Page 11 of The Hot Mess

“Just busy having dinner with you.” I smiled. Jeez, what was wrong with me? I couldn’t have spat out a cheesier line if I had been trying.

She chuckled under her breath and started to turn for the elevators. “Great. Thanks, Jack.”

“I have your number now,” I said, holding up my phone. “I’ll text you the details.”

The elevator doors slid closed in front of her, saving us both. An instant dread washed over me. Lucas and Joshua would kill me if they had seen or heard what just happened. Not that I couldn’t take them, but I didn’t want to have to. Honestly, I kind of wanted to kill myself for acting so unexpectedly.

I turned around and shook my head. Since when did a pretty girl throw me off so much? Especially one I had known since we were kids?

No sooner than I had the thought, I looked up to see another old friend standing there, watching me intently with her arms crossed.

“Victoria Sloan.”

“Jack Landson,” she smirked. “I heard you were hanging around here for a while. I just didn’t know you were hanging around Jada while you were at it.”

I quickly crossed the lobby floor to close the gap between us and avoid any risk of someone overhearing her.

“She’s starting a new project, and I was just giving her some tips.”

“I’m sure,” she said dryly, taunting me.

Victoria was another old friend from high school. I had known her just as long as the Meadows family, and now she was one of them—married to Lucas. She had always been hot as hell, but she was another one I never gave a second thought to. Lucas always had a claim on her. At least that was one boundary I was still successfully managing not to cross.

“She looks good, doesn’t she?” she tipped her head towards the elevators where Jada had just been. “I helped her upgrade her look.”

“You did a…” I cleared my throat, stopping myself from word-vomiting any further. “You did a great job. She’s always been a very sweet girl.”

Victoria’s face tightened as she stepped closer, taking an intimidating stance. “Averysweet girl. One who doesn’t get out much or date. She’s not seasoned to heartbreak like some of us.”

I threw my hands up in mock surrender. “That’s none of my business. More than I need to know about one of my execs.”

“One ofyourexecs?” she questioned. “So, you’re planning on sticking around for a while then?”

“It’s been discussed some, but…”

“Just don’t let any ideas about staying here lead you to thinking it’s a good time to settle down with anicegirl. When guys like you try that old cliche, you end up miserable, and you leave an otherwise innocent and happy woman just as miserable with you. Jada deserves better than that.”

“Again, just giving tips and guidance—which is my job. The better point here is for you not to let your crazy assumptions get back to Lucas and stir up any drama.”

“I’ll stay in my lane if you stay in yours,” she sang with a smile before flipping her ponytail and marching off.

6

Jada

My face wrinkled with a confused and flustered smile as I left Jack standing there in the lobby. Was I crazy, or was he flirting with me? I looked around, wishing there was anyone else around who might have seen the interaction and could help me interpret it. Maybe I was just being delusional, but I could have swore he was thrown by my new look. And the follow-up dinner invitation had me just as thrown as him.

I groaned with my back up against the elevator wall, suddenly realizing the mistake I had made. I was so taken back by his invitation to dinner that I forgot the next night was book club. I may not have been sure of his real motives for asking me out, but I wasn’t about to rock the boat by asking to reschedule. Romantic or not, I was going to have dinner with Jack Landson tomorrow night.

I pulled my phone from my purse to call Jane and let her know. I should have known she wouldn’t let me off the hook easily. I had never missed a book club meet-up before.

“Dinner? With a man?” she fired off rapidly. “So…a date!? I don’t think you’ve ever once mentioned dating before. Ever.”

Once again, people’s assumptions from the box they had all put me in were coming to light. It felt like if I sneezed differently, it’d make front page news with my friends and family.

“No, it’s true. I don’t really date often…or…ever, as you said. Twice,” I sighed. “But this isn’t really a date. It’s just an important work thing.”

“Tell me everything,” she insisted.

---