you two are friendly?” Ina saw between the lines.
“Well, it’s hard to avoid one another, I mean with being close to Jasmine and Izzy. I would say that we can be in the same room.” Hale didn’t know how to answer this question. For years, she had blamed herself for choosing her emotional health over their relationship. Past boyfriends had never excited her like Finn did. She believed that he was “the one” and she had blown her chance of happiness.
Now, she didn’t know what to think. The sexual attraction between them was still there, but the past still stood between them. Finn might give in to the physical demands of his body, but he had not forgiven her. Without that, they couldn’t start again.
Where is he?” Hale asked under her breath as she tapped her toe impatiently under the table.
“Did you say something, Hale?” Wes’s voice boomed in the medium sized conference room. The City Courthouse had gone through a major renovation and the conference room was nicely appointed. The table had a strip for electrical plug-ins running down the middle, and the walls had two flat screens waiting for use during a presentation.
She leaned closer to the elderly man. “I was just saying that I don’t like these chairs. I feel like I have to work to stay still.”
“You know, you don’t need to be nervous. This is just a cursory process, a hoop to jump through.” He reached over and patted her hand.
If only. Hale hadn’t heard a word from Finn in the five days since the encounter in his office. She told herself to ignore any feelings of disappointment. Today, she was to meet with the President of the City Council, Cecily Newton, Moe as the city’s attorney, Wes, and someone from the mayor’s office, or maybe Finn, himself.
The waiting was making her crazy. She fought the urge to check the time, again. She had tried to prepare by dressing in her new version of corporate wear. Today’s choice was a St. John Knit’s suit in a deep caramel with cream accents. She carried her prized, ivory colored Hermes Birkin bag and hoped to present a polished appearance.
The group was waiting for either the representative of the mayor’s office or the mayor to arrive. Cecily tapped her pen against her notepad. Wes straightened his binder and Moe tried to make small talk. Finally, the sound of footsteps sounded in the hall outside the open door.
Matt Weiss walked in alone. He had papers rolled up in his hand. He pulled out the empty chair to Cecily’s right and dropped into it.
“Now we can begin.” Cecily added extra emphasis to the word “now.”
“I apologize to everyone, something came up and I tried to wrap it up as quickly as possible.” Matt’s smile appeared fake.
“Will the mayor be attending?” Moe asked.
“Ah, no. He has reviewed the packet that Ms. Cameron submitted, and feels that she can do the work.” Matt sat back in his chair.
Hale caught his word choice, can do the work, not is qualified or well qualified. It was petty, but she knew, as did everyone in this room, that she was more than qualified to take on this project. She would be working for less than a quarter of her previous hourly fee, if she was approved.
“Thank you, Matt. I have just a few things that I want to go over with Wes and Ms. Cameron.” Cecily took over smoothly. “Ms. Cameron, I read your impressive C.V. and accompanying letters. I just want to make certain that you understand that this is a very important job.”
“Thank you. I would not have agreed to this position if I had not been sure that I have the time and the knowledge to do the job well. I take my work very seriously, and I feel that I can cover the necessary ground in an efficient manner.” Hale’s tone was confident.
“Good. You have my support. Although I am so very sorry for the reason for your return to Whitleysburg, I am thrilled to have someone with your credentials joining our team.” Cecily gave her a warm smile.
“Thank you,” Hale answered quietly. Her eyes turned to Matt.
“I have a few thoughts, one being that there is some concern that Wes did not offer any other names for consideration. We had discussed approaching several local accountants. Two, there needs to be a firm chain of command outlined and implemented. Lastly, I would recommend that her hiring be added to the agenda