Page 25 of The Bodyguard Affair
“Not that I could tell,” I agree. Nothing struck me as odd, which is why I was so shocked by the rumors. “All of this is going to blow over. You know the truth and so does Eric. That’s all that matters.”
She looks relieved to hear that as she fumbles for the closet doorknob. “Thanks, Nolan.”
Chapter 10
Andi
Someone is in the hallway when Nolan and I emerge from the dark depths of the storage closet. It’s Gretchen, because of course it is. Life really has it out for me today.
She’s gliding past, mid-stride, as Nolan and I burst into the light. I’ll admit, it looks bad. We’re both a little disheveled and sweaty from the lack of air circulation, swatting the cobwebs from our clothes and hair.
Her head snaps in my direction, and her amber eyes lock with mine with scary, hawklike precision. “Oh, there you are! I was looking for you.”
“I was just—”
Before I have the chance to shove Nolan back into the closet, her eyes dart over my shoulder to him, towering behind me. Her mouth lifts in a coy smile as the pieces slide into place in her head. “Mr. Crosby.”
Oh no.
“Hi,” he says, giving her a weak wave. “Sorry, I—um, I’m going now.” He gives me one last look and darts off down the hallway, my book tucked under his arm.
And then it’s just me and Gretchen. I expect her to ask what the hell we were doing in there. I’ve even summoned a half-baked excuse about asking him to fetch an obscure item from the top shelf since he’s vertically gifted and I am not. Instead, she just nods her head, motioning for me to follow her.
We end up back in her office, which doesn’t exactly give me the warm and fuzzies since our meeting fifteen minutes ago.
“It wasn’t what it looked like,” I declare the moment she closes the door.
“I owe you an apology,” she says, ignoring my statement as she leans her hip on the desk, arms folded over her chest.
“For what?” I ask, tepidly sitting the edge of my butt in the chair.
“Our meeting earlier. I know it probably felt like an ambush, with Bethany and the whole book thing. I was so shocked by the rumor and I could tell you were hidingsomething.”
I slow-nod, unsure where she’s going with this.
“I had a feeling there was something up when you asked for Saturday off. You never ask for days off,” she points out, like she’s trying to convince herself. “But now it all makes sense. There’s something going on between you and Nolan.”
My first reaction is to cough, violently. I’m basically a mangy alley cat hacking up a lung. It’s so bad, Gretchen offers me a sip of her own latte, which I take gratefully. “Thanks,” I rasp.
“When did it start?” she asks with uncharacteristic interest, her expression smug.
“When did what start?” I counter, flustered by Gretchen’ssudden interest in my love life. She’s never shown much interest in me in general for three years.
“You and Nolan,” she declares, like it’s obvious.
I half cough, half laugh. Me and Nolan? “Oh, I think you misund—”
“Normally I would tell you to keep it on the down-low so you don’t have to get HR involved. But I was thinking,nothiding might be a good thing.” She drums her nails against her coffee cup, a smile creeping across her lips.
I’ve barely even digested the fact that I’m not getting fired, at least not today. And now, she thinks Nolan and I are dating?
Here’s the thing, relationships on the Hill happen all the time, and for good reason. Political nerds who work inhumane hours are simply happier with other political nerds who also work inhumane hours. But when it does happen, you’re obligated to report it to HR, and generally, it’s frowned upon to work on the same team, or in each other’s general vicinity. Even more frowned upon is PDA at work.
I’m about to say,No, you have it all wrong, when the smile practically splits her face. “Actually, this could be a really good thing, you being with Nolan. You know how powerful insider gossip is on the Hill,” she says, working through it in her mind.
“Are you saying that if people see Nolan and me together, they’re less likely to think I’m having an affair with Eric?” As nuts as it sounds, she has a point. If I were dating someone, people would be less inclined to see me as some sex-crazed weirdo/mistress.
“Exactly.”
