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Skimming a hand over the skirt of my navy blue dress, I manage a small smile. “I’m not.”
Telford mumbles something that I can’t quite make out. I can tell Eda can’t either because she shrugs before she turns her attention back to me.
“How’s your sister, Carrie?” she asks with a grin. “The last time we talked, you mentioned something about her getting married.”
I nod. “The countdown to that is on. It’s only three days until the big day.”
“Three days?” Panic edges her tone. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be running around town taking care of last minute details?”
I let out a soft laugh. “Abby claims she has it all under control. Besides, I’m leaving at noon on Friday to handle whatever needs handling. Mr. Black approved that a few weeks ago.”
“I approved it,” she confesses. “I’m an expert at scribbling out his initials.”
My eyes widen. “You approved it?”
“Don’t worry,” she reassures me as she pokes the end of a pencil in the air in the direction of Mr. Black’s closed office door. “I ran it by him, although I didn’t realize you needed the extra time for wedding prep. I would have approved a week for that.”
I laugh. “A half day is more than enough time.”
She nods. “For future reference, Mr. Black will always approve extra days off if it’s related to love. That’s a boss hack to keep in your back pocket. Don’t spread it around, though.”
I file that in my mind under important information because if I ever need an extra day off to devote to self-care, I’ll tie something love related into it to guarantee I score the time away from the lab.
“Do you know why he wants to see us?” Telford pipes up. “My palms are sweating up a storm here.”
I can attest to that since I see two hand-shaped stain marks on the thighs of his light blue pants.
“I do.” Eda’s smile beams. “Let’s just say you’ll be two happy chemists when the meeting ends.”
I lock eyes with Telford as a grin creeps over his lips. “Seriously?”
Before Eda can say another word, the door to Mr. Black’s office swings open, and his wife, Ellie, walks out with her blouse slightly crooked and not completely tucked into her black pants.
Mr. Black appears behind her, his hand raking through his brown hair. “Sorry for the delay. How are you, Carrie? Telford?”
His gaze volleys back and forth between us.
“You’ve got a little lipstick there, boss.” Eda drags a finger over the corner of her lip. “Left side.”
Ellie turns around and wipes it away with the pad of her thumb before her husband can react. “I need to get back to work. I’ll leave you to spread the good news.”
“I’ll see you at home later.” My boss’s gaze never leaves his wife’s face. “I’m counting the hours.”
I can’t help but stare because the definition of relationship goals is playing out in front of me.
“Congratulations, Carrie!” Ellie says as she turns to face me before she glances at Telford. “You too, Tel.”
As she walks away with her husband’s gaze pinned to her ass, Telford jumps up from his chair. “It’s good news. I knew it.”
“It’s great news,” Mr. Black assures us both as he straightens the lapels of his suit jacket. “I could use a coffee. Why don’t we take this to the café on the corner? Are you two on board for that?”
I’ll follow him anywhere if it means I get to hear good news about my career. “I’m in.”
Telford echoes my sentiments as he starts toward the exit. “I’m in, too.”
“Less than three days from now, I’ll be a married woman,” my sister says while cuddling Cindy, her kitten. “And six months from now, holy moly, Carrie, I’ll be living the dream.”
“You’re living it now,” I point out, circling my hand in the air above my head. “Your apartment is all that.”
