“Yeah, yeah. Good.” She waves her hand in front of her face. “No, what I really mean is that I’ve been dying to know what all the meetings were about yesterday. I thought if I had to wait another day to get the scoop, I’d lose my mind.”
“What?”
“Don’t tell me you’re sworn to secrecy. If you say that, we’re not friends anymore,” she says seriously.
I open my email to see if there are any hints in there as to what she’s talking about. Nothing. Just the usual “Can you help me with this?” “Can you update this in our address book?” “Can you order lunch for ten?” Oops. I hope they found someone else for that.
I finally have to turn to her and admit, “I have no clue what you’re talking about. Why don’t you give me a hint?”
Even though it’s obvious she doesn’t believe me, she rushes through an explanation about yesterday’s constant meetings, all of which were attended by Jude, Gary, and the really big bigwigs. “Rumor has it that the company is opening another branch, but there’s no word on location yet. In the rumor mill, that is. I’m sure the people in that meeting know exactly where it’ll be.” She scoots closer to me. “So? What’d Jude say to you about it last night?”
I shake my head and whisper, “This is the first I’ve heard of it. I mean, I know he was in a meeting yesterday, but I only talked to him on the phone, and he never said what it was about. We mostly just talked about my budding relationship with my toilet.”
“Eww! TMI! You talk to your boyfriend about that stuff?”
I give her a look that conveys “Big deal,” and she says, “Gosh, I don’t think Steve knew I even had bodily functions until after we were married!”
“Then you’re deranged,” I declare. “Anyway, now that you mention it, Jude was really distracted when I talked to him. It was like he couldn’t get off the phone fast enough.”
“Well, with the conversation you were having, I don’t blame him,” she states. “Ick. But didn’t he come over to at least bring you soup or something? That’s kind of cold.”
I go back to cleaning out my emails. “I didn’t want any soup. And let’s not talk about food in general. Hey, did you help Brandon with this permit application yesterday?”
“Yes.” She leans against the cubicle wall. “I wonder where the new office will be. Do you think they’re asking Jude to transfer, head it up? What will you do if he has to move to another city?”
My finger freezes on my mouse button, and I get vertigo again. “Uh… do you really think that’s what’s going on?”
“Why else would he be in that meeting?”
“Minutes transcription?” I offer weakly.
Lisa snorts at me. “Nice try. He’s been in charge of or a part of every single major account in this department since he joined the company. They’ve been grooming him.”
“If they have, he doesn’t know anything about it,” I say. “He’s never mentioned that before. As a matter of fact, he always calls himself ‘a cog on the wheel.’”
“He’s just being modest. Brandon, Heath, Jake—they’re cogs. Jude’s his own wheel, especially ever since he nailed that Art Museum design.”
Mr. Modesty himself walks by, slowing down when he sees us.
“Blimey, I didn’t expect to find you here today,” he says, looking pleasantly surprised. He steps in and kisses the top of my head. “You sounded like Death yesterday when we spoke.”
Lisa says, “’Morning, Jude. You look chipper today. Although you might want to put some cukes on those eyes tonight. Having trouble sleeping?”
He smiles at her. “Not really.” Then he looks down at me, “Well, maybe I was a bit worried last night about you, but I know you’re tough. A little food poisoning wouldn’t keep you down for long.”
“Hmm. Well, I guess I should get to work,” Lisa murmurs, slipping out.
Although I know she’s standing right on the other side listening to everything we say, I quietly ask Jude, “What’s going on?” in a bemused tone.
He shakes his head, still smiling. “What?”
“You know… the meetings yesterday. Mingling with the corporate muckety-mucks.” I keep my tone light, a verbal elbow nudge.
He transfers his coat to his other arm and avoids my eyes. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”
“Jude!” I pull on his pants leg so he has to come closer.
“Libby…” For a second, I think he’s going to tell me something, but then he pauses, obviously thinking better of it.
“Are the rumors true?” I ask, regretting the dry toast I ate for breakfast.
He shrugs. “I haven’t heard any rumors, so I wouldn’t know.”
I look up at him disbelievingly. After an informal staring contest, I stand, my eyes still locked on his. “Can we go into your office and talk for a second?”
“Uh… Well…” He backs away from me. “I don’t really have time. And I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on from yesterday. Wanna go to lunch later? Grab a burger?”
My stomach buckles. I edge closer to my trashcan and nudge it towards me with my toe, just in case.
“Ooh,” he winces. “I guess not. Still have a case of the collywobbles? I’ll come back to check on you in a bit.” He turns and walks quickly into his office, where he closes the door and shuts the blinds.
Lisa pops up. “Oh, my gosh!” she gasps.
“What the fuck?” I agree.
Jude Weatherington is keeping secrets! From me!
21
Jude manages to “work late” or attend off-site meetings the rest of the week, effectively avoiding me. I haven’t seen this little of him since before our first lunch together. When he’s in his office, the door and blinds are closed. He answers my IMs politely but shortly, then logs off so that he shows up “unavailable.” Sometimes, he’ll call me when he’s on his way home from work in the evenings, but he never talks about work, and if I try to bring it up, he says, “I thought
