In Time

Chapter 12

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Cole"

"You too, Miss. Foley"

His voice is husky, just like I remember, and the way my heart clenches makes my eyes water for second. I look down and distract myself by putting my phone on silent mode.

"So, what would you like to drink, Dave?" my head automatically turns towards David- it was a nickname reserved for use only by close friends and family.

"Whiskey on the rocks" he is such a grumpy old man. Who drinks whiskey at this hour of the day?!

"Tsk, Tsk" Ann mutters, nevertheless, as the waiter comes to our table, she orders. "Two whiskey-on-the rocks and one lemon water, please"

Our eyes meet and his brow raises. I have no idea what it meant and just drag mine away from his alluring gaze.

"So, David, how's your mom?"

"She's doing well, thanks. How about your folks?" he has a small smile on his face.

"They're good" she beams. Ann is such a cute ball of sunshine, I swear.

"You know, Jen is such a proactive person- she always studies her clients before any meets" she looks cheekily at me. God, this is so embarrassing. "And she's probably very upset with me in this case"

"Of course not, you brat" I flick her nose. "Seeing as to how things changed at the last moment, I don't blame you"

"Oh?" he says, and I judiciously try not to look over. At that moment, the waiter comes and serves us the drinks.

"Yeah, our editor-in-chief was supposed to come today, but she fell sick. And so she asked our executive editor here, to come in her stead"

Finally, we look at each other.

"How long have you been working there?"

My throat feels parched and I take a sip. "Two years last month"

"I see"

"How long will you be in town?" I mentally facepalm myself.

"None of your concern"

I'm sure my mouth is hanging open now. "David!" Ann sputters. "Apologize"

He gives her a long look but says nothing. God knows what I was thinking trying to make small talk with this rude and unkind man.

"It's okay Ann"

Things only go downhill from here. David pointedly ignores me and Ann obviously senses the tenseness in the atmosphere. I hardly eat any of the food and just play with it. Ann is nice; she tries to include me in the talk between them but then it only dulls down because of the attitude David shows. After a while, she leaves me alone noticing my reluctance. I have never been this uncomfortable in my life.

We're done with the dessert when I get a call from Sarah. I excuse myself from my company and walk towards the balcony.

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Hi Jen" Sarah sounds tensed. "There's a problem"

I sigh as I pinch the bridge off my nose. "What is it?"

"Mr. Porter wants to meet with Mrs. Bradford but since she isn't here, he's asking for you. And you know how he is, right?"

"Hmm. When did you schedule the meeting?"

"He insisted for the 1.30pm slot"

I look at my watch- the vintage face shows 12.30 pm.

"Alright, I'll see him. And Sarah?"

"His file? Yes of course, it'll be on your table. Just come back soon"

"Ok see you soon"

I disconnect and walk back towards the table. Without sitting, I say, "Sorry to interrupt but there was a call. It's an emergency. I need to go"

Ann probably notices the hurry and says, "What is it?"

"Mr. Porter" I say in reply, and she rolls her eyes. She's dealt with this man before.

I stand up, bag in hand. And look toward David, "It was nice to meet you" he scoffs. The nerve of that man. I decided to ignore him from then on. Looking at Ann, I say "See you after you head back"

"Bye"

And pretty soon, I'm on my way back, chilling to some piano music. This is such a bad day, I swear!

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