Page 93 of Phishing for Love
“Sorry to hear what happened.”
“Thank you.”
I draw myself straighter, mentally preparing myself for a flood of similar exchanges throughout the day. My steps falter slightly when I see Rick standing by the elevator bank. Hopefully, that’s not a bad omen for today. As soon as the doors open, I follow him inside. Nerves take hold when I realize it’s only the two of us riding the elevator up to the third floor.
“I heard about you and Nathan,” says Rick, wasting no time. “I think the whole town heard.”
“Uh huh.” It’s the most neutral response I can think of.
He snickers. “Heard you also flew off the handle.”
The impulse to give him a little taste of fly-off-the-handle Tess is almost overwhelming. “Is there a point to this conversation, Rick?”
He shrugs. “Just that a man doesn’t go looking for meat if he’s getting steak at home.”
“Seriously?” My hands clench into fists at my sides. “You’re one step away from me reporting you to HR.”
He holds up his hands. “Hey, take it easy. I was just making a general observation.”
Loathing crawls across my skin. “You can keep your disgusting observations to yourself.”
When the elevator reaches our floor, I can’t exit it fast enough. Rick is Rick, I tell myself, trying to calm my angrily racing heart. He’s always been a nasty piece of work.
I remind myself not all people are vultures eager to circle over the carcass of a dead relationship with the intention of picking it clean. I want to believe there are more Bobs and Mr. Silvas in the world than there are Ricks.
Speaking of incredible people, Mevia’s wide grin when she catches sight of me and waves me over to her reception desk immediately cheers me up.
“Looking good, girl,” she says with an approving nod. “Dressed to kill.”
My eyes widen in alarm. “Not literally.” Because it’s Mev, I feel the need to clarify.
“Sure, sure,” she says casually. She leans forward. “You look good enough to whip up massive douche bag regret.”
I smooth my hands over my dress. “That’s the intention.”
I planned my outfit and appearance this morning as though it were a military operation. I couldn’t dress too sexily, because then everyone will assume I’m trying too hard. I couldn’t go for overly casual either because the assumption will be I’m so upset I’m letting myself go. In the end, I opted to wear a form-fitting, midnight blue work dress that shows off my legs, tanned and shapely from hiking. I’m wearing black heels since I’m more confident when I’m taller. And on the off chance I bump into Nathan, these heels put me at eye-level with him, which has always made him uncomfortable.
My makeup took the better part of an hour to get right. I had to apply enough to enhance my features but apply it to look as though I’m barely wearing any.
My whole appearance is an exhausting, but joyful, middle finger to Nathan.
“You all good for today?” Mevia asks.
“Mostly.”
“Give it a couple of days and everyone will’ve moved on,” she tells me.
I nod. I know she’s right.
“In fact, old Jedediah’s poodle will probably crap all over Beverly’s petunias tonight and she’ll retaliate by scattering his trash all over his porch.” She snaps her ringed, silver-tipped fingers. “And just like that you’re no longer the talk of the town.”
I reach over the reception desk to give her an impulsive hug. “Thanks, Mev.”
The moment I’m seated at my desk, Sofia and Kenzie WhatsApp me lines and lines of fire emojis. I smile inwardly at the confidence boost.
The morning progresses with less hiccups than I feared. Nearly every one of my colleagues have made an effort to drift past my cubicle to tell me how sorry they are and how they “never saw it coming.” I’m glad I wasn’t the only one.
I bump into Dana in the hallway. She says, “Calvin mentioned this morning that he hopes your day off allowed you to fully recover from your very public breakup.”
