Always The Second Choice

16. Meetings and Dinners

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Blair looked at her watch for the nth time while Nicola rubbed her chest, feeling queasy again. She took a sip of the third glass of warm water she had requested. 

"How about something to eat?" Blair asked her, concern in her voice. "You look pale." 

"It's not professional to order before the other party arrives," Nicola stated. 

"It's not professional to make the other party keep waiting for two hours," Blair grumbled, tapping on the call button on the table. 

"What are you doing?"

"Ordering tea for you." Blair gave her a firm look, one that even Nicola could not fight against. 

The CEO deflated in her chair and looked out the window. It had started to drizzle - gloomy, just like her mood. 

All her excitement of meeting her favorite celebrity had gone down the drain when she saw the articles about her husband and his 'friend'. But she will be damned if she ever admitted it to anyone else. 

The waitress reached their table. "One peppermint tea and a slice of apple pie. And one cappuccino." Blair gave the order. 

"What did I say?" Nicola gave her a flat look. 

"What did I say?" Blair imitated her as she placed the menu back down. 

Nicola wanted to remind her that this was the reason why she was constantly in fear of losing her job. But she was feeling too tired and unmotivated to fight with her assistant. 

"Ms. Nicola Montgomery?" 

The duo turned to come face to face with the man that they had been waiting for, and all of a sudden all their fatigue and annoyance had dissipated. 

Keith Foreman stood there in a biker's jacket and a Greek God's aura. 

Courtney Martins, Keith's manager (and Mom), was right behind him. 

The women stood up from their seats. 

"Ms. Montgomery, such an honor to finally meet you!" Keith hurried towards Blair and took her hand. 

Blair and Courtney looked horrified while Nicola snorted, so unlike her usual ice-cold demeanor. Fatigue, I tell you, it makes people act out of their fake character - it makes the real them come out.  

Keith turned from the stunned woman to Nicola, his eyebrows pinched. "That's not her name?" 

Nicola shook her head and held out her hand, fighting the fatigue and winning as she put on her poker face. "Nicola Montgomery. Nice to meet you, Mr. Foreman." 

Keith looked over at Blair and then gave her frozen hand a firm shake before turning to Nicola. "You are Ms. Montgomery? But you are so... young." He took her hand tentatively. 

"Kind of the charm, I like to believe." 

Nicola's stomach was doing somersaults inside her but she was the queen of the poker face and could manage one in any given situation, even if she stumbled once or twice. 

Keith looked over at Blair and Courtney. "This one lives up to her position as CEO." 

"Keith." Courtney Martins, his manager and mother, had had a very difficult week, month, or even a year because of his unserious take on life. 

Nicola was infamous for being the ice queen and the making of this movie was dependent on her. Courtney did not want her son to mess up this first meeting.