Page 15 of Love From the Ashes

“She’s not pissed because of the PowerPoint, is she? You did revise it, right?”

“It’s not the presentation. I made the revisions. Krista’s just being her witchy self.”

“Okay, I won’t pry, then.” Della shrugged her shoulders as if shutting the door on the incident. “Adam and I were talking at dinner last night about us getting together.”

“Us who?”

“You, me, and Adam. You keep turning us down when we invite you to join us after work. So, we have an idea you can’t refuse because it would mean a lot to Adam.”

“All right. I give up. What is it?” I wanted to slam my palm against my forehead. I didn’t have the patience or the time to play one of Della’s games.

“Adam has a date tomorrow night with a guy he’s been interested in for a while. The guy is a foodie, and Adam likes to cook, so Adam wants to impress him with a homecooked-meal. You and I will go to Adam’s tonight and let him try his meal out on us first. So, besides the fact that we’d finally be getting you to join us, you’ll be doing Adam a favor. How can you resist helping out a friend and fellow employee like that? Plus, I can attest that Adam’s dishes are mouthwatering delights. Come on, Sofie. It’s Friday, so there’s no work tomorrow. Please say you’ll go.”

“Fine. I’ll go. When and where?” I sighed and shook my head. I didn’t have the energy to argue with her.

“Yes!” Della threw her hands in the air and did a little dance in front of my desk. “Cool. Dinner is going to be fun. It’ll be at Adam’s apartment, and you’ll need to be there by seven o’clock.”

I had to smile at her excitement. Maybe I’d enjoy it.

My enthusiasm was short-lived. Krista suddenly appeared around the corner. She glared at me as she walked past, the office door slamming shut a moment later. Della and I made eye contact, and I shrugged my shoulders. Krista had managed to keep her mouth shut for once.

*

It was twentyminutes to seven, and time for me to head to Adam’s for dinner. Della had given me directions to his apartment in Boston’s West End right after lunch. After checking the transit schedules, I found I couldn’t take public transportation directly from my door to his. No matter which way I went, part of my route required walking. Since I had to walk anyway, I’d decided to make the entire journey on foot, which would only take fifteen minutes. Although the temperature would be a bit chilly, there was no forecast for rain tonight, so I figured I’d be fine.

Reaching Adam’s apartment building, I was momentarily surprised when a man in a uniform opened the door and motioned me inside.

“Good evening. May I help you?” the man said.

“Umm…sure. I’m here to see Adam Barker. He’s on the fourth floor.”

“Certainly, one moment, please.” The man walked over to a desk and checked what looked like a list. “I see he’s expecting you. Please follow me. I’ll send you up to his floor.” The man led me to the elevator, and when the door opened, he motioned for me to enter. Then he flashed a key card over a security device inside the car and pressed the button for Adam’s floor. He retreated from the car and nodded at me as the doors closed.

Arriving at my destination, I walked down the corridor, reading apartment numbers until I’d reached the right one. I knocked on the door, and Adam opened it.

“You’re here. Perfect. Now the fun can begin,” Adam said in a singsong voice. “Follow me. Oh, I’m so excited. You’re going to love what I’m making.” Adam was bubbling with energy as he led me past the entrance to the kitchen and sat me down on one of the barstools at the breakfast counter. “We are having chicken yakitori, steamed rice, and a garden salad. I’ve already made the salad, the rice is cooking, and the grill is heating up. Are you ready for a fabulous dinner?” Adam excitedly rubbed his hands together and grinned at me.

“Yes, I’m starving.” Seeing his exuberance made me smile. It was catching, and I was looking forward to our dinner. I studied Adam when he turned around. He had dressed in a pair of pressed jeans with a turned-up cuff, a baby-blue button-down shirt that someone had ironed, and his hair was meticulously styled as always. I assumed he didn’t go anywhere unless his appearance was perfect. Since Della told me we’d be having a casual get-together, I had slipped on a pair of baggy jeans, a pullover sweater, and tennis shoes. My quilted jacket had dried out from the rain last night, so I wore it over my top and tied my hair into a ponytail. I looked too casual compared to Adam.

“Sofie! You made it,” Della called out, approaching me from a hallway and hugging me.

“I told you I would.” Eyeing Della’s outfit, I didn’t feel so bad. She had changed into a pair of olive-green overalls and a blouse that was brightly colored like most of her clothes and covered in cartoon characters.

“Yes, you did. Well, I’m sure our chef has already gone over the menu with you. He’s so excited. I swear he’s acting like a little kid.”

Adam placed his hand on his hip and made a weird face at Della, causing her to laugh. The two of them could be hysterical when they were together. Adam checked his rice and grabbed a dish full of chicken skewers from the opposite counter while I swung around in my chair to check out his apartment. The curtains in his living room were open, and I could see he had a corner unit with floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides. His place was modern looking and extremely tidy.

“How big is your apartment?” I said, unable to contain my curiosity.

“It’s a two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit.” Adam placed several skewers on the electric grill and turned off the rice cooker. “I have a roommate, Craig. He’s a flight attendant and works more often than he’s here, so it’s like I live alone. We dated a while back but now are just friends since he tends to freak out when he has to make a commitment.” Adam rolled his eyes and made another face.

“You’re better off without him. He’s a player, just like someone else we know.” Della turned and gave me a pointed look. “Speaking of players, I saw Reid Morgan talking to you after the meeting yesterday. How did that go?” Della arched her brow, her expression egging me to supply more than a one-word answer.

“It was fine, nothing special. Mr. Morgan was asking me how I liked my job.” I thought it best to keep to the story Reid had supplied to Krista. It was safer that way.

Adam grabbed a trio of flower-patterned porcelain cups from the counter behind him, their size reminding me of a large shot glass. He poured a liquid from an unusual-looking blue bottle with a black label into the cups and slid one to Della and one to me. He picked up the third glass and held it up. “How about a toast to our first dinner together?”

“Great idea, and I hope we have many more. To the Morgan Systems Trio.” Della raised her cup in the air.

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