“Be careful if you go in there. He might invite you out to lunch with him and Jade.”
“Ick!”
“That’s what I said.” Lexi chuckled as Anna’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
“He didn’t.”
“Oh, he did.”
“He’s an idiot.” Anna shook her head from side to side.
“Agreed. So, what brings you here, Mrs. Caldwell?”
“Well, I was going to talk to him about something, but he obviously doesn’t have his faculties about him, so you wanna grab lunch instead?” Her wide smile told Lexi she wouldn’t be taking no for an answer.
The thought of getting out of the office was more appealing than words could express. Lexi needed to be away from Jade, ASAP. And if she was being honest, some girl time with Anna might be just what the doctor ordered to help her clear her head. “I’d love to.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Anywhere but La Tavola,” Lexi insisted.
Anna giggled. “Jade’s so predictable. She would like that hoity-toity, celebrity hang out.” Anna snickered. “Don’t tell anybody, but our neighbor owns an exterminating business, and they had a rat the size of a cat in that place last month.”
Lexi stifled a giggle. “How does Thai sound? I know a great place.”
“Perfect.” Anna grinned. “Let me pop in and say hi to Vincent before we go.” In true Anna fashion, without knocking, she stormed his office door. “Hi Vi—oh, good Lord, my eyes,” she whined. “For God’s sake, get a room for that stuff. I’m taking Lexi to lunch. She won’t be back for a while, so don’t bitch about her being gone.” She slammed the door shut, turned to Lexi and giggled.
“Dare I ask?” Lexi snickered as she grabbed her purse.
“What? Oh, they weren’t doing anything. I just say that every time I see him with Jade. It annoys her to no end. Just the sight of her in general makes me ill.” She linked her arm in Lexi’s, and the two women headed for the elevator.
“Have I told you recently how much I missed you?”
Leigh smiled from behind her desk. “Kidnapping Mrs. Caldwell today, Lexi? You know she kidnapped Vincent the other day.” Leigh winked at Anna.
“Did she?” Anna turned to Lexi and grinned. “Were handcuffs used?” Lexi’s cheeks flamed red as Leigh cackled. “Never mind. You can tell me all about it over lunch.”
“I take back what I said about missing you.” Lexi stalked into the elevator to escape her laughing friends.
“No you don’t,” Anna sang as she pressed the button for the lobby.
“Fine, I missed you. But I’m not talking about Vincent.”
With an impish grin on her face, Anna looked up at the illuminated numbers above the elevator doors. “We shall see.”
“Table for two,” Lexi said softly to the hostess at Osha. The smell of rich spices made her stomach growl.
The women were escorted to a quiet booth in the back corner, away from the busy lunch crowd. The rich reds and oranges of the restaurant gave it a cozy but exotic feel. Sleek, streamlined tables and chairs put a modern twist on things.
Anna smiled as she slid into her seat beside Lexi. “This place is gorgeous. You eat here a lot?”
“Not really. Hope hates Thai food, and I’m not big on dining alone. Of course, I have been known to talk them into making me something to go from time to time.” Lexi opened her menu.
Anna made her decision quickly and slapped her menu onto the table top. “So, I’m dying to hear about you kidnapping my brother.”
Lexi groaned. “It was no big deal, Anna. And I told you, I’m not talking about Vincent.”
Anna huffed. “Fine, let’s talk about work. Oops, you work with Vincent. New topic. Let’s talk about dating. That should be safe. Are you seeing anyone?”
Lexi choked on her iced tea at Anna’s question. “Um, no, I guess not. I went out with Peter a few times. He works with Julian Stone. He was nice, but not my type.”
That piqued Anna’s interest. “Really? Not your type?” She leaned closer. “So tell me, Lexi. What exactly is your type?”
“Well, I don’t know. I never thought about it.” That was a lie, she always thought about it. Unfortunately, the answer to the question was unequivocally Vincent, and there was no way in hell she was telling Anna that. So instead, she tried to play dumb and hoped that Anna would lose interest in the topic.
The grin on Anna’s face scared her to death. “Fine, we’ll start small. Do you like tall men or short?”
“Tall.” Lexi began scanning the restaurant for the emergency exits.
“Interesting. Okay, what about build? Do you like a muscular man like Sean or say someone thinner like Erik?”
“Um, I don’t know. I guess Erik-ish.” Lexi sucked down a big swig of her iced tea and contemplated pulling the fire alarm.
“M-hmm.” Anna tapped her finger on her chin and thought about her next questions. “Open book or puzzle?”
“Puzzle,” Lexi gritted out when she saw Anna’s exuberant smile.
“Okay, strong silent type or outgoing center of attention?”
“Silent. I like the silent type, Anna. You might want to try that right now.”
“Pfft.” Anna waved her hand dismissively into the air. “Unlike my brother,” she winked, “I don’t do silent, sorry.”
Lexi glanced over her shoulder and wondered if she could make it to the door before Anna caught up with her. She’d have to take a cab back to the office, but it would be worth it if she could avoid the Spanish Inquisition. “So, how is Madison?” Lexi desperately tried to change the topic.
“She’s wonderful. Do you like blonds?”
“No.” Lexi buried her hands in her face, sensing she was going in for the kill.
“Eye color?” Lexi peeked through her fingers and gave her a warning glare. “I’ll answer for you—green.”
“Anna, listen …”
The waitress brought their appetizer just then, and Lexi was thankful for the interruption in conversation. She stabbed a bite of their chicken appetizer, dipped it into the spicy sauce, and then popped it into her mouth.
“Are you in love with my brother?”
Lexi choked on the tiny hunk of chicken. It flew out of her mouth and onto the white tablecloth beside her. The curry, of course, went right up her nose and tears streamed down her face as she gulped for air.