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Her shoulders begin to shake and then the laugh spills out of her lips. “You’re right. I guess I can be confident you’re not a serial killer.” When her laughter dies down, she places her elbows on the table and leans in. “We should talk about the presentation. I think we open with the completed app and explain what each piece of the scavenger hunt is.”
I shake my head as she tries to explain her thoughts behind the presentation. “No, that doesn’t make any sense. We should open with the scavenger hunt goal and then show the pictures as we explain each stop.” We decided to work while eating, but I rather wish we’d waited now. Arguing with her makes my stomach hurt.
“Why can’t we show the website up front? That way they’ll see all the pictures and then we can explain why they’re there.”
I rub a hand across my forehead. I’ve tried to explain why my way makes more sense about three times, but she’s having none of it. “Look, trust me on this. This is why Philip paired us together. He said I’m better at organizing presentations, but you’re better at talking to the clients, so when it comes time to present, I’ll let you take the lead, but when it comes to organizing it, I’m in charge.”
She blinks at me for a moment and then tilts her head as if processing what I just said. “When did Philip say that? I didn’t hear him give any reasons for the pairing in the meeting.”
Oh crud. I mash my lips together as I try to think up an excuse that won’t hurt her feelings too much. Working with her is hard enough already, but it will be a nightmare if she hates me.
“Did you talk to him about me?”
I sigh. There is no good way out of this. “Not about you specifically. I talked to him right after the meeting about working alone. I’m not good with collaboration anyway, and let’s face it, you and I are complete opposites. That’s when he said it. He told me I could learn a lot from you about presenting.” Though true, I add the last part hoping that will smooth down her ruffled feathers.
She leans back in the booth and just stares at me for a minute which honestly is worse than if she’d yelled. I hate uncomfortable silences and this one is about as comfortable as getting a root canal with a jack hammer. “Wow, you have some nerve. I know I may not be as structured as you, but I’m not really that hard to work with.”
While that is entirely debatable, I know that pointing that fact out will only make the situation worse, so I turn the blame back on me. “It wouldn’t have mattered how structured you were. I haven’t liked working with people since high school when I was always the one doing the work.”
“Well, you’re no longer in high school, and I’m not going to sit around and make you do all the work. If I did, we’d have the most boring presentation ever.” Then, as if realizing she’s gone too far, her eyes widen and she throws her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, Derek. I didn’t mean that.”
“Yeah, you did, but it’s okay. I understand. My idea of fun is not always the same as other people’s.” I decide to offer an olive branch even though I am a little hurt by her words. “But today was enlightening and maybe you can help me relax a little more.”
She smiles softly, and I hope that we are back on common though still shaky ground. “I’d like that, and maybe you can help organize me a little.”
I picture her desk which is covered with piles of paper, a few picture frames, a cup containing pens, a candle, and a teapot. How she finds anything on her desk is beyond me. “That might be more than even I can do,” I say, and though I’m not really kidding, she chuckles and bats my arm in a teasing manner.
“I’m not that bad. You, on the other hand-”
“Is this a working lunch or a date?”
A sense of dread fills my stomach at the cocky voice that is impossible to miss. Mark and Darla are approaching our booth, and both of them grin like Cheshire cats. Of all the places to eat in this town, we had to end up at the same one?
“I hope it’s a date.” I can feel the condescension in his voice dripping onto our table as he addresses Katie. Then he turns and fixes me with a look filled with pity. “Not only might you be the only girl Derek has talked to in months, but distracting yourselves with infatuation will make it that much easier for us to win.”
“Yeah,” Darla pipes up beside him, performing her adoring flunkey role to a tee. “We’re going to win.”
Mark’s eyes shoot daggers at her and he pulls her away from our table. I guess he doesn’t like sharing the limelight, even with Darla.
“Not on your life,” Katie says loud enough for them to hear, and I can’t help admiring her gumption. At least until she adds, “And Derek talks to plenty of women.” Her face folds as she realizes how that sounds being yelled across the cafe. “Sorry. I just want to wipe that obnoxious smirk off his face more than anything.”
“It’s okay. I understand as I feel the same way.”
She smiles. “Good. I’ll organize the presentation however you think it will work best if it means we beat him.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” And just like that, our shaky ground has morphed into common ground. We may have differences in opinions on everything else, but beating Mark is one thing we can definitely agree on.
We spend the next hour hashing out details while we eat and then another few hours hashing out more ideas once we return to the office. By the time I head home, I’m exhausted.
After the craziness of the day, the peace of my house beckons like an old friend, but when I step into the silence and close the door behind me, it is not peace that I feel. It’s an odd sense that something is missing, but I have no idea what. I’m glad that my friend Tommy is coming over tonight for our weekly Scrabble tournament. It’s a tradition we started in college and I can definitely use the structured, quiet time. I also feel the need to talk about Katie. Which is weird because I rarely feel the need to discuss my coworkers or anything about my work.
The loneliness builds as I begin preparing dinner, and I turn on some music to fill the void. I enjoy music, but I can’t remember the last time I turned it on because I felt the need to.
At seven sharp, the doorbell rings, and I let Tommy in. Tommy and I met in high school. He was another member of the chess club and AV team, but he was more reserved than I was. Because of that, he went into the field of computer tech and now he codes and builds sites for some of the biggest corporations around. He also managed to find his perfect half in college. Edith is just as smart as he is, but a little more outgoing. Together, they are the perfect complement. I’ve never been envious of their relationship, but I find I am a little tonight.
He pauses as he steps inside and looks at me, tilting his head. “Are you playing music?”
I shrug. “It was a complicated day. I’ll tell you all about it while we eat.”
