Blindsided - Chapter 15
Erica glanced at the ring again, thinking about how much she loved Hudson. “I’m the lucky one, and thank you. We’re pretty excited.”
“I guess we’ll have a double celebration after work,” Allison said, her gaze steady on Erica’s ring.
Erica frowned. “After work? What’s happening then?”
“The team invited me to happy hour at Sabrina’s Bar and Grill for a farewell drink. Bars really aren’t my scene, but it was impossible to say no.”
Erica stood and stretched out her back. She wasn’t much of a drinker, either, and really wasn’t up for hanging out. But since she had time to kill before picking Nakia up at seven thirty, why not? Besides, it would be good to spend time with her team outside of work.
“You’re right. You can’t say no, and I’ll stop by for a few minutes.”
Hours later, as Erica walked to the elevator to leave for the bar, conversations with Allison flipped through her mind. A few facts weren’t adding up. Weeks ago, she’d said her sister lived in Kentucky, but yesterday in the office, she’d said her sister had to get back to her family in North Carolina. And then there was the time…
Stop, Erica chastised herself.
Why was she second-guessing Allison? She was one of the hardest workers they’d ever had. Whatever was going on was none of Erica’s business. Besides, maybe Allison had mixed up the states yesterday. Did it really matter? Erica sympathized with the whole family. Trying to juggle their lives to help care for their aging mother couldn’t have been easy.
“Erica, wait up!”
Erica glanced over her shoulder, catching Allison jogging toward her. “Can I go with you?” she asked, breathing hard. “Tabitha was my ride, but I wanted to finish up some work and she’s already gone.”
“Of course.” They rode the elevator down to the parking garage. “Just so you know, though, I can’t stay long. I have to pick up my daughter.”
“No problem. I can walk home from the bar.”
As they left downtown Las Vegas, light conversation flowed between them. Erica couldn’t ever remember Allison being so talkative. Normally, she was reserved.
“I’m really going to miss working with you. I’ve learned a lot,” the woman said, fidgeting with her purse strap.
Erica stopped at a traffic light. “Are you all right? You seem kind of nervous.”
When the light changed, Erica merged into the right lane. She glanced at the time on the dashboard, loving that she’d see her baby girl soon but hating that she’d only be able to hang out a few minutes with her colleagues.