Matt hung up the phone and stood to stretch- it had been a long day and at 6:00PM he was certain there was still several long hours to put in.
He didn't mind it terribly, however; after all, this was his company- the company his parents built for him and his siblings.
The FINA CEO had been playing hard- trying to low ball Matt because he thought that as he wasn't Brian, he wouldn't dare to reject his offer. He smiled, thinking about how surprised he'd seemed when he told him that he couldn't accept it.
It seemed like there was still a lot of people out there who didn't quite understand- Matt wasn't a little boy anymore and his parents had pretty much stepped back and let him do what he needed to.
So in the end, what agreement did they come to? Matt convinced Tyler Most, FINA's CEO, to come to New York in a few months and renegotiate. For now, they would stay as is.
A few days in the office, watching Matt in charge, would definitely give him some perspective. He ran his hands across his face, his usual five o clock shadow much more prominent as he had not taken the time to shave that morning and he wondered... Would Lisa still be here?
Matt shook his head with a chuckle. It was no wonder Bobby was nervous- when it came to a pretty skirt he was lost. But he had to admit that Lisa was much more than just a pretty face- she was nice.
She was really nice.
She'd been in the office for a week now and so far he'd managed to get her to lunch twice and coffee once. If he wanted to, he was sure he could speed things along with her- get her to dinner and drinks, but... Matt didn't feel in a hurry. He wasn't sure what he felt other than the desire to see her and listen to her talk.
Matt glanced up at the clock- it was 6:30pm- she should be leaving just now, she'd been leaving late as she tried to get settled.
Without much thought, he stood and walked over to his door, yanking it open and practically knocking Bobby down in the process.
"Oh... sorry." He said stepping aside for her to regain her footing.
Bobby frowned, ready to tell him to watch out, ready to tell him to pay attention before he hurt someone but Matt was already gone.
With a hand on her hip, she turned around and saw him taking long strides behind her and then disappearing behind the cubicle wall.
For a moment, Bobby didn't say anything. She was only going to ask him if he needed anything else before she left.
Then, she moved back to her desk and finished packing up her things until a faint laughter made her turn. She leaned closer to the wall, trying to hear what was going on.
"I wish I could take you out for drinks..." she heard Matt say as she turned bright red. She looked around and noticed that it was late and most everyone was gone. "But I have to stay behind and get some paperwork done."
"You're assuming too much if you think I'd go grab drinks with you." Lisa said. "I know better than to trust men like you."
"Men like me?" He said with a chuckle. "What does that mean?"
"I'm sure you know. Anyway, I have plans tonight but maybe next week." Lisa said and Bobby heard her office door click. She quickly turned back to her desk, pretending to be reviewing a folder before filing it away.
Two seconds later, Lisa and Matt walked by and he went with her all the way to the elevator.
Bobby watched quietly, unable to keep her eyes from going back, but the moment she saw Matt heading back her way, she stood.
"Well, Is there anything..." She began but Matt hadn't even seen her, he'd walked right into his office and shut the door, a goofy smile in his face as he did so.
Bobby sat- amazed. Was that what he was always like when he was with the girls he dated? She'd certainly never seen him while he flirted, she'd never seen him with a woman he was interested in at all. She'd only sent them flowers, although sending Lisa flowers would be much too awkward and embarrassing.
Bobby sat for a moment in consternation as she repeated the sound of Matt's voice in her head- his tone, his cadence... all of it changed when he was flirting. Again, Bobby felt herself turn red.
What in the world was going on with her? And so with that, she shook her head and left.
Matt popped out of his office a few seconds later, a folder in his hands.
"hey, before you go..." He began but then he looked down, noting Bobby was gone. He stared for a second and moved forward, looking in all directions to see if he would spot her.
"Strange." He said, turning and walking back into his office. Bobby never left without checking with him first.
----
"So what do you think?" Matt said as he stared at the poster boards that Lisa had sent over. She'd had the marketing team draw them up for the website- the were mock ups for the new design.
"They're good." Bobby said, looking closely. "A little bit sharp...here and here."
She was referring to the large number of angles which gave the website a bit of a cold feel. Still, it was well done.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Matt said, turning to his desk and taking a stack of post its. He quickly jotted down some notes before sticking them on several different bits.
"Anything else?" He asked after a few seconds. Bobby extended her hand and Matt handed her the post its. She quickly wrote a note and moved towards the poster, tagging the logo.
"Good call." He said, nodding in approval.
"Over all, it's great. Once she gets the web team on these changes, it'll be perfect. She's good." Bobby said.
"I know." Matt said, raising his eyebrows playfully before turning back towards his desk. "Here."
He pulled out the giant folders for the posters and Bobby began to pack them away.
"You can go ahead and hand them to Eddie. I need these to be completed by the end of the week to show my parents." Matt said.
"Gotcha." Bobby said, placing the folder down by the desk and looking around.
"Lunch?" She said, as she might have on any day. It was true that Matt had been eating with Lisa a lot more lately, but the habit was so ingrained in her that she said it before she could stop herself.
"Actually, I'm having lunch with..." He began but again, Bobby spoke before he could finish.
"Lisa." She said, nodding. Matt looked at her for a second, a grin coming over his face.
"Oh dear, don't tell me you're jealous?" He said with a chuckle.
"Of course not, you idiot." Bobby reacted angrily, as usual.
"It's okay Bobby- You know there's plenty of me to go around." Matt said with a grin as he walked back to his desk.
Bobby frowned and picked up the folder before moving towards the door.
"Do us all a favor Matt and just shut up already." Bobby said as she opened his office door.
"oh!" Lisa said, in surprise as she caught the last bit.
"Oh dear- Sorry." Bobby said, turning red.
"Hey, come in." Matt said, dropping what he was doing and moving towards the door.
"Excuse me." Bobby said, leaving the room.
"Did I get you at a bad time" Lisa asked.
"No, we just wrapped up. Ready to go?" Matt asked, reaching for his blazer.
"Yeah..." Lisa said, squinting her eyes and looking out of the office. Bobby was gone. "Did she just tell you to shut up?"
Matt laughed, making Lisa turn to him in confusion.
"Yes, she does that sometimes." He said, shaking his head.
"Really?" Lisa asked. "Wow."
"That's nothing, you should hear her when she's in a bad mood. " He said with a playful smile.
"And... no one cares that she talks to you that way?" Lisa asked. Matt frowned.
"Well, I'll admit it's a little bit unorthodox but it's our dynamic- I make fun of her, she insults me and then we go over the business of the day." he said leading her down the hall.
"I don't think I could ever get along with my assistant that way." Lisa said, shaking her head as they approached the elevator. Matt chuckled.
"You should try- he is her friend after all."
Bobby stood at Eddie's desk with the folder, dictating a few additional notes and pretending she wasn't watching Lisa and Matt walk out. She couldn't hear them, she was busy making sure she said the right words but she couldn't help watching either.
Matt.
"Great, I'll pass these along. Lunch?" Eddie said, taking the folder from her and startling Bobby in the process.
"What?" She asked, completely taken aback. Eddie stared at her for a bit.
"Okay- you've been acting weird for a few weeks now, care to tell me what's going on?" He asked, leaning against his desk.
Bobby looked at him for a second blankly. Had she just... she shook her head. No. Couldn't be.
"Nothing. Just a lot on my mind." she said, turning back towards her desk. Eddie watched her for a moment before following her.
"Is it me? It's weird, right? You're weirded out by my being here?" He asked. Bobby laughed.
"No, of course not." She pushed her glassed up on her nose. "If anything I'm relieved to get the help. You're doing great, you're catching on quickly."
"Well, she helps. Lisa is very smart and so anything we don't know, we figure it out together." He said, watching how Bobby's smile turned into a frown.
"Great." She muttered, picking up her purse. "Lunch?"
Eddie nodded and followed her towards the elevator.
"Then what is it? I feel since like I got here, you've been acting so strange." He said.
"Nothing, it's nothing." Bobby said, more to herself than to him.
"You should hear how everyone raves about you- I even heard Matt telling Lisa the other day about how efficient you are. She was impressed." Eddie said and Bobby finally turned to look at him.
"Listen, can we not talk about work for a while? I'd like to have lunch in peace." She said, her voice a little shrill.
Bobby took a breath and turned, stepping into the elevator, then seconds later Eddie stepped in after her.
This was strange- even Eddie knew it. Just a few weeks back, Bobby couldn't stop working... and now. Now she suddenly didn't want to talk about work?
"Bobby?" Eddie said after a few seconds.
"What is it?" She replied, staring at her own reflection in the elevator doors.
Bobby had never considered herself an ugly girl- she was actually quite pleased with her looks. Her eyes were large and dark, her skin was smooth and blemish free, and her lips... she had the type of large pouty lips other girls paid hundreds to achieve.
Sure, she didn't dress fashionably, never in heels, and most of her face was hidden behind the thick frames of her glasses. Her hair was always tied back and she never wore makeup... and she always wore the gray sweater over everything. It was a large, thick sweater that thanks to her height, hung down to her knees.
"Is it possible you like him?" Eddie said.
"Like him?" Bobby repeated, staring at herself for a second and then imagining Lisa's reflection.
"You know... Do you like him?" Eddie repeated but the elevator doors opened and more people walked in, eliminating any chance at a private conversation.