"Well, that was odd," Cadence said after having received Aaron's cryptic message.
"What's that?" Christian asked. “I can tell from your shifting expression that something is going on with you IAC, I have no idea what it might be.”
She realized she’d been making the same sort of faces they all gave Eliza a hard time about. “Aaron wants to see me in his office at 1:00,” she replied, her brow furrowed. “What in the world do you think that's about?”
“I have no idea,” Christian said, a sickening feeling in his stomach. He suddenly realized that there was a distinct possibility that he had been duped.
Cadence shook her head and glanced at the time. "Well, it's past noon and I walked, so I think I should probably head that direction," she said, gathering her purse and phone as she slid out of the booth.
Christian stood as well. "Do you want a ride on my bike?" he asked.
"No, that's okay," she replied. "I think a walk might do me good, help clear my head," she explained.
"Okay," he stated, nodding his head. "Well, uh, hope everything is okay," he said, giving her a hug.
She gave him a quick hug as well. "I'm sure it will be," she replied. "I can't imagine what this is about. I haven't done anything." She honestly couldn't think of anything--anything at all--that she could have possibly done to upset Aaron.
Christian could think of something, however, but he wasn't about to tell her. "Be careful," he said, watching her walk away.
Cadence paused to toss her empty cup in the trash and gave him a tiny wave before making her way out the door and back to LIGHTS.
While she was a bit concerned at Aaron's sharpness, she really didn't feel like there was anything to be worried about. As she made her way to his office, she was actually feeling a bit excited that she would get to see him sooner than she had originally thought. She did wish she had worn something a little nicer.
She had never been to his office before, so she checked the board next to the elevator to see exactly where she needed to go. She made her way to the top floor and exited the elevator. She was about ten minutes early, but that was fine; rather early than late. There was a short, older woman sitting behind a desk, visible through the glass doors. "Hi," she said smiling, the color beginning to fade from her cheeks as they warmed to room temperature. "Aaron asked me to be here at 1:00."
The woman smiled back at her. "Hi, you must be Cadence. Have a seat, dear, and I'll let him know you're here."
Cadence nodded and sat down as the woman, whose name tag identified her as Mrs. Carminati, disappeared into what must have been Aaron's office. She returned a second later and gave Cadence a small smile before walking back to her desk and what seemed to be important work. Cadence hesitated to ask anything because she didn't want to interrupt, but she also wondered what in the world was going on. "Excuse me, Mrs. Carminati," she said quietly, "but, do you know how long he's been back?"
Without pausing in her typing, she replied, "Not long, dear."
Cadence nodded, wondering what the word "dear" really meant. She hoped the older woman would elaborate but when she didn't, she attempted to ask a follow-up question. "Is he..."
"Mad?" Mrs. Carminati supplied.
"Yes," Cadence confirmed.
Mrs. Carminati stopped typing and peered at Cadence over the top of the rather high counter that surrounded her desk. "Did you have an orientation, dear?" she asked in an almost sickeningly sweet voice.
"Yes, ma'am," Cadence replied.
"With who, dear?"
"Jamie."
"Ah, yes, Jamie. He's been here a long time, dear," she responded thoughtfully. "And, did Jamie point out Aaron's office to you, darling?"
Cadence just nodded.
"And, do you remember what he said about visiting Aaron's office, dear?"
Cadence swallowed hard, remembering precisely what Jamie had said. "Yes... he said... he hoped I never had to be called in here."
Mrs. Carminati smiled, her eyes crinkling with sympathy. "There you go, dear."
Suddenly, Cadence was extremely worried. Her first instinct was to start sending out IAC messages to all of her friends to see if anyone had any idea why Aaron might be mad at her, but she thought better of it. Whatever it was, it had to be a misunderstanding. She hadn't done anything wrong.
He left her waiting for what seemed like an eternity. In fact, it was about 1:15 when Mrs. Carminati finally said, "He'll see you now, dear," and gestured toward the door. The secretary didn't get up, and he didn't come out, so Cadence took a deep breath and approached his door, holding back the anxiety she felt fighting its way up her throat.
When she opened the door, she had a long way to go to reach his desk. He wasn't looking at her, not at first, his chair turned away from the door. She couldn't tell if he was on the phone, on the IAC, or just ignoring her. So, without saying anything, she made her way across the great divide and found a seat in one of the chairs across from his desk. After what seemed like another eternity, she finally said, "You wanted to see me?"
Again, it took a while for him to acknowledge her. When he finally turned to face her, Cadence could tell he was not only angry, but he looked heartbroken as well. It looked like there was a possibility he had actually been crying. She had no idea what could possibly have made him so upset, but she was terrified to find out.
He looked at her for quite some time before he finally spoke. When he did, his voice was quiet, and it sounded as if he was fighting to stay calm. "How's Christian?" he asked, his expression as even as it could be.
