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“Charlie told me that she had requested the licensing update months ago,” Allee said, “that would have prevented this error from occurring. I spent this last week going over email requests and have been in contact with head office, and I can tell you right now that request never left this office. Laurie never passed it on. Nor did she pass on a multitude of other requests. They have also advised me that Laurie was not sending the proper budgeting data, so they are going to revise their estimates for us and have indicated that we will actually get an increase for our technical budget.”
Everyone looked at Allee, stunned by her news, and then slowly, their expressions changed. Darryl's face was suffused with rage, Charlie's filled with disgust. Craig appeared confused, Andre and Michael were both shaking their heads in contempt.
Noah held his head in his hands, muttering a muffled, “Epic face palm!”
“Why on earth would Laurie do that?” asked Craig.
“Because she was an incompetent bitch, who couldn't find her own arse if you handed it to her on a platter,” grated Charlie. “At least we've got a decent manager now.”
Allee felt a warm glow inside her as the rest of the table agreed with Charlie. She had finally been accepted by everyone in the workplace and felt like a genuine member of the team.
“Well, let's not dwell on Laurie's incompetence,” said Allee. “It's being dealt with at a higher level. Let's focus on the positives. I'll need you to send me an updated 'wish list' including any programmes, license updates, or other items you haven't received or requested, so we can give HO a better idea of just how much they need to increase our budget.”
The meeting ended not long after, with everyone discussing the potential items they could purchase with the increased budget. Allee waited at the door as each person filed out, and as Noah passed by, she lightly touched his arm. He nodded, understanding her silent request to talk privately. Instead of heading straight for his cubicle, Noah ambled over to the coffee machine. She joined him under the guise of making them both a coffee.
“Could you come over tonight?” she asked, “I need to talk and tell you some things.”
“How does seven o’clock sound?” he asked quietly.
“Seven is fine,” Allee responded and smiled as she handed him his coffee. They parted ways, heading to their respective desks.
Later that afternoon, Allee returned home, her stomach a twisted knot of nerves. She absent-mindedly put her bag down and scooped up Piddle. Allee scratched at that magical spot just below Piddle's ear, extracting purrs of pure bliss from her furry friend. Ambling into the lounge, a slight frown marring her face, her thoughts a whirlwind, yet her body was calm. Allee heaved a sigh and shook herself out of her daze.
“Well, Noah will be here in a couple of hours, so we'd best get things ready. First off, feeding you. Then I'll get dinner started and have a shower while it's cooking.”
At the sound of Noah's name, Piddle's ears picked up, but at the very mention of food, she leapt out of Allee's arms, then sat expectantly by her food bowl. Allee smiled, scooped up Piddle's bowl, and opened a new tin of food.
An hour later, Allee stepped out of the shower, her hair washed, underarms and legs shaved, and face scrubbed. She towelled herself off, giving her hair a quick dry, before hanging her towel back on the rail. Combing the tangles from her hair, she let it air-dry into a cascade of wild curls. Allee quickly dressed in pretty white underwear with a matching bra, a pair of boyfriend-cut button-up jeans, and a loose, low V-neck jumper. Tonight, she was going to open old wounds and talk about nightmares she'd tried very hard to forget, so was dressing for comfort.
Walking barefoot to the kitchen as the smell of homemade shepherd's pie wafted through the house, she started on the accompanying vegetables for the meal. Before too long, her intercom buzzed, and she saw Noah grinning up at the camera. She let him in, unlocked her front door, and walked back into the kitchen to finish cooking.
Noah bent down to give Piddle a pat, the cat seeming to know he was expected, and then walked over to Allee. He gently turned her to face him, cradled her face in his hands, and softly brushed his lips over hers. She sighed softly, leaning into Noah's kiss, but broke away, startled, when the oven timer chimed.
“Mmm, smells great. What did you make?” Noah asked with an appreciative grin.
“Nothing special, just shepherd's pie, green beans, and broccoli and cauliflower in a cheese sauce.”
Noah's stomach rumbled, making them both laugh, easing the tension that had been building in the room.
“You’re a fantastic cook. One day, you'll have to let me make my famous roast pork dinner for you. It's the one meal that I can do that I'm really proud of.”
Allee smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She didn't know if Noah would even want to be a part of her life after she had finished talking to him. She'd just have to wait and see.
They sat down at the table and enjoyed the meal, talking about the past week's events, Noah discussing the efforts of his team in rectifying the bug, Allee discussing the headache of communicating with head office.
“This afternoon,” Allee said, “I was speaking to Karuna down in Melbourne regarding the increase in our budget. We were cut off, and a couple of minutes later, the phone rang again. I started talking to her, but there wasn't anyone on the other end of the line, or at least, if there was, I couldn't hear them. This isn't the first time it's happened, either. I've had about a dozen calls over the last couple of weeks, all of them with nobody on the other end. I wonder if there's an issue with the phone lines?”
“Sounds a bit dodgy.”
“Oh, and I called Karuna back and mentioned it to her – but she said she'd never called me? I'm wondering if it's a phone line issue at their end.”
“Well, whatever it is, we can't do much about it until Monday. I'll get Darryl to do a diagnostic and see if there have been any issues that may have caused it.” Allee nodded in agreement, standing to clear away the dishes. “No, let me do that. You cooked. Cleaning up is the least I can do. Did you want a refill?” Noah gestured towards Allee's glass of red wine.
“Yes, please,” she replied.
Noah cleared the table and stacked the dishwasher before topping up both of their glasses. Strolling over to the couch, he put the glasses on the coffee table and sat down, his arms open for Allee to rest against his chest.
Allee settled into his embrace, needing this contact before she began her story. She could feel Noah's breath warm on her cheek as he gently kissed and nuzzled her ear, and she shifted her face so that her mouth met his. His mouth was hot and tasted like wine, and her lips parted slightly under the pressure of his. She felt safe and cocooned and relaxed further, parting her lips when she felt the tip of Noah's tongue brushing against her mouth. He gently sucked her lower lip into his mouth, his tongue tracing along the edge. Allee sighed gently and shyly reciprocated, tugging Noah's lower lip between her own.
