Page 4 of Reclaiming Love

Chapter 3

An hour after getting into work, Melissa gathered together the paperwork for Nadine and prepared to meet her boss.

She’d sprayed more perfume but she still reeked of coffee. The only option now was to rush out during her lunch hour and buy a new top. She hated being in the same clothes as she’d been in yesterday, but she hadn’t expected to stay over last night at Matt’s. He’d obviously had other ideas.

She was lucky that a guy like him was interested in someone like her. Even her friends in the accounts department envied her. So when a guy like Matt Elliott asked her out after months of flirting around, she wasn’t about to refuse. She’d noticed him around the building a few times. Who wouldn’t notice him? Lean, and wiry, yet strong—nothing like those beefed up guys from the steroid ads she’d seen in the papers. Him being part of the IT team meant he got to wander around the building legitimately. Whenever anyone had problems with their computers, or programs, they called IT.

Things had started slowly, the flirting, the emails, the looks, the passing glances. Each time he’d come to sort out a problem—even if the problem was someone else’s—he would stop by her desk. And that was how it had begun way back in the summer when he’d fixed a network problem for Nadine.

Since that time she noticed he was always the one who dealt with the problems on this floor. She got used to seeing him around more often. Soon, their flirty emails were about more than just smiley faces.

The emails got longer, the glances got more daring and before long he was asking her out for drinks after work. He was cool and good-looking and moved with a couldn’t-give-a-shit attitude. It was the antithesis of her and she was sucked into the excitement of wild and daring that Matt seemed to suggest.

At first she hadn’t been too sure whether his attention, directed all at her, was meant for her. In fact it had taken her ages to convince herself that he was interested. Eventually he asked her out.

But it all seemed so different now.

She knocked tentatively on Nadine’s door.

“Hey, come in.” Nadine sat at her desk, and even though she put on a smile, Melissa could see right through it. She thought her boss would be happy to come back after a month in Europe—which seemed to Melissa to be an awesome opportunity anyway. Nadine hadn’t been so enamored of going in the first place. So she imagined her boss would be more than happy on her return. But the way Nadine looked right now indicated otherwise.

“Glad to be back?” Melissa asked, hoping Nadine would offer some insights into her mood. She handed over the minutes of the team meeting that she had typed up.

Nadine took the papers. “I thought I might be,” she offered, “but I’ve got even more things to deal with back here. And I didn’t want to stay so late at the office, not so soon after coming back.” She sighed, casting a quick glance over the papers. “Sit down a while, Melissa.”

Melissa obliged reluctantly and hoped that her wearing the same clothes as yesterday wouldn’t be so obvious. “The work won’t ever die down, Nadine. You have to set a time and get out of here. Surely it’s great to be back home, with Ethan?”

“He’s the best part of it all. I think I’ll feel better once my workload clears a little.”

“You work too hard,” countered Melissa. Nadine arrived at work before she did and was still at her desk when Melissa headed out of the door in the evening.

“I’m looking forward to the Christmas break,” Nadine confessed. “But turning thirty-five doesn’t appeal.” She put her fingers to her lips when Melissa jerked in her seat, eyes wide open in surprise. “I don’t want to talk about it.” She said firmly. “Anyway, how are you this morning?” Nadine’s gaze traveled to her blouse. “Accident?”

“Some guy bumped into me at the coffee shop.” She would have to change her top.

“Some guy?” It seemed that Nadine had no intentions of talking about work this morning. It was unusual for her boss to make much small talk, which made Melissa wonder whether things between Nadine and Ethan were a little cool at the moment. “I noticed you and the IT guy seem friendly,” said Nadine, with a smile.

The color rose in Melissa’s cheeks. She wondered whether Nadine could tell that she and Matt had had sex last night. She stared down guiltily at her clothes: she wore the same black skirt and purple blouse as yesterday.

“We’re—we’re—” She felt her blush deepen.

“I figured,” said Nadine, “considering the number of times I see him up here.” She smiled again.

Melissa looked away, embarrassed. She was sure her boss could see right through her, down to her unchanged clothes.

“I knew there was a reason you rushed out each evening all dressed up,” said Nadine.

“Making an effort. You know how it is,” said Melissa, remembering how she’d felt the need to impress Matt, especially in the early days.

Ever since she’d started seeing Matt, she’d felt the need to make more of an effort. She dressed more carefully, taking extra time with her makeup. Matt told her he liked her in pencil skirts mainly, short but not too short. He told her he didn’t like too much “paint” on her face but sometimes, in an effort to look good for him, she overdid the makeup a little. Then he’d tell her she looked like a tart.

Heather overdid her makeup all the time.

“The first stages of getting to know someone—nothing beats that,” said Nadine dreamily.

“Have you and Ethan had a fight?” Melissa asked. It wasn’t like her boss to openly talk about her problems or love life.

Nadine sighed and crossed her arms loosely in her lap. “No. Not really. It’s hard to figure out what’s best for you as a couple. I don’t think I’m good at it.” She flicked through the documents Melissa had given her. “Thank you for doing these.” Melissa took that as meaning Nadine wanted no further discussion on the matter.

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