Читать книгу Celia's Shadow - Sandy Levy Kirschenbaum - Страница 11

Her office was neat and simply decorated. She was one of the lucky ones on the seventh floor who had the luxury of a window. A window that showcased a skyline view of larger buildings in the city. Prints from local street artists covered the dreadfully painted light-blue walls. A four-foot silk ficus tree stood by the door. Her old mahogany desk was large and took up half of the wall across from the window. She enjoyed people-watching on the pedestrian mall below.

Celia’s eyes focused on her monitor, and her fingers flew across the keyboard. She was engrossed in the database she was developing. Sadly, she was oblivious of the glorious day outside.

“Knock, knock. Am I interrupting anything?” Ramona moved her fist back and forth in the air, as she pretended to knock on the nonexistent door that led into Celia’s office.

“Oh, you startled me. You’re not interrupting anything. Come on in. I could use a break. I’m going blind from this computer screen.” She nodded her head toward the monitor. “What’s going on?”

Ramona stepped into her office and took a seat in the old black chair across from Celia’s desk. She immediately crossed her legs and rapidly shook her foot back and forth. Her dangling shoe appeared as if it would drop to the floor at any moment. Celia knew Ramona had something up her sleeve. She appeared anxious, which was different from her usual nondescript expression. Ramona was grinning, as if she held a secret she was about to share. She dressed fashionably, and her clothes were always perfectly pressed. Her almond-shaped brown eyes were encased by long, thick, dark eyelashes. Her highlighted hair, cut short above her neck, accentuated her chin, which appeared too large for her face.

“You busy tomorrow after work? Would you want to meet me for a drink or something?”

“I guess so.” Celia took a deep breath. She wished she could inhale the words back into her mouth. STOP! She had made a mistake when she answered too hastily. She hesitated. “Just you and me? No one else, right?” Celia waited. Ramona did not respond fast enough for Celia’s liking. “Ramona?” Celia said her friend’s name slowly and inquiringly. Ramona constantly pestered Celia to let her fix her up. This visit would prove no different.

“My brother Walter is coming in from New York, and I thought you might like to meet him. I think it could be fun. He’ll treat us and maybe we’ll even get dinner or something.”

“Ramona, I don’t know. I hate fix ups, and this has the definite feel of a fix up. Besides, he’s your brother. How could I ever look you in the eye if I sleep with him the first time we meet and then decide I hate him?”

“Ha ha. I know you’re little too uptight to even kiss a guy the first time you meet him, let alone get intimate.”

Ramona’s shoe dropped to the floor. “Listen. It’s not a fix up. I promised to do something with him and think it will be more fun for him, and for me, if you come out with us. He lives in New York City, so it’s not as if you can have a dating relationship with him anyway.”

“I guess you’re right.” She picked up a paper clip and tossed it onto Ramona’s lap.

“It’s drinks, maybe dinner. No big deal. Really. What else will you do?” She threw the paper clip back onto the desk blotter. “You never go out anymore. Do something different for a change. Come on. I’m begging you.” Ramona clasped her hands together in a pleading fashion and put them under her large chin as she raised her head high.

How could Celia refuse her?