GoodReadJeffrey was the last person she expected to friend-request her. She figured Karen must have slipped him her number. Hesitating for a moment, Dorothy clicked ‘Accept.’ No sooner had she done so than a digital invitation popped up in my messages, all decked out in white and pink.
[Karen's folks gave us their blessing. We're tying the knot next month!] [Seriously?] She tapped as she quickly opened the invitation to find Karen and Jeffrey looking picture-perfect in their wedding attire. Talk about moving fast! [Of course! You and Everett better be there, and Abigail and Langston are definitely going to be our ring bearer and flower girl.] [Sure thing. | wouldn't miss Karen's big day for the world.] Dorothy’s eyes lingered on "Everett" for a beat too long. She actually wanted to ask Jeffrey when Everett was coming back to town, but something stopped her.
It felt almost like she didn't keep in touch with him so had to get the scoop from his buddy.
[Also, there's the resort thing! Karen's really looking forward to it. She wants you to come too. Don't be a party pooper and say no. She said once the baby comes, she won't have time for getaways. Everglow City's resort just opened up, and she's dying to check it out.] Dorothy let out a sigh, her brows knitting together as she searched for a polite way to decline.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtBut before she could even type out a response, Jeffrey sent over the reservation confirmation.
[I booked the rooms already. Since you're on the fence, | made the executive decision for you.] Well, that settled it.
Now she knew why Jeffrey and Karen could be such a perfect match.
To some extent, they were such a family. Both of them were action-takers, no dilly-dallying allowed.
She would think herself talking to Karen if she didn’t know that was Jeffrey on the other side.
The old "act now, apologize later” tactic — Karen had pulled that on me more times than she could count back when they worked at Prosperity Consortium. She wanted to lounge around on weekends but Karen just went ahead and bought event tickets without asking.
She knew Dorothy all too well — if you left her with a choice, she'd always choose to bail. But once everything was set in stone, she was too polite to back out.
Well, might as well go with it.
After all, the days of Everett and her hanging out with Abigail and Langston were numbered. If he got a girlfriend, or heaven forbid, a wife, then their days of making public appearances together were really done.
The mood at the fourth project team's office was unusually upbeat, probably because everyone was looking forward to the long weekend. Everyone was head down and hard at work.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe assistant dropped in a few times with reports that were so well-organized that Dorothy barely needed to give them a second glance.
As soon as the clock signaled the end of the day, she hadn't even shut down her computer when cheers erupted from outside.
"Barbecue time!" "We're going to make Austin pay big time today!" "Damn right, I'm going for ten plates of that prime rib!" Honestly, Dorothy loved the working atmosphere at Lopez Corp.
She quickly packed up and moved out. Some drove, some hailed cabs, but eventually, they all made it to the restaurant.
Dorothy knew Austin was trying to smooth things over between Ophelia and her. That was why he strategically seated the girl next to her.
It didn't bother Dorothy, though. Petty office politics were never her thing.
"Here's to you, Ms. Sanchez. | insist on a toast!" "I really shouldn't—" But Austin had already raised his glass, and her refusal was half out before she swallowed it back down, "Alright! Here's to Austin's leadership and to all my amazing colleagues! Here's to our project team pulling off a stellar job!" She stood up, downed the drink in one go, and her cheeks instantly flushed a rosy hue.
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
