“Good.” Megan sounded smug. “Then meet us for dinner. You pick when and where. We can meet close to your office to make it easier for you.”
“Okay. Seven o’clock at O’Malley’s.”
“At least try to sound excited about it.”
“I’m excited.” And she was. She just needed to tell Neil first. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“A wedding will do that to you. See you at seven.”
Blair was caught by surprise when Neil’s phone didn’t go to voice mail.
“Blair? Miss me already?” he asked in a teasing tone.
His response was so unlike him, she was shocked into silence. “Uh . . .”
“I can’t wait until our dinner tonight. I’ve come up with the perfect restaurant. I was just about to text you the location.”
“Actually, that’s why I’m calling . . .” Why was she so nervous? She’d never had trouble telling him what she wanted before. “I need to cancel our plans tonight.”
He paused. “Blair. I thought we agreed to focus more on us. Starting tonight.”
“I know, but Megan and Libby want me to go out with them. I can’t even think of the last time all three of us went out to dinner.”
“Darling, they want to convince you to break off the wedding.” He sounded worried.
Her temper flared. “You think I’m incapable of making up my own mind?”
“No. Of course not.” He sounded taken aback. “But—”
“Then there’s no discussion. I’m going out with my friends.”
“I’ll miss you.”
Now she was really suspicious. “Don’t lay it on too thick, Neil.”
“Due to my own stupidity, I almost lost you last night. It’s made me realize that I’ve taken you for granted.” His voice lowered. “I love you, Blair. I know I rarely say it, maybe because you never do, but I do love you.”
He was right. She rarely said it, but she hated lying. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Melissa came in about an hour later, set a file on Blair’s desk, and then spun around to leave. She wasn’t acting like herself, and Blair was worried. It occurred to her that she’d piled a lot of her own personal tasks onto her assistant, especially since she’d asked her to take care of canceling tonight’s party.
“Did you have any problems with the cancellation?”
Melissa turned to face her, crossing her arms. “None at all.”
“Melissa, is everything okay?”
Her eyes were guarded. “And why wouldn’t it be?”
Blair knew a deflection when she saw one. She stood and walked around her desk. “I know I’ve asked you to do a lot of personal errands for me lately.”
Melissa sucked in a breath and stared her down. “I’m your assistant. It’s my job.”
“No, it’s not. Not really.” She moved closer. “I don’t tell you often enough how much I appreciate everything you do.”
Her assistant looked down and then back up, still on guard. “I know you do, Blair. Thank you.” And with that, she left the room.
Blair considered going after her, but she had enough on her hands. She’d deal with whatever was bothering Melissa later.
Megan and Libby were waiting for her in the restaurant when she arrived several minutes after seven. She prepared herself to be berated for being late, but they just smiled and held up their drinks.
“We started without you,” Libby said.
Blair cracked a smile. “So it would seem.”
“We’re still waiting for our table,” Megan added. “Let’s get you something.”
“Just water. I have a busy day tomorrow and a meeting with a potential new client in the morning.”
They both knew she wasn’t supposed to be in the office on Friday, but neither woman commented on it.
Libby took a sip of her wine. “I guess you don’t have to worry about your job now, huh?”
She thought about defending herself, but she doubted Libby meant it as a jab. She was just being sensitive. That thought almost made her snort out loud—when had Blair Myers Hansen become sensitive?
The hostess approached them a few minutes later and led them to their seats. They spent the next hour and a half talking about their jobs, their mutual friends, Megan and Josh’s life in Seattle, and a new photography project of Libby’s. The conversation steered clear of all topics even peripherally related to Neil, Garrett, and the wedding. Which left Blair with very little to discuss.
“I’ve heard this place has amazing cheesecake,” Libby said, taking a sip of her wine. “Want a slice?”
Blair laughed. “No way. I have to fit into my dress on Saturday.”
“One piece of cheesecake won’t hurt,” Megan teased.
Blair stuck to her guns. “Nope. I have enough things to worry about without adding the fear of being unable to zip up my dress.”
“Well, in that case,” Libby said, flagging down the waitress. “Let’s pay the bill and head over to the bar down the street and get a drink.”
Blair shook her head. “I can’t. It’s a work night.”
“Come on, Blair.” Megan tilted her head and gave her a pouty face. “It’s too early to call it a night. Who knows when we’ll be able to hang out again.”
She only had one meeting scheduled, so she could afford a later start than usual. Especially since it was officially her day off. “Okay.”