Bailey found herself working on Independence Day; she and ninety-five percent of the Oilers staff had the day off. However, being new on the marketing team and wanting to make a good impression, Bailey decided to work that Friday morning. She planned on working until noon or so, at which point she would stop by a friend's party that she halfheartedly wanted to attend.
Oilers Central was virtually dead. Every now and again, Bailey would hear someone enter the sales and marketing pod. The solitude was a welcomed gift; Bailey could be much more creative without all the office buzz. Having completed her 'To Do' list sooner than expected, Bailey left the office early.
She took the south wing stairs and walked towards the exit for the employee parking lot. Crossing the parking lot, Bailey typed a message to send a friend when she heard a car sound its horn. Bailey waved her hand at the driver in the blacked-out luxury vehicle in an attempt to apologize for her pedestrian infraction. The driver sounded the horn again. "I'm going…sheesh!" She said aloud now annoyed by the driver's impatience.
"You better watch out there, little lady. Haven't you heard that it is illegal to text and walk?" The driver chastised.
"Very funny. Don't you know it is a holiday and you should not be here?" Bailey responded by looking up from her phone to match the driver's sarcasm.
"Yeah, well, I figured I'd get a workout in before heading to my bro's bar-b-que." Casey responded.
Remembering her conversation with Nyhrie a while ago, Bailey tried to cut the current discussion short. "Well, enjoy your day," Bailey waved as she dashed to her car. Hearing a car door shut behind her, Bailey knew that she had not escaped and needed to devise a plan quickly to escape the situation. Turning abruptly, Bailey was shocked to see how close Casey was to her. His presence felt so good, Bailey thought to herself. Snap out of it, she quickly admonished herself for having such thoughts about a married man. "Look, Casey," Bailey started, "this cat and mouse thing has to stop."
"What do you mean?" he asked sincerely.
"You," Bailey started, taking a step back. "I can tell that you are interested in me, and like I said before, I have a professional reputation to worry about," crossing her arms in front of her chest, Bailey continued, "and you, you have a wife and child, and should be ashamed of yourself for even looking at other women." Before allowing Casey to respond, Bailey turned and sashayed to her car, feeling satisfied. Bailey – 1, Casey – 0.
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"What's wrong with you?" Sierra asked, passing Bailey a chilled beer.
"Oh, nothing much," Bailey lied. Bailey met Sierra when she joined her sorority's San Diego area chapter. Sierra was one of a few younger members in the chapter, and she and Bailey hit it off immediately.
"Girl," Sierra started, "I know your butt isn't okay." Bailey enjoyed Sierra; however, with their new friendship, she was still determining how much of her business she should divulge.
"It's not a big deal, plus more guests are sure to be arriving soon," Bailey responded, "Let's do lunch Sunday, and I'll fill you in." Bailey had hoped this would ease her friend's curiosity for the day.
Satisfied with Bailey's response, "Gusto's at 11:30", Sierra responded. Changing the subject, Sierra shared what she believed to be good news with Bailey. "Corey's friend, Mike is supposed to be coming today".
"Okay," Bailey replied, trying to play it cool.
"You are such a fraud!" Sierra teased, "You're over there trying to act like you are not phased. Last time you came with me to support Corey and his bowling team you had plenty of questions about Mike, and now you are trying to sit there and act like you don't know about him".
"It's not like that", Bailey started.
"Then, what is it like?" Sierra quizzed.
Sighing, Bailey did not anticipate an interrogation; desperately trying to change the subject, she asked, "Have you heard any more details about the Pearls Project?"
"Don't try to change the subject on me," Sierra quipped, "but to answer your question, no, I haven't heard any updates outside of the date and location of the event."