The Fix (The Carolina Connections, #1)(67)

Antoinette huffed with impatience.

“Sorry, Antoinette.” Laney wrinkled her nose at me before schooling her features and turning back to the office.

My boss muttered something in French and I knew I had about five more seconds before she disappeared into her office—or vanished in a cloud of smoke and flames. “So, I was wondering if I could change the phone greeting. You know, mix things up a bit. I was thinking instead of, ‘How can I make your day fabulous?’ I could say, ‘This is Fiona speaking,’ or, ‘How are you today?’” I plastered a smile on my face, hoping it might help. It didn’t.

Antoinette’s lip curled as if I’d suggested installing a keg at reception. “No.” She picked up her coat and took her freaky long-ass legs to her office.

I made a face at her back and headed to my post again. This job was proving to be a pain in my booty and I had little doubt I’d be searching for a new one soon. I sat and put my chin in my hand, looking around to see if we had any new customers. There was a couple testing out a sectional over in the corner, and a man in a dark suit talking to one of our sales team in Modern Décor. I perked up at that. The suit fit him perfectly, as if it had been made just for him. His dark blond hair was artfully styled and I could just make out the shape of a strong jaw when he turned his head to point something out to the saleswoman. I leaned sideways in my chair, determined to get a better look, and almost fell on my ass when a voice spoke from behind me.

“Married.”

I righted myself and spun to see the girl named Laney standing near my desk and searching through her purse for something.

“What?” I wasn’t entirely sure she’d been talking to me.

She looked up from her purse and cocked her head toward the hottie in the suit. “The guy you were checking out. He’s married. I saw him here the other day with his wife.”

I glanced back at the man in question, who now stood with his hands in his pants pockets, his weight resting on a pillar like he was posing for a Dolce & Gabbana fragrance ad. Damn, he was pretty. My gaze shot to Laney who had stopped rummaging in her bag and appeared to be enjoying the view just as much as I was.

“Well that is a crying shame,” I said on a sigh.

“Damn straight.”

We stared silently for another moment and then Laney shook off her man-candy daze and dug back in her purse. She pulled out a pair of sunglasses, bringing a string of brightly colored plastic rings along with them. “Shit.” She detached the rings and shoved them back in her purse before using the sunglasses to hold her hair back from her face.

I noticed for the first time that she had stunning gunmetal gray eyes and a flawless complexion. That was the good news. I let my gaze slide subtly down to take in her outfit and felt both depressed and excited at the view. Depressed because who wore socks with flats? And excited because this meant a possible makeover on the horizon. Eeek!

She glanced to the back of the store and then to me again. “It’s Fiona, right?” I nodded, and she gave me a little wave. “I’m Laney. Do you get a lunch break?”

I looked at my watch and noticed it was getting to be about that time. My stomach growled angrily as if spurred on by the mere suggestion. Laney grinned and I did my own check for any lurking boss bitches before replying, “Yeah. I’m just supposed to get someone to cover the phones.” It was still my first week, so I was unsure of all the rules.

Laney nodded and leaned over to pick up the phone receiver on my desk. She pressed a couple buttons and spoke. “Hey, Gabbi. Do you think you can cover the phones so the new receptionist can grab a bite for lunch?” She raised her brows playfully at me and grinned. I smiled back. I liked this girl. Since venturing out into the working world, I’d discovered people weren’t always nice to the new girl.

Setting the phone down, she said, “We’re all set. Let’s go grab a bite.”

I nodded and pulled my purse out from a drawer. “Great! Lead the way.” We walked through the sleek glass doors of the store and onto the sidewalk of the shopping center. I pulled my own sunglasses from my purse to shield my eyes from the near-blinding light.

“So, how do you like the job so far?” Laney pointed to a café across the way and I nodded my silent agreement.

I shrugged, not sure that it would be smart to reveal my true feelings to a virtual stranger. She could be Antoinette’s secret spy for all I knew. Maybe this was some elaborate scheme to … yeah, probably not. “I like it a lot,” I hedged as we crossed to the other side.

I suddenly found myself alone and turned to see that Laney had stopped in her tracks in the middle of the roadway. My brow furrowed. Then I realized she was laughing.

“What?!”

She put a hand out and caught up to me again, still snickering. “Sorry. But you should have seen your face when you said that. It was like you were in physical pain.” I pursed my lips and she laughed again. “You are a terrible liar, Fiona. Has anyone ever told you that?”

I gasped in indignation. “I am an excellent liar!”

She bit her lips to keep from laughing at me again. Shit. Well, I guess the cat was out of the bag. Eh, so what if she knew I hated the job. I shrugged again. “Well, do you like your job? Wait, what is your job?”

I opened the café door and followed Laney in. I’d eaten here before, so I didn’t even need to look at the board as we stood in line.