Chapter Twenty-Four: Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

“What’s wrong with young Miss Bailey?” I asked. She was the pretty intern who had been flirting with me at the party in the conference room, but Vanessa didn’t know that.

“Well, to be honest, I’m the good-looking one on this team. I don’t need the competition.” Vanessa winked.

I looked at her. “Trust me, Ms. Brown, you still wouldn’t have any competition.”

“Diggory Franklin!” She playfully swatted my arm as we stepped off the elevator. For those of you who don’t know my friend Matt, that would translate in his terms as flirting. Getting hit is a good sign. Not that I really wanted to be flirting with co-workers. But “Foxy” Brown was hard to resist.

“So, seriously, why not Bailey?” I walked towards the lobby doors.

“She’s an excellent student, and a lot more assertive than Rice. But I think the same reasoning applies to her case as to Paulson’s. I don’t think she’s really a team player. Rumours on the floor indicate that she may have slept with two associates already, and she’s been assisting on some important work since then. I’m worried that she’s trying to line up a job here, but someone else like that in the department is going to end up being a distraction and a liability.”

“You mean someone like Paulson, who creates tension among the staff.”

“Exactly.”

“I want you to feel like an important part of the team in Colorado. I’m going to trust your judgement on this. Tomorrow morning, I want you to arrange interviews with all three of the remaining candidates. I’m going to call Fayter and ask him to join our team, and I’m going to delegate selecting secretaries to him. Is yours likely to come with us?”

“Joan? Of course. That’s not a problem.”

“Good.” We stood outside, and I hailed a cab. We got in.

“Then I’ll have Fayter inform her of what to pack. We’re all going to Denver next week to set up an office. He can pick two more to assist us.”

“You’re not bringing Mrs. Bowden?”

“No. Lorraine can stay here and be my eyes and ears. Besides, I don’t want her to feel obligated to leave Mr. Bowden for any length of time.”

“That’s sweet.”

We rode to the restaurant, chatting about office politics and gossip. I helped her out of the car like a gentleman and paid the cabbie.

“Hey, this is supposed to be my treat!” Vanessa scolded with a smile.

“You’re buying dinner. The least I could do is pay for a cab.”

We went in and were seated quickly. My new teammate had called ahead. Already she was proving to be detail-oriented and thorough. We sat across from each other. The waiter brought menus.

“I’m ordering,” Vanessa said, putting her manicured hand down on my menu before I could pick it up. “You said this is one of your favourite places. I’m guessing you even have a favourite dish. Well, I don’t want you buying something cheap because I’m paying, and I don’t want you to order your favourite, either. So I’m picking.”

I smiled, and let go of the menu’s edge. “Certainly.”

She grinned and browsed through the menu. When the waiter returned, she whispered to him behind it, not letting me know what we’d be eating. Vanessa seemed to have a playful side.

I knew that it was to gain attention, and that she wanted to be on the team primarily to further her own career. Well, that was the most likely scenario. Still, she was fun to be around and easy on the eyes. Matt would have hit on her by now. However, I figured that I could keep things professional, and just enjoy her company.

The waiter brought the seafood linguine with a fabulous white wine. I smiled in approval.

“Excellent choice. I haven’t tried that yet, but I love seafood.”

“I grew up on the coast. My grandfather trapped lobster.” She smiled.

We dug in. I had to admit, she had excellent taste in food. Which happens to be my greatest weakness. I own my personal gym equipment primarily to prevent myself from getting fat. I would cook all day if I could.

“Mmm, fabulous,” I said after a good mouthful of shrimp and linguine. “The sauce is perfect.”

Vanessa smiled at me across the table. “So is the company.”

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