Carmen entered the foyer of her office and spying Abby back behind the greeting desk, she leaned over and delivered her coffee with a flourish. “You didn’t think I could do it, did you?” she asked.
“Did you get Zac to drive you?” Abby looked up, not missing a beat.
Carmen gasped, indignant, “Of course not, although, why do you choose a cafe so far away? What’s wrong with the one downstairs?”
“Have you ever had coffee from the one downstairs?”
“Not that I know of... though you don’t usually make me get my own coffee,” brown eye’s twinkled, clearly not bothered she had been left to her own devices, “Rita got home okay?” Carmen asked, her voice taking on a more serious note.
“Yes, she’s fine,” Abby said, “And no, you’ve never had the coffee downstairs. It’s awful.”
“Then I am extremely grateful for your extra effort.”
“We assistants often go the extra mile for bosses we like,” Abby said with an exaggerated flutter of her eyelashes.
Carmen laughed, “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
“Really? I’ve been hearing rumours that Malcolm was marched from the building this afternoon. Will flattery get some details regarding that?”
“No,” Carmen said, “But I can tell you the rumours are correct.”
“What about Rita?”
“She’ll be back tomorrow. I’ve asked her to come by my office first thing, so feel free to send her straight in.”
“No problems,” Abby said. She took in the set of Carmen’s jaw, deciding she wouldn’t get anywhere by pushing, so she returned to their previous subject, “So you really made it to the coffee shop all by yourself?” she asked, taking a sip of her brew.
“I did. Though I got into trouble with the other clientele,” Carmen grinned, looking a little sheepish.
Abby raised an eyebrow, “How exactly?”
“I kind of skipped the line.”
“Kind of?”
“Well, I thought that because you’d already ordered, I could, you know, just let them know I had arrived to pick them up.”
“That makes logical sense, I suppose. Who told you off?”
“A red-head with dazzling green eyes. It was actually rather pleasant, as far as rebukes go.”
“Dazzling eyes?”
Carmen grinned at her assistant’s teasing tone, and nodded seriously, “A barely adequate description,” she said, dead-pan and playing along.
“Is that so? Abby asked, laughing. “Does this mystery person have a name?”
“Ailec.”
“Ailec? Ailec...” Abby said, slowly, her brow furrowed.
Carmen leaned on the greeting desk casually, sipping at her coffee, brown eyes bright over the rim of the takeaway cup, watching as her assistant searched her memory for the name.
“Wait... isn’t she that political writer you go on and on about every so often?”
“Ailec Stone. Yes. Well, really I don’t know, really.”
“You don’t know?”
“I don’t know if Ms-Green-Eyes is Ailec Stone. I only got her first name.”
YOU ARE READING
Fancy Love
RomanceAilec Stone has a lot on her mind. Her online newspaper is barely turning a profit; she's trapped in a complex relationship with her ex and her investigation of political kickbacks and abuse has her headed for trouble. Complication is following her...
