I Like You a Latte {Completed}

30 | Ignoring the Doom

Beverly stared at the phone in her hands with awe, her brain working in overdrive as she reread the text on the screen for the seventh time.

Hi, Beverly; can we talk today? I know you probably don't want to see me, since I've been such an ass, but I'd like to see you. I miss you. I'm sorry.

It was from Griffin, of course, and Beverly had to stop herself from replying with an immediate Yes! She wanted to talk, truly, but she and Deb had already planned on going to Silvertone that day, and she couldn't back out of something so important.

Just as she was about to reply with a not today, but maybe later? message, someone slapped her arm. Hard.

Yelping and spinning to the girl beside her, Beverly shot Deb an annoyed look, tucking her phone in her back pocket and forgetting all about Griffin's text for the moment. "What, Deborah?"

Deb snarled, "Don't call me that, Beverly. Can you focus, please? We're here."

Sure enough, the dirty glass belonging to Deb's beat-up Toyota was displaying Silvertone's impressive exterior. The two girls shared an anxious look before clambering out of the car, and Beverly waited on the sidewalk while Deb walked around the car and stepped up next to her.

"All set?" she repeated the words from only several nights ago.

Deb sucked in a slow breath, then nodded stiffly. "All set. You promise that you know the CEO, just in case something goes wrong?"

Beverly squeezed Deb's shoulder. "Yes, I promise. I'll go in first?"

Deb seemed to waver, before nodding once more, a little more confident this time. "Yeah, alright. Two minutes enough?"

"I think so. Good luck." Then Beverly was striding away, heading around the corner they'd been half-hidden behind and stepping up to Silvertone's large glass doors. Pulling one open, she stepped inside and up to the receptionist desk.

It was the same woman (Frieda, her brain and the name tag on the woman's chest supplied) that had been there the last time Beverly had come in, and Beverly greeted her with a smile. "Hi, how are you?"

The woman's smile was genuine this time. "Fine; you?"

"Not bad. Is Mr. Knott in?"

"Oh," Frieda frowned. "I'm not sure. I can check, if you'd like? Or, you can go on up and check for yourself."

"Oh, no," Beverly waved off the suggestion, though not unkindly. "That's alright. I don't feel comfortable doing that and would appreciate it if you would check."

Thankfully, Frieda seemed more than happy to take care of the task. She was probably just trying to make up for how she'd treated Beverly the last time, but Beverly would take it. "Of course, of course!" She hopped up from her seat. "Feel free to wait over in the lounge." And then she was darting off to the elevator, and Beverly quickly ducked behind the receptionist's desk, taking the woman's seat and shifting to face the large desktop computer.

Thankfully, the screen was unlocked, and Beverly shifted the mouse to hover over a tab labeled Appointments. It opened, and her eyes scanned over the typed words frantically.

9 a.m. – Meeting with Mrs. Richards (go over latest updates in new server production)

10:30 a.m. – Contact board (Mr. Knott's plan for developers)

11:00 a.m. – Delivery (J's)

11:15 a.m. – Lunch date (Karen from HR)

Closing the tab and snapping out of the chair, Beverly rushed away from the desk and settled on a plush seat in the lounge, hoping her shaky hands weren't visible. Frieda came out of the elevator a moment later, an apologetic smile on her face.