Page 76 of A Break in Communications

“Oh, yes?” He raised his eyebrows, which prompted me to think about what I was saying. Was I supposed to be downplaying my own accomplishments at the last big task to prove myself for the promotion?

I didn’t have any say in the matter. Lucy Masters was across the room from me, looking… well, looking like Lucy Masters, so I couldn’t think of anything else. Just standing there, talking to the Outreach executive lead, looking as flawless as anyone ever had… I guess I was in deep.

“There’s a reason Sean put us on this case together,” I said. “We make a good team.”

He nodded quickly. “Yes… Sean did say how you’re a—dynamic duo.”

“Anna,” a voice said from behind me, and I turned back to where Matthew Gould came up behind me, and I smiled for a second before I saw the worst thing I could have, which was my… mother. Here with Matthew Gould. God, I’d been so distracted at the holiday party that I’d forgotten they’d made friends somehow. I blinked fast, and Gould took advantage of it to step in front of me with a big smile. “Good to see you. Your parents have been so excited to see your event, it’s awfully sweet.”

What, like I was back in grade school and they were excited to see me in the Nativity scene? I smiled woodenly at both of them. “Ah… Matthew. Mom… I didn’t know you were coming today,” I said, my voice pointed in that specific way that subtly said I didn’t know she was coming becauseshe wasn’t invited.Stupid of me, really. She didn’t understand that when I said it directly, so she had no chance of understanding when I implied it.

Mom beamed. “Of course your father and I aren’t ignoring something this big for you. Besides, we’ve both made good friends with Matthew while looking after Miss Charlotte.”

I stopped, blinking fast at Gould. “You’ve, uh—you’ve been looking after Miss Charlotte,” I said. Of all the places I wanted to have this conversation,in front of the company presidentwas pretty far down the list. “That’s awfully… sweet of you.”

Gould put his chest out. “You and your girlfriend have been wonderful to work with and give me a lot of hope for the company relations,” he said. “When Maria said how Lucy’s grandmother was in the hospital and she could use some company, I was happy to take off work and see her.” He paused. “Mostly I wanted to take off work.”

I laughed. Not sure why—nothing was funny, except for everything right now—but I was spinning. “Ah, well… I’m sure she’s loved it,” I said. “In… her own way. Miss Charlotte never saw fit to mention that, but I guess… well, that’s the woman for you. Say, Gould, uh, Mom, shall we—let’s give Mister Berg some room to breathe,” I said, which was the wrong choice, because that brought Michael Berg back into the conversation, and Gould put a hand out towards him.

“Berg—it has been a long time. Haven’t seen you since that first meeting with the company reps, have I? Your communications power couple has been wonderful to work with.”

Gould didnotneed to be such an ally. Heart in the right place or not, I did not want him to enter every conversation withAnna and Lucy are a couple and that’s a good thing that I support,not when I’d told Sean and the whole promotion committee that we were just a fling who had left it cleanly behind us. I cleared my throat, nodding along to Berg. “Lucy couples up well with anybody for good synergy, but she’s good with leadership,” I blurted, going with the first thing I could think of to change the context ofcouple,but it backfired when Mom looked at me horrified.

“What? She couples with—Anna, has Lucy been cheating on you?”

“No—Mom—” I felt my face burn, wishing I could just pick her up and haul her out of the damn building. I forced a laugh. “My—my work wife wouldn’t dream of it,” I said, lighthearted. About as lighthearted as a disaster zone.

Mom beamed, immediately relieved. “Work wife.You’re already finding all the ways you can to call her your wife. You’re going to have the most magical wedding… we’ve already been talking to Eliza and her family and they all agree they’ll be back to the US for the wedding.”

“Mom—” I pinched the bridge of my nose. Berg just looked more and more confused, looking between all of us, and things just got worse when a scuffle came from the side and Kelcey came out from a gaggle of people, wearing a shimmering pale gold dress that probably cost a full paycheck or two, and she lit up at me.

“Boss Anna—hey,” she said.

“Kelcey, don’t—” I started, as useful as asking a bear not to maul me.

“You mean you and Lucy got back together?” she said. “I heard you talking about your wedding—”

“It’s—figurative,” I said, my face so hot I wanted to rip it off. Mom looked at her with a pert frown.

“Back together?” She stopped, lighting up. “Do you mean… do you mean they were together before this, too?”

“Okay, everyone, very funny,” I said, raising my voice, going for a laugh and sounding like a raccoon getting stepped on. “I know Lucy and I are a great team, but we’re not looking to get married any time soon—”

Kelcey ignored me, turning to Mom with a big smile. “Yeah! I mean, Lucy was in love with her from the moment they met—”

“No, she was not,” I said, distantly aware I wasn’t helping at this point but also aware nothing could help me now. Kelcey and my mom laughed, like they shared in some in-joke like old friends.

“Anna’s so shy,” Kelcey said.

“She’s always been like that,” Mom said.

“Anna—” Berg said, looking at me with his brows furrowed. “Can I talk—”

I’d made the mistake of thinking, amongst it all, that the situation couldn’t get any worse, which was a mistake, because it got instantly worse when a figure moved through a doorway and, talking to a man I recognized from Outreach who was absolutely smitten with her, was Veronica Preston, who nearly bumped into the lot of us and stopped, looking up from her drink at us. Once again, she had a flute of champagne before any refreshments had been served. Seduced some poor man in the kitchen, I was sure.

“Oh,” she said. “Anna. Hey. I was wondering why you didn’t answer my text. Didn’t realize you were so popular.”

The man smiled like a lovesick puppy at her. “Oh… do you know Anna Preston, Vern?”

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