“Oh, come now. Just taking the piss.” She raised her head to see Matthew examining her desk. “Are you done for the day?”
“Well, I’d planned to write up some summary thoughts, but there’s no way I’ll be able to focus after this. Are you ready to leave?”
Matthew had been giving her a lift every day since he lived close to her hotel. He typically worked late, which worked fine for her, but the briefcase in his hand signaled he was ready to depart early today.
“Originally, I had assumed we would stay later this evening because of the planned goodbye dinner. However, I expect after this,” he nodded at the newspaper, “you’re ready to head to the pub.”
Alex laughed and nodded vigorously. “Yes, I am. If you’re ready, I am too. Meet you up front in five minutes?”
“Lovely.” Matthew looked out the window behind her. “Lucky for us, the pub is so close. We should enjoy it while we can.” Before Alex could ask what he meant, he continued, “I imagine our guest count for the pub just went up considerably. Still planning to pick up the tab?”
Alex groaned and rolled her neck. “I guess I better put a limit on drinks. But we booked a reservation at the restaurant. We should enforce that limit.”
“Agree. I’ll let Ben know. See you in the car park in five.”
“Yep.”
She snatched Matthew’s paper from the desk and shoved it into her bag, along with her laptop and other personal items. Talk about a roller coaster ride of emotions. From top of the world, can’t do anything wrong, to what the hell just happened? She’d worked so hard to change the way men in this company viewed her… to forget she was a tall, leggy blonde and see her as a colleague who was strictly business. All her efforts over the years to make her personal life invisible had just exploded with one headline, making her feel completely exposed and vulnerable.
Alex picked up her phone and listened to Fin’s voicemail warning her about Cole’s feature. She shook her head, glad she hadn’t seen the article prior to her last meeting, because she wasn’t sure she could have concentrated otherwise. She was no longer looking forward to tonight’s get together.
Chapter24
Madness
Alex trudged through the airport,still wearing her sunglasses. She’d also altered her appearance by wrapping her neck scarf higher on her face, rather than loose around her neck as she usually did.
A window display caught her eye and she paused. She’d never been a hat person, but the hats reminded her of Fin’s efforts to go unnoticed. She entered the fashion store with a mission. After yesterday’s events, another layer of protection wouldn’t hurt.
The previous evening had been both relaxing and exhausting. Her coworkers had accepted the celebrity status of her relationship with aplomb. They’d given her a hard time and made jokes about her fame while still talking to her as if nothing had changed. If she were honest with herself, the evening had been a great relationship-building experience and provided her with an opportunity to learn more about her potential new team members far better than any stilted company dinner would have. But despite the camaraderie, she was still reeling from the deep dive into her personal life. It felt so invasive.
This morning had been worse. Upon exiting the taxi, a mob of reporters had bombarded her with cameras flashing and an onslaught of questions. They ranged from her life in Texas to intimate questions about her relationship with Fin, which embarrassed her immensely. She knew without a doubt she looked like a startled fish with her eyes wide and mouth agape.
She sensed someone approaching as she perused the different models of hats and stiffened at the notion of facing another reporter.
“Are you looking for anything in particular?”
Alex relaxed as she considered the saleslady.I’m already paranoid and this is only the beginning, she thought.
“Yes, thank you. I need something that hides my face.” Alex stopped short as she realized how blunt that sounded. “I find myself suddenly in the spotlight and am seeking a deterrent,” she offered as an explanation. “Or better yet, a shield.” She shrugged at the woman.
“Ah, yes. You may be surprised at how many people stop in here for precisely that reason. How about this one? It’s a trilby. You can pull the brim down as needed. And this model is collapsible for traveling.” She reached for a dark gray hat that resembled a fedora, except with a smaller brim. “It’s versatile and you can wear it with both casual and more formal outfits. This style will look good with your hair.”
Alex tried on the hat and examined herself in the mirror. The style was cute, and she could see wearing it around town, but the brim didn’t seem to cover her face as much as she wanted. She put her sunglasses back on.
“Oh, that’s better,” she said, surprised by the difference they made together. Alex removed her glasses and turned to the saleswoman.
“Okay, I like this one. What is that one called?” She pointed to a hat that reminded her of movies set in the 1920s.
“That’s a cloche,” the woman said as she reached for it. “This color will look lovely on you. This one also collapses for travel.”
Alex exchanged the trilby for the cloche, then donned the purplish-blue hat that fit close to her head. The style wasn’t one she would normally consider, but something about the cloche appealed to her.
“Ooh, that one really brings out your eyes.”
Alex frowned. “I’m trying to disappear, not attract attention.” She donned her shades again and rotated her head back and forth. “Better.”
She handed the second hat to the woman. “I’ll take both. And I don’t need a bag. I’ll wear the cloche and put the trilby in my carry-on. Can you remove the tags for me, please?”
