Caleb ignored the red herring and scowled. "Is that why you have not been at the office? You are chasing this..."
"No, I have not been at the office, or anywhere, to avoid bumping into you! I assumed you did not provide or encourage this article in the newspaper. But your sister works at my company and your stupid girlfriend is spinning lies about us!" She glared "Not sure how she would spin this, given you arrived at my home, scaled my fence, and has told Mike you here with me at this moment." She jabbed his shoulder with her finger, "You have a problem!" She retook her seat, now that the matter was out, "And for your information, your paranoia about me appearing at receptions where my company caters, is causing problems for my company!"
"I see."
"We, as a group agreed I would work from home. I would not attend any events. I would not meet people or do anything with the public for my company to avoid any further poor press and I could avoid meeting you, which would squash the rumours."
Caleb pinched the bridge of his nose and asked, "You think hiding will squash the rumours?"
"Yes. We cannot afford damage to our reputations because we are a small outfit. We rely on our reputation. Currently, your jealous girlfriend is tarnishing our reputation! That is why, poor Matt did the presentation on his own. I was at home. We could not afford to pull out from the presentation, and Matt was keen, and we could not spare anyone to go with him. So I would appreciated it, if you tell your girlfriend, that..."
"My girlfriend? Which girlfriend? And Sophie didn't say anything about this newspaper..."
"We did not tell her. She is your sister."
Caleb put the newspaper on the table beside Jena, he rubbed the back of his neck. Time to change his plans. And perhaps this current problem would work for him. He tipped his head, scratched his cheek with a finger, and declared, "Given Mike knows I am here, the best scenario is we resurrect the date!"
Jena's eyes went wide. "What date?"
"Our date. A proper date."
"A normal date. Are you mad? As I told you, I am not stupid!"
"Come on, Jena, the best way to squash the rumour is if you are seen with me." He knew he would have a battle on his hands, but he also knew, his goal was to date her, and that involves seeing together in the public. His goal was to rebadge their relationship and move it from platonic acquaintances, to personal partners.
Jena was tempted to shout in frustration. "How will that squash rumours, it will be fuel!" What is the problem with this man! And why was he grinning like a Cheshire cat. And why was his eyes glinting with anticipation, and something else? Not just amusement, not just satisfaction, but exhilaration and delight.
Logic surfaced in Caleb's mind and he said quietly. "According to the article you are appearing at events hoping to bump into me. Waiting for an opportunity. In essence, you relying on chance."
She rolled her eyes, "Exactly. Good to see you can read!"
He ignored her sarcasm, "And, if people see us, together, not at an event, just a date, with just us present in public, not a chance-encounter, not an accidental or a coincidental meeting, a deliberately, arranged meeting, and that would squash the rumour that you are stalking me! With arrogance he said, "In any case, dating me, would help your company's reputation!" He chuckled and dodge when she threw a tea-towel at his head.
Caleb caught the tea-towel, and continued, "Come on, Jena, if we are seen together, on a date, even a simple coffee, that would show it was planned. Not just a fluke. Two people having coffee, like good friends. No one would expect a victim to have coffee with their stalker! In fact we should do that right now."
"What?" She rubbed her forehead, his strategy made sense. Of course, if they were seen together, having coffee, no one would expect Caleb to have coffee with the allegedly stalker.
He could see his strategy was penetrating her defence barriers. "If I understand your tactic, your plan is to stay at home, hoping the rumours will vanish in due time."
"Yes." She nodded. "In essence. Yes."
"But that approach has impact on others in your company, as you said, Matt pitched on his own. A better plan is to thwart the rumour. Any one who tries to sell a story, that you are stalking me would have a difficult job if we are seen together, having a coffee, having a good time. Like friends. Not a stalker and victim! So come on. We are going for a coffee"
She was not sure about this. Jumping from the frying pan to the fire, she thought and tried to find a reason to stem this. She gestured at her clothes trying to find an excuse, "I am not dressed for..."
"You are. We are going out as friends. We are not going to a Michelin star restaurant, just to a café and have coffee. Jeans are accepted at cafes!" He could see she was trying to find a reason to avoid going out with him. He could not remember the last time he had to work so hard to get a date, albeit a coffee date. He was not happy when that registered in his mind. Not helped by the fact he had not broached her relationship with the blonde man. And he would address that soon! Because he was not willing to surrender his principles: he would not date someone who is already in a relationship. For the moment, taking a friend for a coffee was acceptable.
She pushed her hair behind her ear, a sign that he had recognised as showing she was worried.
"Come on Jena. Are you going to allow that troll to claim victory? My strategy will ensure that troll will have to give up. Someone sees us, having a coffee, even better if we go to a local café, and hopefully they will post in social media, and if they do that, that troll can't claim you stalked me. We go to a local café. Because it shows I came here, to your local. So, the best thing to do, is to let your blonde boyfriend, that we are just going on a platonic date..."
"What?"
"Just explain it to him..."
"Which him?" She scowled. What was he thinking about? What blonde boyfriend? She narrowed her eyes and asked Caleb,"Who are you talking about?"
"The man at the engagement party." He said frankly.
"There were lots of men at the engagement party!" She snapped.
"The blonde man. You had breakfast the following day after that engagement party."
She frowned. She didn't have breakfast after the engagement party, she was busy helping Matt at a venue.
"And saw you and him in your office car park."
Her frowned escalated. She thought about his statements. "I have no idea what you are talking about! Which man? Blonde?"
He muttered. "The man who came to your home when I delivered the wine..."
She spluttered. "Matt?"
Caleb grumbled. "You did not introduce him, but yes I assume that is his name."
"I thought you knew Matt." She rubbed her forehead. "I assumed Sophie introduced you to Matt when you picked her up at the office. You must have met him at some point..."
"Clearly she didn't. It does not matter. You just need to let him know, we are having coffee to nip the rumours."
"Why would I need to tell Matt?"
"Because, as you know, I do not poach."
Then Caleb's words registered, and Jena blinked as his words 'your blonde boyfriend' surfaced like a nuclear bomb. "You think Matt is my boyfriend?" Her eyes showed surprise and utter bemusement and it stopped his automatically retort. Jena shrieked, "Your think Matt, is my boyfriend."
"You said he was your friend." Caleb said.
"Of course he is a friend."
"And you blew him kisses and he spun you around!"
She exhaled, and huffed, "He is also on my team at By Design. That does not mean I am dating him. He spun me around because he was happy, and proud. That was the first time he had pitched on his own. And he was successful. And I have never blew kisses at him!"
For several seconds both reviewed this conversation.
He said quietly, "I saw you do that, Jena. You blew a kiss at him"
"When?" She snapped.
"At the engagement party, at the car park, at your home..."
"We must live in parallel universes! Because I didn't blow kisses at Matt, there or ever!"
Caleb sighed in frustration, "I know what I saw, Jena."
Jena through her hands in the air, but in the back of her head, a thought niggled: she knew that Caleb would not make up things for the sake of it. So clearly something gave him that impression. She paused and sifted through her memories and frowned and then asked, "What exactly did you see? Because, clearly you have misconstrued something! "
He paused when he heard the certainty in her tone. She was adamant. And Caleb knew she would not cowered, she is upfront and direct. As he told Mike, Jena had integrity, and was honest.
So Caleb gestured. Jena blinked. He gestured again. Light bulb moment.
Jena rubbed her forehead and shook her head. "Idiot!" She gestured, "In deaf language signs, that is thank you!"