Page 78 of Fluke
“Jess.”
“Oh, sexy name.”
I laugh.
“Okay, well, is there any way Jess can take off this week?” She groans. “That’s so inconsiderate of me to ask. Who can take time off work last minute? Who am I kidding?” She sits up. “I guess we try Carrington next weekend.”
I point at her, shaking my finger. “You know what? You’re right. It’s totally inconvenient and asinine to ask someone to take a few days off work midweek—at the last second, no less. But let me just ask Jess. He probably won’t be able to, but you never know.”
Her eyes light up. “That would be amazing. If you could talk to him and let me know what happens. If it’s a no-go, let’s book Carrington. I think our demand for Carrington will be much less based on our demographic, but we have to get some sort of experience with this under our belt.”
“I agree. I’ll ask him and let you know.”
She stands. “If he can go this week, just book the appointment and we’ll consider it a paid vacation.” She heads to the door. “You’ve earned it, Pippa.”
Wow. “Thanks, Bridgit. I truly appreciate it.”
“And I appreciate you.” She bends forward and whispers, “And thanks for not getting me into a lawsuit by knocking out Chuck. For heaven’s sake, he’s a piece of work. We have to find a legal way to get him out of here.”
I smile.
She twists the knob. “Oh, one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I know Jess isn’t your ex-husband.”
My jaw drops to the table. “You do?”
“I knew what you were doing, and I can’t blame you. It’s also none of my business if you’re married or not.”
Oh, fuckety fuck!
“Wow. Bridgit, I’m sorry about all of that.” I frown, my stomach tightening. “That kind of defeats the point of me going on the trip, don’t you think?”
She looks at the flowers and laughs. “Absolutely not. This man sent you flowers. You look like you’ve had a veryrefreshingweekend.” She winks. “I’m curious to see what happens. If this concept of yours can work on people not in a relationship, that makes me even more confident that it can work on people already committed. And, think about it—new marketing angle. Not only is this for couples in trouble, but also people considering a relationship. It’s smart.”
I don’t know what to say to that. Exhaling the stress I’ve carried on my shoulders for the past two weeks feels like a million bucks.
“Let me know about this week.” She smiles and leaves, closing the door behind her.
It takes me a few minutes to get myself together before I find my cell phone. Jess picks up in three rings.
“Hey,” he says. “How’s my girl?”
“She’s looking at a vase full of gorgeous pink roses, actually.”
“Wow. Someone must not be able to stop thinking about her to send her flowers in the middle of a workday.”
I beam. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”
“You are very welcome.”
“I have something to ask you.”
“Sure. What is it?”
A power tool starts in the distance, and I realize I’m bothering him at work. Suddenly, I feel bad.
