by Scott, Lisa
I sat at my desk trying to work, but really I was killing time until lunch. I had never been so excited to go to Baker’s Bakery, and it had nothing to do with the desserts.
I reminded myself that Nolan was probably only looking for a friend. Guys gravitated to me all the time for friendship. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with a girl who drinks and eats without counting calories, plays jokes, and loves sports? Plus I wasn’t so gorgeous I’d scare off other girls from approaching if we were out together. I totally looked like “the friend.” Sometimes there would be an invitation to a wedding or company party, and the night would end with an apology from my date that I’d gotten the wrong idea. As if it were implied that my hottie guy wouldn’t want more from someone like me.
But still. There was always the little hope burning inside that maybe this time it’d be different. A girl’s gotta be positive, right?
I knocked on Nolan’s door right before noon, and he looked up.
“Is it time already? Excellent.” He rubbed his hands together and followed me out of his office. He stopped in front of the fish tank in the big reception area. “That’s the biggest goldfish I’ve ever seen. Is this a catch-your-own-sushi tank or something?”
“No, but you’ve come up with a fresh new concept for one of our clients.”
He scratched his head. “Why just one fish in this big tank?”
“That’s Jillian’s pet—big fish in a big pond. That’s how she likes to think of herself, that she’s worked hard to become the big name in the business that she is, much like she thinks this fish has grown and grown since she won it at a carnival when she was twelve.”
“Thinks?”
I lowered my voice. “She overfeeds it, and the new fish die all the time, so we have to secretly replace them.”
“That’s my job, actually,” Joy said behind them.
“The guys who clean the aquarium usually keep one this size in stock. But sometimes they can’t get over here right away and we have to scramble to keep her away from the tank, or move a whole bunch of stuff in front of it.” I blinked at him. “It is kind of crazy here, isn’t it?”
“It’s awesome,” he said with a smile.
We headed downstairs and walked outside into the warm spring sunshine.
“Where are you from?” he asked as we strolled along much more slowly than I usually hoof it down to Baker’s.
“Attleboro. And you?”
“Portland. I always wanted to live in Boston. I took a job at an agency across town two years ago, but I’ve had my eye on Dunner for a while.”
“You live nearby?”
“Twenty minutes on the subway. I might move when my lease is up. I’d like to find a place where I can have a cat.”
I almost squealed, but covered it with a cough. “I’ve got three cats.”
“Wow, three?”
“Yes. They’re so cute. They come in so many colors. How can you have just one?”
“Most women usually talk about shoes like that.”
“You can’t cuddle shoes.” Although I could picture Joy trying.
As we walked along, he didn’t mention a girlfriend, and I didn’t have the nerve to ask. Still, it was a good sign.
I stopped in front of the bakery. “Here we are. Your life will forever change when you walk through this door. Are you ready?”
“I hope so.” Nolan held the door for me. “Are we going to do it?”
I blinked at him. Lord, I hope so. “Do what?
“Just have dessert for lunch?”
“Oh, yes. Of course we are.” I walked inside. “Isn’t that the traditional way to celebrate a new job?”
“If it’s not, it should be. Wanna get a few things and share?”
“I like how you think. I can see why Jillian hired you.” And that’s not the only reason. Jillian only employed good-looking men like she wanted to have a supply on hand in case things didn’t work out with her boyfriend of the week. And if she wasn’t dating them, she was setting them up with her friends and family. Tristan, the poor IT guy, was dating Jillian’s cousin, Monique. Hell, even Gerard was handsome—until he opened his mouth and exposed you to his dour personality. He must not have said much during his interview.
We ordered a slice of almond brownie cheesecake, a giant magic cookie bar, and a piece of Boston cream pie.
“That’ll do it for me. What are you getting?” Nolan teased.
I laughed. “This is a good start.”
We grabbed two cartons of milk from the cooler and sat down by the window. It was a beautiful spring day. The sun shone in a robin-egg-blue sky, and the cherry trees lining the sidewalk were tinged with budding pink blossoms. So many people scurried past them, not even giving them a second look. But they made my heart feel light. It would be easy to fall in love on a day like today.
I barely remembered the feeling. I’d thought my college boyfriend, John, was the one. But a visit home to my family quickly ended our relationship. I considered my large Italian clan exuberant. He used the word boisterous. And that led to an argument about my humor, which suddenly wasn’t funny to him anymore. In the end, he said I was a fun party girl, but not one to settle down with.
I always regretted my bad aim. My boot missed his head by an inch.
Nolan paused with his fork in the air. “That didn’t sound like a cheesecake sigh.”
“I sighed?”
“You did. And not in a I’m-having-dessert-for-lunch way.”
I shook my head. “Sorry. I was just reliving this morning’s events,” I lied.
“Don’t worry about it. Popping balloons is always fun. Try this. It’ll put an end to your sighs for a week.” He pushed the cheesecake my way and I took a bite.
Oh, good golly. I gripped the table. I did my best take on that famous scene from When Harry Met Sally. “Yes, yes, yes!”
The girls behind the counter clapped. “I give that one an eight!” said one of them.
“We need to get you in a commercial for us,” said the other one.
“Sorry, that’s a little joke between me and the girls. I told you I come here often.” I kicked him playfully under the table.
“Ah, so you’re the funny writer at the agency,” Nolan said.
I rolled my eyes. “I have a faulty joke gene that doesn’t know when to quit.”
“I like it.”
I also had a broken blushing gene. I felt my cheeks blaze. “Thanks.”
“I don’t know why more people don’t eat dessert for meals.” He waved his fork in the air like he was conducting an orchestra.
“We need to make that an ad campaign. A little something we do pro bono,” I said.
“Get your just desserts—for lunch,” he said.
“You can have your cake—and eat it for dinner!”
“Cookies count as breakfast?”
I pointed my fork at him. “That could work. Maybe you won’t need a copywriter after all.”
“No, I’m going to request you for my first assignment.”
“I’d be honored.”
We clinked our milk bottles. This would be the start of a beautiful friendship. And likely nothing more. Guys like Nolan didn’t go for girls like me. You didn’t need any market research to know that.
After buying two chocolate chip cookies, we headed for the office.
Nolan stopped and looked at the cherry trees. “I love this time of year when the trees bloom and all the color comes back. Winter is just shades of white and gray. It can get depressing.”
I’d never heard a guy say anything about the cherry trees. If I had a diary, I’d be writing reams about this day. “I know. I’m a mess if I don’t take a trip down South during the winter. I usually go in February when I’ve forgotten what the color green looks like.”
He laughed. “I should try that. I get a little stir crazy in the winter, too. I never learned how to ski, I’m fairly certain there’s an age limit on sledding, and I’ve heard of adults getting arrested for st
arting snowball fights.”
“Maybe we can test that out this winter.”
He cocked his head and looked at me. “We should definitely do that.”
“Sure.” My heart did a little tap dance. I tried to sound cool. “But right now I’ve got an ad to work on. I should have some copy to go over with you tomorrow.”
He held the door open for me, and we took the elevator to the sixth floor where Dunner Advertising shared space with TK Models. His gaze drifted to the left where even the receptionist looked as if she could be on the cover of Glamour.
Yep, Nolan was going to be another buddy, but I supposed that was fine. Tom and Chuck were on my shit list after the morning’s events. I could always use another buddy. Especially one who liked sweets.
Jillian was in her office with Gerard when we returned. He was clearly in tattle mode, and I braced for a scathing lecture. But she must’ve spent the morning with her boyfriend because she merely waved when we walked in. Which was also good news, because it probably meant she didn’t have any designs on Nolan yet. She usually had her hottie of the moment she liked to flirt with, and currently it seemed to be Tom. Not that he’d acted on it as far as we knew. Who’d risk losing boobs like Joy’s? Seriously?
“Got any suggestions for lunch tomorrow?” Nolan asked. “My treat this time.”
“You mean besides dessert? There’s a fantastic Mexican place nearby.”
“Muy bien. Tomorrow at noon.” Nolan ducked into his office and I went to my cubicle and got nothing done for the rest of the day as I replayed our conversations in my head.
***
At the end of the day I lingered at my desk, ready to pop up when Nolan was leaving so we could walk out together. He stood and I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door, but then he sat down again. I groaned. I’d already committed to my exit, now I had to leave without him. I stuck my head in his office. “Bye, Nolan.”
“Hey, see you tomorrow, Jenny. Thanks for a great first day.” He bent his head and got back to whatever he was working on.
I’m being parked in the friend zone for sure. Otherwise, he would’ve jumped up and followed me out, right?
I went home and thought about going through my closet for something super cute. But why pretend to be something I wasn’t? Even if we started dating, a month from now I’d be back to wearing my comfy clothes. So wouldn’t dressing up to catch his eye be like false advertising? It went against my morals.
Still, the next morning I made sure to find my lipgloss. Donut glaze could bring about the same effect, but I was running late and didn’t have time to stop for baked goods.
Joy was already chatting up Nolan when I walked in, but he left her desk and came over to mine. Mentally, I did an end zone dance. Score one for the chubby girl. “I’m glad to see we didn’t scare you off.”
“You kidding? I was bummed to walk in my office and not find sticky notes everywhere.”
“We can’t spoil you every day,” I teased.
“Are we going to go over that toy campaign today? The Dandy Bear? I’m excited to start my first project. I want to get it over with so I can get that bear out of my office. The horrifying thing starts singing for no reason. Scares the crap out me. He’s possessed.”
I laughed. “I’m glad you’ve got him and not me. I’m finishing up the copy. We can work on it after lunch.”
“Please.”
Since I’d gotten nothing done the day before, I had to concentrate. I had ten possible taglines for the bear, and a few jingles if the client wanted to go that way. I still wasn’t certain this was not a joke assignment from Jillian, but I didn’t think she’d do that to the new guy. In between I still found time to sneak peeks at Nolan. At ten-thirty, I noticed he wasn’t in his office.
Joy must have spotted me looking for him. She picked up the phone and called. “He went across the hall.”
“To the modeling agency?”
“Yep.”
I swore and hung up. I needed to find out his relationship status at lunch. I doubted he was going to the modeling agency scouting talent for our new ad. It would feature a disturbing singing bear for toddlers that would probably plague kids with night terrors. Not even the hottest super-model could sell that.
***
Once we’d placed our orders and dug into the guacamole, I blurted out like I was twelve, “Do you have a girlfriend?”
His eyebrows rose. “No. Not since last year.”
“Oh.” I didn’t want to sound naggy and ask, “Then why were you at the modeling agency?” Besides, I knew why he was there—he was shopping for a girlfriend.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked.
“No. I was dismissed by the last one in college and haven’t found a suitable replacement.”
“I see. Do you use a special selection process?”
“Yes, once a candidate makes it through the initial screening and bathing suit portion, then I require references and the official application.”
He laughed. “I’d like to see that some day.”
I almost choked on a chip. “Sure,” I mumbled. Some day. But why not now? I wondered. Or was he just teasing? I hoped not.
***
When we returned, Sara was filling in for Joy at the reception desk. Her glasses were off, and her hair was disheveled. She hurried out from behind the desk. “Thank God you’re here. That dang goldfish died and I don’t know who I’m supposed to call to get a new one.”
I could hear Jillian coming out of her office. “Quick give me your coffee cup,” I told Sara.
Sara handed me the mug that read: Grandma’s my name, spoilin’s my game. I dashed to the tank and scooped up the dead fish.
“Hey! My grandkids gave that to me.”
“I’m positive you have ten more Grandma mugs at home to replace this one. Now, if she asks about the fish, say it’s probably hiding. Or taking a nap. Call King Neptune’s and tell them to get over here with a new fish.” I sprinted to the bathroom and quickly flushed the fish down the toilet. I washed up and found Nolan waiting for me outside.
“Sara says they’re out of fish that size.”
“Wanna go shopping?”
***
The first pet store only had a pure white goldfish in the right size. “Maybe we can tell her it shed its old skin and this was underneath?” Nolan suggested.
“No, because then when that one dies we’ll need to find another white one, and those are probably harder to find than orange ones.”
“True.” Nolan wandered over to a cage where kittens were mewing and sticking out their paws. He squatted down and batted at the little paws with his finger.
Damn, someone should put out a calendar with hot men and kittens.
He scratched the cat’s head through the bars. “I’d like to get a black cat with a white tail. Have you ever seen that?”
“No. That would be neat. I want one that looks like the girl cat Pepe Le Pew is always chasing.”
“Ah, a very cool choice. Your kitty cat could be friends with mine.”
Was he purposely leading me down the road of pussycat jokes? I clapped my hands together. “We better hit more pet stores.”
He stood. “What happens if Jillian finds out the fish died?”
“I don’t know. Whoever was on watch when it kicked the bucket would probably get fired.”
“Really?”
“No, but she would do something dumb and irrational. She has this long, insipid story she loves to tell when she’s drunk about spending hours trying to win that thing at a fair, and her perseverance and all this other junk. She’d probably go into a wicked funk if she knew it died. We’d lose clients. People would get laid off. The place would close. First the Boston branch, then the others as people questioned our relevance.”
He smiled. “Insipid. I love that word. We’d better get going. I don’t want Dunner to shut down now that I’m finally working there.”
We hit two more pet stores before finding a ten-
inch long fish that was gold except for a few small black spots on its tail.
“She might not notice,” I said. “These days she usually just glances at him.”
“Maybe you can switch this one with an all-gold one if we finally do track one down.”
“Let’s give it a try.”
***
Joy’s eyes almost popped out of her head when we returned. “That took long enough.”
“Yeah, well where were you when it went belly up?” I asked.
She crossed her arms without answering.
“Did she notice yet?” I asked.
“No, but she keeps walking by. I’m ready to throw up. Get it in there.”
“I’ve got to float the bag for fifteen minutes.”
“There’s no time for that,” Joy whispered. “Just put it in.”
I held back a laugh. There was certainly a joke in there involving her and Tom, but I wasn’t going to say it. I dumped in the fish and tossed the bag into the trash just as Jillian strolled by. “I was wondering where you two had gone,” she said to Nolan and me.
“We’re working on the Dandy Bear account together,” I said.
She waited for more.
Nolan cleared his throat. “And Jenny had this great idea to take the bear to the park and see how kids liked it. We wanted a little inspiration.”
“Really?” Jillian said, sending a whiff of martini my way.
“Yep.” I rocked back on my heels.
“What did the kids think?” Jillian asked.
Nolan and I shared a terrified look.
“They didn’t think it was creepy,” I said. “Not at all.” It was totally creepy with it’s too big eyes, steel gray fur, and grumpy old man voice. I’d been sleeping with my lights on since first seeing that bear, so I can’t imagine how it would affect a kid.
“There was lots of hugging,” Nolan said. “Of the bear. Lots of bear hugging.”
“So where is it?” Jillian asked.
“The bear?” I asked.
“Yes. The bear. You two just got back, right?”
“That’s true,” I said. “ But we lost it.” Lie. Dandy Bear was in Nolan’s office.
Her big brown eyes widened.
Nolan spoke up. “We thought it was lost. We looked everywhere for it. And then we saw a little kid leaving with it and what were we going to do? Grab it from him? Tackle him and take it?” Nolan turned up his hands as if that was the most ludicrous suggestion ever.
