Close to Perfection

Chapter 10

"Yeah, Sadie's mine," Rock said matter-of-factly.

"What?!" Sarah and Mike exclaimed in unison.

Rock just looked at me like he'll find the answer of favorite puzzle on my face

"What he meant is... I'm his accountant, as in, 'Sadie is my accountant.'"

"Oh, you should choose your words more carefully then, because you had us both confused for a second," Mike said, smiling awkwardly. Sarah laughed.

"I like your sense of humor, but if you hadn't said something for ten more seconds, I would've figured out that Sadie definitely isn't yours," Sarah said.

"Why do you think I'm not good enough for her?" Rock asked, a bit heatedly. Sarah either didn't notice or chose to ignore his tone.

"No, what I meant was, you're all handsome, funny, and charming, while Sadie is just Sadie—cute, shy, and awkward," Sarah said, and Mike laughed as if she hadn't just insulted me to my face.

"Let's just sit down and order food. I'm starving," I said, eager to move on.

We sat down and ordered our food. While we waited, Rock stared at me, Mike and Sarah discussed the role of art in marketing, and I looked around, trying to avoid everyone's gaze.

"So, Sadie, owning an accounting firm at such a young age must be tough," Mike asked when our food arrived.

"Not really. Numbers have always been my thing, so it comes naturally to me," I replied honestly.

"That's nice that you enjoy your work, but being a girl, it must be difficult to handle the whole firm on your own. You must have future plans like getting married and having kids, so this firm will be a burden on you then," Mike said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to question a woman's life choices.

"Doesn't your marketing job pose a problem when you have kids in the future? I'm pretty sure your earnings are a fraction of mine. Leaving your kids at home for such little money would be tough," I retorted, knowing it was a low blow but feeling justified by his audacity.

Mike looked horrified, and Rock started coughing, trying to stifle his laughter. Sarah began massaging his back, her touch more suggestive than comforting.

When Rock finally calmed down, Sarah tried to change the subject, talking about some marketing strategy. While everyone was distracted, I texted Hailey, my secret weapon.

Five minutes later, my phone rang. "Hello, Hailey, is everything okay?" I asked, feigning concern.

"Yeah, I think I ate a fly while jogging. Weirdly, it didn't taste that bad. I think I'm developing some strange taste buds," Hailey replied.

"What? I'm so sorry. I'm on my way. Don't worry..." I said, delivering my Oscar-worthy performance.

"Well, it's not that bad, but you can come if you want to try it too," Hailey replied, laughing.

"Okay, see you there," I said, ending the call.

"Is everything okay?" Rock asked, concerned.

"Yeah, it's Hailey's dog. He's old and sick," I lied.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Please give her my condolences. I know how much it hurts when a pet dies," Sarah said, genuinely concerned, which gave me a strange sense of satisfaction.

"I think I have to go. I need to be with Hailey," I said to Mike, feigning regret.

"It's okay. Don't worry about me. Just focus on your friend," Mike said, though his eyes were still glued to Sarah's cleavage.