A Nantucket Wedding(37)

    Noah’s office was on a ring road off Route 128, eight lanes of frustrated drivers going eighty miles an hour. Felicity hated it, but put a happy DVD in for Luke and drove carefully in the slow lane. The trip there and back would use up the entire morning, so she decided to change her plans and stop by Suze’s house on the way home. Luke could play with Suze’s little girl, and Suze would love hearing about what a bossy cow Ingrid was.

She could have taken the circle drive that led to the front door of the old brick building that Noah and his partners had bought from a failed stationery supply company.

But if she did that, she guessed Ingrid would rush out and snatch the folder before Felicity could get Luke undone from his car seat. So she drove around the building and parked in a free space in the employees’ parking lot. She gave Luke the folder to carry as they went inside. Felicity knew the layout of the company because three years before—before Ingrid had even been hired—Noah and his partners, the twenty-year-old boy geniuses with prodigious chemistry skills and few hygienic abilities, had shown Felicity and his investors through the building, focusing on the labs, so spotlessly clean and sparkling with instruments that cost more than jewels.

Noah had been full of hope then. He had seemed younger. He had finished his Ph.D. at MIT, and with the help of friends, GoFundMe, and his parents’ money, had started his company Green Food. He was energetic and optimistic. These days he was simply exhausted, Felicity thought, dealing with reports and government-issued guidelines and the excruciatingly slow process of chemical trials.

Luke had been inside the building several times over the years, so when they arrived in the main hallway, Felicity squatted down at eye level with her son.

“Lukey, would you like to take this folder to your daddy’s office?”

Luke nodded, his entire chubby body jumping up and down with excitement.

    “Off you go, then. Be careful. Don’t drop it. Do you remember where Daddy’s office is? Okay, sweetie—wait, no running!”

But Luke was already hurtling himself through the hall, carrying the folder in both hands. Felicity followed behind him. They rounded a corner and saw, a short distance away, Noah’s office. Its walls were glass, so Felicity could see Noah’s desk and computer and chairs, and no Noah. In front of his office, standing beside her desk like a guard to the inner sanctum, stood Ingrid.

Ingrid wore black. She always wore black, probably because she thought it made her look chic or professional. Or because she thought it hid her extra weight, Felicity thought uncharitably.

“Hi, Ingrid,” Felicity said. “We’ve brought Noah’s folder.”

Ingrid ignored Felicity and bent over to face Luke. She held out her hand for him to put the folder in. “Hi, Luke. Thank you for bringing the folder. Would you like a sugar doughnut?”

Luke froze. Felicity knew her son was weighing the pleasure of presenting the folder to his father against the pleasure of having a sugar doughnut—a treat not allowed at home.

“I have to give this to Daddy.” Luke clutched the folder to his chest.

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Ingrid cooed, “but Daddy’s in a meeting. I’ll take it to him.” She reached out for it.

Luke took a few steps back. “It’s for Daddy.”

Go Luke! Felicity thought. “Hi, Ingrid,” Felicity said, “it’s so nice to see you again. Could you tell us what room my husband is in? I’m sure he’d be pleased to have his son bring him his folder. And I’ll tell Luke to be fast like the wind.”

Ingrid stood to face Felicity. “This is an important meeting. I really don’t think Noah would want to be interrupted.”

“It can’t be that important,” Felicity said. “Noah didn’t mention it this morning, and he had no trouble falling asleep last night. He always has to take an Ambien the night before an important meeting.” Subtext: I sleep with the man.

“Oh, dear,” Ingrid said, pretending to soften, but with a steely glint in her eyes giving her away, “all I can say is that he asked me expressly not to be disturbed.”

    Felicity almost laughed, from nervous tension and from the absurdity of the situation. She felt like she and Ingrid were two stags clashing antlers, although wasn’t it the males who did that?

“Daddy!” Luke yelled and took off running down the hall.

Felicity turned to see Noah walking toward them.

“Luke! You brought me my folder! Thank you!” Noah lifted his son up in his arms and carried him toward Felicity and Ingrid. He stopped next to Felicity and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for driving out here, hon. I know it interrupts your day.”

“We’re glad to do it, aren’t we, Luke?” Felicity said, smiling.

“Ingrid’s going to give me a sugar doughnut!”

“What?” Noah asked.

“Ingrid kindly offered to give Luke a sugar doughnut,” Felicity said.

“I don’t think we have any doughnuts,” Noah told his son. “But we have bananas and apples. Want a banana?”

“I have a sugar doughnut in my bag,” Ingrid said.

“Well, then, I suppose…but you know how I feel about sugar, Ingrid.” Noah set his son on the floor. “I’ve got to get back to the meeting.” He walked off, carrying his folder.