Chasing Mr. Carlton ( The story of a Shrew's Son)

Part 34

Bobby read the documents in front of her over and over. She shook her head, closed her eyes and started again. She couldn't focus.

She lay out the papers into neat stacks by type and then reordered them. She put the stacks together, then she sat down and picked up the stack- she needed to focus.

"Okay... Dear Valued partner..." She began to read, going over the release one more time. She'd printed it out to double check it, but not a single note or correction had been made. The highlighter in her hand was purely decorative, she couldn't get past the first words.

All day she'd worked on this, trying to focus but something always came up and when it didn't she couldn't help her mind from wandering. When she walked in that morning, she had a scarf wrapped around her neck up to her chin and hid behind it. She couldn't help it, she felt like all eyes had to be on her.

Could it be that they could tell what she had done? Maybe they could see that something was completely different. She'd stared at herself for hours on Sunday, wondering if she looked different, wondering if something had changed.

She knew she looked exactly the same but she also knew that she was completely different now.

Anytime someone tried talked to her, she jumped up or flinched... or worse. She'd just stand there like a moron staring out into space.

Then that morning, she saw Matt walk in... looking cool as a cucumber, same long, confident strides. she could swear the floor fell beneath her.  It was hard to believe she had just seen him just the day before.

"Good Morning, Roberta." He said as he adjust the lapels of his jacket. She looked at him, not knowing what to expect.  For some reason, after he'd left on Sunday, she had found it was impossible not to stare at her phone... wondering if he would text or call. Was that normal?

She tried to act normal. They'd spent the whole weekend together so, why did she miss him so desperately?

"Good Morning." She replied, trying to act like her normal calm self. She extended her hands, "Your messages."

Matt nodded, taking them from her.

"Good Morning, Eddie." he said, and looked back to Bobby.

"You have a very packed schedule today." She said, trying to focus on business.

"I know. Hold my calls." He said, disappearing into his office.

"Yes, sir." She replied, looking back at her desk and having a seat.

After that, she'd spent all morning running back and forth, taking calls, typing memos and going in and out of meetings. She'd sat in with Lisa, Nick and twice with Brian and Nora- the announcement on Friday had caused more work than any of them had ever imagined. But she found it hard to focus. Anytime she saw Matt it was "send this, get that, call them" and they didn't get a moment alone at all.

Bobby shook her head, she needed to focus. it was late in the afternoon and she still had half a dozen things to finish if she didn't want to fall way behind the next day. She hadn't stopped all day, not even for lunch and neither had Matt. She'd only caught glimpses of him across the office and he was acting like nothing had happened.

She suddenly had the fleeting thought that maybe now he'd be done with her. Then she shook her head- that couldn't be right. She wasn't any regular flame... she was Bobby and he was Matt. She shuddered when she remembered the way he'd kissed her.

Matt lay he down gently on the bed, his eyes on hers as her head landed on the pillows. She had her hands on his shoulders but she'd stopped trembling and now she only watched him in fascinating, her lips slightly parted.