of breath ghost covered in sweet tea. She took Piper by the arm and led her into an office, shut the door and offered her a chair.
“I’m fine. I bumped into someone on my way here and took a little fall. He accidently spilled his drink on me. It’s nothing really.” Piper wiped at the front of her shirt, not realizing until right then how much of the drink had actually landed on her, and how transparent her white T-shirt had become.
“Well here, you can wear my sweater.” Jules pulled her red sweater off and handed it to Piper. “I always wear layers when I’m here. You never know if the old air conditioner in this building will be blowing hot or cold air. It has a mind of its own.” Jules look suspiciously at Piper. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m positive. It was my fault really. I was distracted and I slammed right into the guy. I landed on my butt, and I was a little embarrassed I guess. I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.” Piper smiled as convincingly as she could, and Jules’s worry seemed to diminish.
“Give me that shirt and I’ll go wash it out in the bathroom and run it under the hand dryer. I spill so much coffee on myself here I’m like an expert with that thing.” Sitting in wet clothes in the drafty building had given her a chill and she was grateful for the sweater.
Piper slipped her wet shirt over her head. She hadn’t heard another soul around the office since she had sat down. But of course that changed the moment she tossed her shirt over to Jules.
A quick knock before the door swung open sent Piper nearly jumping out of her skin and standing up abruptly. The sweater fell between the wall and the chair, out of her reach.
“Hey Jules, your mom asked me to stop by and see if you…” Bobby was halfway in the door before seeing Piper, standing shirtless, with a deer-in-the-headlights expression. The moment seemed to last forever. It was long enough for him to catch a glimpse of the subtle lace of her bra contrasting against the crimson red of her skin, flush with embarrassment.
“Bobby, get out,” Jules shouted, shoving him backward and slamming the door nearly on his head. “I’m so sorry, Piper. I didn't know he was coming. He always just comes right in like that. I should have locked the door.” Jules hustled over to her and reached down under the chair for the sweater. Piper was still standing motionless. Then a small smile broke across her face. Jules wasn’t sure exactly what to make of it. “Why are you smiling?”
“I’m trying to imagine what he’s thinking in the hallway. Like what kind of scenario is he’s envisioning that would have me in your office half dressed in the middle of the day? This is pretty embarrassing for me, but I’m betting he is dying out there.” Piper slipped the sweater on and sat back in the chair.
“Should we let him sweat it out a little, wondering what the hell we’re doing in here?” Jules was so grateful that Piper had taken a lighthearted approach to this uncomfortable situation. Having Piper around had helped alleviate some of the tension that had grown between she and Bobby since Scott came along.
“No, let’s let him off the hook. It’s not like he came running into the ladies’ room or anything. This is an office, I should have known better. I guess we’re lucky it was him and not some stranger looking for directions to the bathrooms,” Piper said, gesturing toward the door.
“All right, Bobby, it’s safe to come in now,” Jules said as she opened the office door and waved him into the room. He slinked back through the door, trying hard to avoid eye contact with Piper.
“I’m sorry about that Piper, I really didn’t see anything. I’ve come in this office a thousand times and there have never been any half dressed women before. I can assure you if there were I’d be by more often.” He regretted his joke the moment he said it. He fixed his gaze on a colorful framed picture on the wall.
“It’s not your fault. I had a little accident on my way here, and someone spilled his drink all over me and knocked me on my butt. Jules was nice enough to offer me her sweater, and I wasn’t thinking when I