Without really thinking about it, Melanie turned and smiled at him while swinging her foot under the table and kicking him on the shin. Still smiling, she asked him "How's that for attitude?"
To give him credit, he just smiled back and raised an eyebrow. In spite of her antagonism towards him, she had to acknowledge the truth in what he said and she made a real effort to be pleasant for the rest of the meal. As soon as it was over and she had helped clean the table and load the dishwasher, she made her excuses and prepared to leave. She found him at her elbow as she reached for the door knob.
"I'll walk you out."
"There's no need. I can see myself out."
"That wasn't a question, Melanie." He opened the door and waited for her to exit, then followed quickly as she almost sprinted to her car. Holding her car door closed with his hand on the frame, he said "Look, Melanie, I know you don't like me any better than I like you, but I'm going to be working closely with Brian, so we have to sort this out because we'll be running into each other. Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night so that we can come to some kind of an understanding? You choose the restaurant."
Reluctantly she agreed. " Okay. Meet me at Kelly's at seven-thirty. Now can I get into my car, please?"
Holding up his hands, he stepped back and said "Be my guest. I'll see you tomorrow night."
Driving home, Melanie re-visited that horrible day at Tim Horton's. She had just paid for her coffee and turned to leave when he also turned in the other direction with a full cup. The collision was made with enough force to pop the tops on both cups and spray the contents over them. Her temper flared immediately, as did his. Neither spoke, just glared and left.
For Melanie, it was a disaster. She had been assigned one of their largest farm accounts and she knew that, although they had faith in her abilities, it was still a test. Being new to the office, and relatively new as a broker, she was determined to prove herself, and show them that she was a capable and valuable employee.
The farmer, Noah Draper, had requested a review of his farm policy, so she had visited him at his home, reviewed his current coverages, and made extensive notes of the changes he required. Before leaving, she took photos of the dwelling, barns and outbuildings. She knew companies had complaints of photos being submitted that could only be described as 'drive-by shootings' where the broker parked at the side of the road, stuck his camera out of the car window, and took a couple of pictures which he sent to the company. Fortunately these were in the minority, and Melanie was determined to stay out of that category.