Chapter 8 Asking to meet

• “How was it?” Mrs. Payne greeted Andrea with a question.
• She can only blush. The story they’re going with is that something happened between them last night. Well, something did surely happen.
• “I’m guessing there’s going to be a second date.” Her mom knows how to tease.
• “Yes.” She smiled back as she follows her to the kitchen.
• “Did you have breakfast?”
• “Uh huh.” She went to get a water from the fridge.
• “So, what can you tell me about this guy? You like him?” Her mother was starting to prepare lunch.
• “I wouldn’t have dated him if I don’t like him, would I?” She replied.
• “Of course. So, you like him. What’s he like? Tell me something.” Her mother almost demanded. She knew that tone.
• “Well…” She proceeded to tell her about where they had dinner last night. The dance. The kiss. She left out all the details after that.
• Her mom asked other questions. How did you meet? What does he do for work? How old is he? Those kinds of things.
• She hesitated for a minute before giving her the facts. Or supposed facts.
• Though her mom saw his name last night on her phone, she was still surprised to know it really is Wayne Anderson.
• “You remember him, don’t you?”
• “Hmm, I remember him.” The change in tone was noticeable. Andrea was feeling nervous.
• “Don’t you like him? He’s a really good guy. Great, actually.” She probingly asked.
• Her mom clucked her tongue and sternly looked at her, not sure for which aspect the adjective “great” is for.
• “But wasn’t he divorced? He’d been cuckold by that ex-wife of his.”
• Andrea sighed, “So? They’re divorced already.”
• “Do you really like him?” Her mother asked again.
• “Yes.”
• “Men like that could have issues from their previous relationships. Has he moved on?”
• “It’s been years already, mom. I’m sure he did.” It seemed natural to defend him.
• “Hmm. Are you guys getting serious?” She definitely noticed the way she defends him.
• Andrea could only shrug.
• “Well, if you think it’s getting serious, be sure to invite him over. Your father and I will confirm his sincerity.”
• She sighed in relief, before chuckling at her mother’s raised eyebrow. “Yes, I will do that.”
• On the other side of town, Aria confirmed that Wayne and Andrea did have a date and they went to his place afterwards. She’s not sure whether to be grossed out or adore them. She’d seen their kiss and it was hot. It seemed so wrong to spy on them so she looked the other way after that.
• They looked about ready to get naked while slowly dancing.
• In the morning, she finally gossiped about it to her dearest mother.
• “So, I heard Wayne went on a date last night.” She opened up while everyone’s seated for breakfast. Of course, it’s only her parents, her and Annie. Wayne rarely comes home. Well, he’d been married once and lived separately since then. After the divorce, he hasn’t returned and still continued to live on his own.
• “Really? How true is this?” Mrs. Anderson asked. Some media would sometimes report his official business meetings with a woman as a date.
• “Well, I may have followed them to see it for myself. He reserved the whole place. There was only the two of them inside. They had a meal. They danced. They kissed. Oh, and they went to his place afterwards.” She reported the things that happened in chronological order.
• “Who’s the date?” Her mother quickly asked, curious for the details. She’d been waiting for such news in a long time.
• “Well, you know her. It’s Andrea.” Aria grinned, watching their expressions.
• “Andrea?” Her mom tried recalling the name. Only one came to mind.
• “Your friend, Andrea?”
• “Yes.” She continued to grin. In a way, she didn’t think she would be so happy at introducing someone to her brother. But seeing them together last night, they were adorable.
• Annie raised an eyebrow. So, she gushed at what she’d seen, pouring out the details.
• “What made you follow them?” Mr. Anderson was most curious about it.
• “How did you know they were having a date?” Annie added.
• So, she told them about meeting Andrea earlier that week and being flustered when Wayne suddenly called her.
• “How did they meet again? You mentioned about setting up an appointment for her, right? To see your brother?” The mother wanted all the details: before, during, and after.
• She gave it to them before shrugging to add, “You can say Wayne took her business proposal and they’re currently working on it. She visits his office at least twice a week. They might have… you know, while working together.”
• “Hmm…” Mrs. Anderson didn’t wait for breakfast to finish. She called her son immediately.
• Wayne answered the call on his way to the study. Andrea has just left his house.
• “Mom.”
• “Wayne, dear. Do you have something you want to tell me?”
• He almost rolled his eyes at her attempt to wheedle information.
• “Nothing, mom.”
• “Nothing? You call going on a date nothing?”
• He knew it. Aria must’ve told them.
• “When are you going to introduce this girl to us?” She couldn’t wait to see Andrea again. She was but a child the last she saw her.
• “We only had our first date, mom. Isn’t it too early?”
• “Is it? Hmm… when are you going to introduce her, then?”
• “A few more dates. We’ll see how it goes.”
• “Alright, but don’t take too long. Can you invite her over within the month?”
• Wayne grunted at how persistent his mother can be.
• “I’ll ask.”
• “Alright. That’s settled, then. Be sweet. We love you, dear.”
• “He didn’t deny it?” Mr. Anderson asked his wife.
• “He didn’t. I guess my nagging paid off. He finally found someone.”
• Aria exchanged a glance with Annie. Leave it to their mother to be proud of her nagging.
• The next Monday, Andrea was thinking of visiting Wayne. She called his office and talked to Tina. He did say she can ask her for his preferences. The poor secretary wasn’t prepared. She had to confirm it first with her boss.
• “Tell her whatever information she needs. Be it personal or about the company.”
• “Yes, sir.” Tina has heard that they know each other when they were younger and that Ms. Aria is friends with her. By now, she realized that these people do have close relationships. She wasn’t about to get on Ms. Andrea’s bad side.
• She answered every question she posed.
• “Would Wayne be in his office around three o’clock? I’m going to drop by later if he’s in.” She asked as he sometimes attend meetings and would be unavailable in his office.
• Tina quickly checked his schedule. “Yes, his meeting would end at around 2:30.”
• “Alright. Thank you, Tina.” She sounded sweet to her ears.
• Tina relaxed and decided to inform her boss.
• “You don’t need to tell me in the future, unless I ask. Also, let her in even when I’m out of this office.”
• Does he trust her that much? Not really. It’s not as if she can do any damage if he let her do those things. Plus, Aria trusts her. That’s good enough.
• “Got it, sir. Understood.” She left after reminding him the next activities on his schedule. She was cowardly enough and did not ask what his relationship with Ms. Andrea is. But it’s clear that her boss is treating her especially. They went on a date, didn’t they? She should treat her well.