Page 42 of One Month's Notice

“Well, I’ve got the perfect thing for you.” Lexi spun around, a short black dress in one hand and a pair of strappy heels in the other. “This is going to fit you like a glove.”

Nat reluctantly accepted the outfit and let Lexi shepherd her into it. She had to admit, the fabric hugged her in all the right places. The heels gave her just enough height for her posture to shift into something that could almost pass as graceful. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she tried to suppress the feeling that she was dressing up as someone else — someone confident, someone who didn’t second-guess herself at every turn.

“Time to add the finishing touches.” Lexi gestured for Nat to take a seat while she plugged in the curling tongs. “Welcome to Lexi’s salon. Why don’t you tell me about your week, madam?” She waved the tongs with a flourish and Nat burst out laughing.

“Well, it’s been a terrible week. Thanks for asking.” Nat raised her glass and then took a large gulp. “I keep messing things up at work, and there’s this awful woman called Clara. She’s like a shark that’s just caught a whiff of blood. Every time I think I’m doing OK, she’s there, reminding me I’m just… not.”

“Well, she sounds like a grade A bitch.” Lexi released a curl and let it settle on Nat’s shoulder. “And you know, you are good enough. More than good enough.”

“Am I?” Nat searched her friend’s face in the mirror. “Michael probably thinks I’m an utter disaster. The way we left things at the restaurant…” Her voice trailed off, the memory of their disagreement still stung even though the text message he sent had given her a fraction of hope.

“Michael won’t think that at all.” Lexi lifted another section of hair and wrapped it around the tong. “Don’t stress about it.”

“Maybe, but he should be back from his break now, and there’s been radio silence.”

“Listen to me.” Lexi moved to face Nat, placing her hands on her shoulders. “You are talented, and you are such a kind, caring person. Michael would be an idiot not to see that. And if he can’t, then it’s his loss.”

“I don’t know.” Nat shrugged.

“Look.” Lexi paused for a moment, visibly considering what she was about to say. “I didn’t tell you this before as I didn’t want to break his confidence, but…”

“But what?” Nat’s heart began beating a little faster.

“Remember when Enzo and I went to get wine last weekend when we were at the shop?” Lexi swirled the liquid in her glass, a twinkle in her eyes. “Well, Enzo may have let slip something about Michael.”

“Let slip what?”

“It seems Michael might have liked you from the start. Before you even walked into that interview, he already knew he liked you.”

“What do you mean, knew he liked me?”

“Yep.” Lexi nodded for emphasis, a little too enthusiastically. “Enzo said that Michael had done his homework on you. He started doing it after his HR department kept employing people that weren’t right for the company.”

“OK, that sounds very creepy. I’m not sure I like the sound of him stalking me before we even met.”

“It’s very common these days in recruitment. Most companies do it. That’s why Enzo is always nagging his students about being careful with what they put online.” Lexi shrugged. “Apparently, as he went through your social media profiles to check out you and your work—making sure you weren’t a complete weirdo—it seems he was a little intrigued by what he saw.”

“Intrigued?” Nat repeated. “But why would he…”

“Because he saw you. Because he saw the beautiful, talented, funny, carefree you.” Lexi set her wine down and reached out, taking Nat’s hands in hers. “He saw you.”

The revelation sent a shiver down Nat’s spine. She thought of all the photos and memories he would have seen and made a mental note to look at the security settings before her next job interview. The stupid poses, the ridiculous memes, the rambling status updates that didn’t quite make sense. She found it hard to believe that Michael, with his impeccable suits and perfectly organised life, had taken an interest in her. That her chaotic and messy existence had somehow caught his attention.

“It doesn’t change what happened at the restaurant, though.” Nat’s shoulders slumped.

“Maybe not.” Lexi gave Nat’s hands a reassuring squeeze. “But it should change how you see yourself. Not that you need a man to change that, but you should know that you’re a truly remarkable person. Anyone who’s met you can see how special you are.”

“Well, Joe didn’t seem to think so.” Nat’s shoulders sagged a little further.

“You need to stop taking responsibility for other people’s actions. Joe was an absolute dickhead, and everything he did was because he was selfish. And as far as Michael goes, from what Enzo was saying, he doesn’t exactly have a huge amount of experience in the relationship department.”

“What do you mean?” Nat looked up.

“Michael has always been so involved in his work and making a success of the company, he never really made time for relationships. The one girl where he did think it might be serious… she ended up cheating on him with one of his friends. Since then, he’s not been interested in anyone else. Not until he met you, it would seem.”

“Ah.” Nat exhaled as a piece of the puzzle clicked into place. She lifted the gold chain from her neck and began running her fingers up and down the metal. It made sense now. The kiss on her hand in the coffee shop. The memory of his lips pressing against her skin. He had know exactly how she felt through his own bitter experience.

“Come on.” Lexi clinked her glass against Nat’s, drawing her back to reality. “Tonight is about us having fun. No work talk. No moping. Just dancing, OK?”

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