Page 20 of Saltwater Memories
The comments thatactuallyannoyed her, and which she didn’t tell Morgan about, were the ones that her boss made in front of clients. Last month, Erica ended a meeting with a client by saying, “And don’t be worried about our company’s style being as horrendous as Amanda’s scarf, because it isn’t!”
The client offered a blank smile, clearly unsure what they were supposed to do with that information. Amanda hated herself in these moments, but she laughed and brushed it off, just to get rid of the awkwardness.
What shereallyshould’ve done was pull Erica aside and tell her that it was unprofessional to make fun of her inanyway in front of clients.
But she didn’t know how to do that, exactly.
“I have to be honest,” Morgan said. “Your boss is a jerk.”
“She’s…complicated,” Amanda replied, studying herself in the mirror. The dress was cute, but could she pull it off? Was thistheoutfit that Rupert would see her in for the first time in months?
“Doesn’t sound complicated. It sounds mean.”
“She thinks that she’s my best friend.”
“What?And that’s how she thinks you treat friends?”
Amanda shrugged. “Well, yeah, I think so. She tells me all about her drama with her mom and her stepsister, and about issues she’s having with her house and with her car. She’ll call me to tell me this stuff and ask for my advice.”
“You’re just a good listener. And she probably doesn’t have any real friends.”
Amanda knew that was probably true; Erica spent all of her time working and seemed to have no social life. “Last year, she nominated me for the Five Star Award. Remember that?”
“Yeah, I remember when you came home that day. She threatened to fire you if you didn’t come into the office for the day but wouldn’t tell you why.”
Oh yeah. That wasn’t very nice. “Well, it’s lame but it’s the highest honor the company gives out – and I won it! When I went up to accept the award, I saw Erica in the crowd, tears streaming down her face.”
Morgan studied her for a moment. “Weird.”
“She was insanely proud. It’s…a confusing relationship. And I do feel bad that she doesn’t have any friends…”
“Sounds like a whole lot of not your problem,” Morgan said with a laugh. “Well, whatever. She can’t make fun of you in this dress. You look adorable! And wait – I have a necklace that’ll go with it.”
Amanda liked the necklace – she liked the whole look, which she finished off with a pair of boots. She felt as ready as she’d ever be for seeing Rupert.
Work kept her busy, along with some texts from Will planning another get together, until Thursday finally arrived. After she parked, she walked a short block and found Rupert standing outside of the restaurant in a familiar forest green jacket.
At least he didn’t trouble himself with new clothes.
“Amanda, it’s so good to see you.” He pulled her in for a hug and she accepted, savoring the fleeting feeling of his arms wrapped around her. He smelled the same, his cologne transporting her back to London for a moment.
She pulled away from him, wishing that the hug could’ve lingered longer. The only person who hugged her nowadays was Margie. “Hey Rupert, it’s so nice to see you.”
“And it’s so good to see you again. Oh, I already said that. Well,” he laughed, jerking his head toward the restaurant. “I’ve got my name down for a table. Shall we?”
“Yeah, of course.”
She told herself again and again not to be swept up, not to let herself get dizzy when she saw him. But when he opened the door for her, then followed her inside, it took all of her focus to avoid walking into something. She was walking in a daze and on a cloud.
He checked in with the hostess and they were led back to a table. Rupert offered to take her coat and she hesitated before unbuttoning it, revealing the simple black dress that Morgan helped her pick out.
“Thank you,” she said as she handed off her coat to him.
He smiled at her. “You look – well, goodness, you look wonderful.”
She smiled. She was glad that Morgan convinced her to wear the dress. “Thanks. You look pretty good yourself.”
“Even with this?” He patted his belly and smiled. She’d missed that bashful smile. “Come now Amanda, don’t tell me that your transfer here has turned you into a liar.”
