Spoiling Lunch…
That Monday at a half past noon, Adam St. Charles nervously walked past the restaurant and peeked in. His eyes eagerly scanned the window. Finally, his eyes found the object it searched for. Janeshia sat slowly eating her meal. He smiled thinking how beautiful she looked. He noticed she was reading. Quietly and cautiously he walked in and approached her table.
“Do you mind if I join you for lunch? I’m buying of course,” he murmured. Janeshia glanced up. Adam’s new suit caught her eye. He smiled softly back at her. Today his mood didn’t seem hostile. Maybe he was just there to have lunch. “Oh, hi Adam, sure you can join me. But you don’t have to buy lunch.”
Adam sat down quickly and looked over the menu.
Their waiter quickly came over. “I’ll have what she’s having,” Adam said. “But substitute the chicken for salmon, please.” Janeshia smiled as their waiter walked away. “I should have ordered the salmon. I order chicken all the time.”
“Salmon is my favorite. Next to a good steak,” he said.
“Oh, by the way, I’ve been meaning to tell you I like the new suit,” Janeshia smiled.
Adam’s eyes warmed brightly. “Thank you.” He hesitated and felt the need to explain. “I caught a great sale at Macy’s.”
“That’s great. I love the sales at Macy’s,” she said taking a sip of her water.
A few minutes later the waiter quickly returned with Adam’s food.
The silence drifted between them as they ate.
Janeshia felt the need to speak. “How’s the financial report on the After-School Tutoring program coming along?”
“Great,” Adam said taking another bite of food. “The numbers are on target.”
“I knew they would be,” Janeshia quickly assessed Adams mood. She knew Adam St. Charles helped take care of his younger brother and sister. His sister was in her second year of college. “How is your sister coming along at college? Don’t forget to make sure she sends in her yearly status report. We do want her to keep getting her scholarship monies.”
He burst into a wide grin. His conversation wasn’t going the way he wanted. He definitely didn’t want to talk about a pretend sister he made up. “She’s doing great,” he grinned. He hoped his lie would never be discovered. He cleared his throat and lied again. “She really appreciates that scholarship. So, do I…”
Adam didn’t want to get off the subject of why he was having lunch today. His mood shifted. He smiled softly. “Look, I really didn’t come here to discuss my sister’s college tuition. How long are you going to make me wait before you give me details about the dinner meeting you had with Walker the other night?”
Janeshia tried to ignore him.
Adam took the offensive. “By going out to dinner with Mr. Perrault you’ve basically put an end to your privacy,” he picked at the food on his plate. “You know there is a rumor going around the office that you have a crush on him, but that he’s really just putting up an act so that he can keep you running the foundation successfully?”
Janeshia felt a faint heat heighten her cheeks. If he was trying to annoy her he was succeeding. She shrugged her shoulders. “And Adam are you the someone who’s going around spreading gossip?”
Adam laughed out a nervous denial. His dark eyes held a menacing expression. “No... I refuse to participate in idle office chit-chat. Besides I didn’t overhear this information at work. I observed it.” He kept his eyes on hers. “I saw how you looked at him at the office. So how long have you had a crush thing on Walker?”
Janeshia looked at Adam. She felt an uneasy sense of fury building. “You are way off base Adam.”
“Am I? I figure I need to know how you are being perceived by some people in the office. You do want to know? Or do you care that your mannerisms are interfering with your working relationship in the office?”
Janeshia stared back at Adam. Sometimes he made her feel like a piece of meat and not a person. “Look, Adam, my personal life or crushes are none of your business.”
“You know some folks are referring to you as being Walker’s private little outlet,” he paused. “So, are you still telling me there is nothing going on besides business between you and Walker Perrault?” Adam’s thoughts raged. “Or is he getting some overtime in the sheets?”
Janesha took a sip of water and tried her best to ignore him and hold her tongue. Adam St. Charles was annoying, but he was good at his job. She didn’t want to think about the delay it would cause if she had to begin interviewing for someone new to do his job. They sat in silence several moments.
“So Janeshia aren’t you the least bit concerned about what I heard? Don’t you want to know who said it?”
“No Adam, I don’t want to know who said it,” she disarmed him with her expression. “I’ve had enough of office gossip. Besides, you’re spoiling my lunch.”
Adam went to open his mouth.
Janeshia interrupted abruptly. She rose. “Oh, Adam I’ve changed my mind. You should buy me lunch,” she said standing throwing her napkin on the table and rudely taking her leave.
“But Janeshia… Ms. James!” Adam called after her in vain.
Adam meekly sat back in his chair. Jealousy tormented him. “Bitch,” he muttered viciously under his breath when he knew she was safely out of distance.
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