between them.
“Annalise,” Dan said, clearly caught between affection and dismay.
All Emily could only stare, the color draining out of her face in embarrassment.
Eyes widening, Cathy had the decency to look disconcerted before she fled back to her office. It was clear Cathy had been giving Annalise the ‘grand tour’ of the office. Even Emily’s.
Dan couldn’t seem to make up his mind what to do. He gave Emily a defensive glance – as if the awkwardness of the situation was her fault.
The other woman took in Emily’s disheveled state, glanced dismissively at Emily’s hair and clothing, and only just managing to keep her expression from being rude.
Almost involuntarily, Emily lifted a hand to her hair, to the clip in it. She’d never been quite so humiliated.
Whatever she was to Dan, the woman was immaculate from her perfectly styled blonde hair to the makeup she wore like a mask, her designer suit, all the way down to the high priced shoes on her feet. Rain hadn’t dared leave its mark on her stockings or shoes, nor would she have worn the plain flats that Emily had chosen as a concession to airport security.
Emily knew she looked at wreck in comparison, even as she unclipped her hair and added to it, as the mass of her hair tumbled over her shoulders. She pulled the brush she’d intended to use before anyone saw her, and ran it quickly through her hair.
It wasn’t hard for Emily to see where some of the attraction between Dan and this woman lay.
If there had been one bone of contention between Emily and Dan it had been her sophistication – or lack thereof. He’d pushed her to buy more expensive designer clothing and shoes, but she had a hard time laying out the equivalent of a week’s pay for something she’d only wear for a season. It wasn’t that Emily didn’t wear the style of the season in the right situations, but she preferred more classic looks instead. She was also too honest, too opinionated, in the wrong circumstances. Unlike some of the other women at various events they attended on behalf of the company, Emily was more likely to be found among the men debating politics or policy, not designers or shoes. As much as she’d tried Emily simply wouldn’t change who she was. Not for any man, not even for Dan, she’d seen too many women do that.
“Emily, this is Annalise,” Dan said, his amber eyes on Emily.
It seemed Dan had found a more sophisticated girlfriend.
The glance Annalise gave Emily was brief and ended at Emily’s head before Annalise turned back to Dan. She’d been dismissed.
Emily wondered what had happened to the things she’d left in Dan’s apartment. Were they still there, or had he boxed them up? She hoped this woman hadn’t done it. She was mortified at the idea that Annalise would have touched the few items she’d left at Dan’s apartment.
“Dan, darling, we have to go,” Annalise said. She glanced at the others in the room with a slight air of smugness. “We have prime seats at one of the hottest shows on Broadway – the revival of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
Tickets – good ones – were hard to get, or so Dan had told Emily just a few weeks before. It was a very popular show, with two major movie stars in the lead roles.
“I’ll meet you in the lobby, Annalise,” Dan said, “I just want to talk to Emily for a minute. Just business.”
Emily wondered if Annalise even knew of her relationship to Dan. It would have been like him to not mention it. It was also clear by Annalise’s behavior that her relationship with Dan wasn’t new.
“She seems nice,” Emily said. She felt numb.
“You weren’t supposed to be due back until later,” Dan said, his voice defensive.
That had been the original plan.
How long had it been going on? Emily wondered.
Longer than the week Emily had been gone, that seemed certain.
The thought of coming back into the office Monday to face her coworkers after Dan had paraded his new girlfriend through the
“Annalise,” Dan said, clearly caught between affection and dismay.
All Emily could only stare, the color draining out of her face in embarrassment.
Eyes widening, Cathy had the decency to look disconcerted before she fled back to her office. It was clear Cathy had been giving Annalise the ‘grand tour’ of the office. Even Emily’s.
Dan couldn’t seem to make up his mind what to do. He gave Emily a defensive glance – as if the awkwardness of the situation was her fault.
The other woman took in Emily’s disheveled state, glanced dismissively at Emily’s hair and clothing, and only just managing to keep her expression from being rude.
Almost involuntarily, Emily lifted a hand to her hair, to the clip in it. She’d never been quite so humiliated.
Whatever she was to Dan, the woman was immaculate from her perfectly styled blonde hair to the makeup she wore like a mask, her designer suit, all the way down to the high priced shoes on her feet. Rain hadn’t dared leave its mark on her stockings or shoes, nor would she have worn the plain flats that Emily had chosen as a concession to airport security.
Emily knew she looked at wreck in comparison, even as she unclipped her hair and added to it, as the mass of her hair tumbled over her shoulders. She pulled the brush she’d intended to use before anyone saw her, and ran it quickly through her hair.
It wasn’t hard for Emily to see where some of the attraction between Dan and this woman lay.
If there had been one bone of contention between Emily and Dan it had been her sophistication – or lack thereof. He’d pushed her to buy more expensive designer clothing and shoes, but she had a hard time laying out the equivalent of a week’s pay for something she’d only wear for a season. It wasn’t that Emily didn’t wear the style of the season in the right situations, but she preferred more classic looks instead. She was also too honest, too opinionated, in the wrong circumstances. Unlike some of the other women at various events they attended on behalf of the company, Emily was more likely to be found among the men debating politics or policy, not designers or shoes. As much as she’d tried Emily simply wouldn’t change who she was. Not for any man, not even for Dan, she’d seen too many women do that.
“Emily, this is Annalise,” Dan said, his amber eyes on Emily.
It seemed Dan had found a more sophisticated girlfriend.
The glance Annalise gave Emily was brief and ended at Emily’s head before Annalise turned back to Dan. She’d been dismissed.
Emily wondered what had happened to the things she’d left in Dan’s apartment. Were they still there, or had he boxed them up? She hoped this woman hadn’t done it. She was mortified at the idea that Annalise would have touched the few items she’d left at Dan’s apartment.
“Dan, darling, we have to go,” Annalise said. She glanced at the others in the room with a slight air of smugness. “We have prime seats at one of the hottest shows on Broadway – the revival of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
Tickets – good ones – were hard to get, or so Dan had told Emily just a few weeks before. It was a very popular show, with two major movie stars in the lead roles.
“I’ll meet you in the lobby, Annalise,” Dan said, “I just want to talk to Emily for a minute. Just business.”
Emily wondered if Annalise even knew of her relationship to Dan. It would have been like him to not mention it. It was also clear by Annalise’s behavior that her relationship with Dan wasn’t new.
“She seems nice,” Emily said. She felt numb.
“You weren’t supposed to be due back until later,” Dan said, his voice defensive.
That had been the original plan.
How long had it been going on? Emily wondered.
Longer than the week Emily had been gone, that seemed certain.
The thought of coming back into the office Monday to face her coworkers after Dan had paraded his new girlfriend through the
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