interviews for the Paris location project will begin on Monday. Please respond at your earliest convenience with your submission. These will be reviewed in the next few days, and those moving forward will be scheduled for an interview.

  Chelsie

  P.S. Serious submissions only.