Chapter 68 Saving Someone's Dream
So much for getting out of the building before anyone saw me...
It's always the way, right? When you're trying to avoid people you run into EVERYONE! Trust my luck that I'm wearing Noah's shirt on the one morning when everyone decides to come to work early. Mostly no one seems to notice as we make our way past them. It would help if I was wearing a coat but nope, I stupidly decided not to wear one today.
Stacey definitely notices though. She stops us near the door to our department to ask Noah a couple of questions. There's a smirk on her face and I can only imagine what she's thinking.
"Nice shirt, Eden," she says casually. "You pull it off well... Definitely better than..."
D*mn! I have to stop her before someone hears. It's perfectly innocent after all but there's no way anyone would believe me. What's more the truth is far less exciting than what the trashy gossip they can make up.
"I spilt my coffee," I try to explain before she can say anything else.
"Ah... I see," she says, adjusting my collar. "Where are you two off to?"
Has she always been so flipping nosy? She's enjoying this.
This is not how this morning was supposed to go. I was supposed to act all cool and collected, like the professional assistant I am. But here I am making a right fool of myself. I can feel a blush rising up my cheek and I silently pray that neither Stacey or Noah will point it out. I'm pretty sure both of them would take delight from my embarrassment.
Rob wanders through the door, coming to a stop opposite us.
"Eden, are you alright? You're looking a little flushed."
"Thanks for pointing that out," I mutter as Noah stands next to me snickering.
"Eden's feeling sorry for herself because she's super clumsy," Noah explains. "She spilt her coffee."
He says it like it's no big deal. He'd feel differently if it was him wearing my shirt, that's for sure.
"I'm taking Eden home to pick up a replacement shirt."
"Wait. What? Am I blind?" Rob says. "There's nothing on your shirt, Eden. You look fine."
Stacey coughs, struggling not to laugh as she covers her mouth with her hand to whisper, "it's not her shirt."
Rob looks momentarily confused before his eyes widen.
"OH! Well, Winter! I'll tell you what, you definitely look better in it than he does."
Unlike Stacey, Rob doesn't think to keep his voice down and several people look our way. My embarrassment only increases, my blush deepening. It's really not this big a deal. It's a shirt for goodness sake. Perhaps, if we hadn't kissed, if I wasn't completely crushing on Noah, I'd be unaffected by this entire situation.
It's only awkward because I like him and there's something highly intimate about wearing your crush's clothes.
"We'll be back shortly," Noah is saying, running through a list of things he wants waiting on his desk by the time he returns and by the time we actually leave, both Rob or Stacey look like they regret stopping to speak to us.
When we're alone in his car, I'm counting my lucky stars that we at least didn't run into my grandma. I'd never have heard the end of this if she had seen me wearing Noah's clothes.
"I'm thinking we should leave off all the over time tonight," Noah says as he pulls out of his driving spot.
My face falls as I turn to look at him. It's true that I'd really appreciate one night without thinking about embezzlement and corruption but a night without all that drama is also a night without hanging out with Noah. I've grown to enjoy our evenings working late. It might be stress inducing and totally exhausting but those little moments when I catch him looking at me, when we exchange smiles or he says something flirty definitely make up for it.
I'd work late every night if I could do it with Noah.
"If that's what you want," I reply, trying not to let on how disappointed I feel.
"Instead, I'd like to," he begins and I think he's going to tell me he wants to go visit his granny or something, "go on a date."
That is not what I was expecting and I'm at a complete loss for how to respond.
"A date?" I ask nervously.
"Yeah, you and me," he goes on, "dinner or something."
"Or something?"
He wants to date? Now? With everything that's going on, he wants to go out and eat dinner? With me?
"Yeah, we can do whatever you want."
It's hardly the most romantic offer I've ever had but I can't imagine anything better than spending an evening with Noah that doesn't involve calculating the cost of raw materials or the wages of Clancy's Comforts three hundred or so employees. I want to say yes. But I'm scared that even one night away from all the crummy paperwork waiting for us on my living room coffee table will be one night too many.
I owe my grandma everything I have and this is the first time I've ever had an opportunity to give something back to her.
"We don't have time," I say even though I really don't want to. "I want to get to the bottom of all this."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
