Well everyone, it's been a hot minute since I put anything on here. A few times a year I come out of writing hibernation and bang something out. Still on the Mike B/Nadine kick, despite them being just a distant memory at this point. At this point I don't think I'll ever be over them.
...
On a stormy Monday night when she's gathering her purse and raincoat, her phone rings. For a brief moment she considers letting it go, more than ready to leave for the evening. When she sees Elizabeth's name flashing across the tiny screen, she knows that's not an option, and quickly lifts the receiver up to her ear.
Elizabeth sounds hesitant. "Nadine, are you heading out for the evening?"
"In just a few minutes, ma'am. Is there something you need?" Nadine pauses, realizing this is a tone she rarely hears her boss use. It's almost … apologetic? Apprehensive? Either way, it peaks her curiosity. She's fairly used to Elizabeth making requests of her that are often any combination of demanding, draining, or time consuming. Despite that, her boss is not typically apologetic in her needs.
"Can you stop by my office before you leave? I need to ask you a favor."
Nadine twists the phone cord around her hand. "Of course. I'll be there in a moment." She hangs up the phone and shrugs into her raincoat, wondering what could have come across the secretary's desk in the last thirty minutes since she'd left her.
Elizabeth's feet are crossed at the ankle and perched cautiously on the edge of her large desk, fingers laced behind her head. She almost looks relaxed, and greets her chief of staff with a genuine smile. "Hey, Nadine."
"Ma'am?"
"Thanks for coming in. Listen, I know it's been a long day and I'm sure you're just as ready to get out of here as I am. I need to ask you a favor, and it might not be something you're going to like." Elizabeth is not one to sugarcoat, a quality Nadine typically appreciates. But for some reason, it doesn't sit well tonight.
Nodding, Nadine drops in the chair across from Elizabeth's desk, setting her purse at her feet.
"Jay was slated to attend the UN Sustainable Development Summit in Seattle starting on Wednesday morning."
Nadine nods, vaguely remembering Jay mentioning it during one of their many meetings that week. "I remember, ma'am."
"Well, I just got off the phone with him. Apparently, Abby's mom broke her hip this afternoon and needs emergency surgery. Abby can't take Chloe with her to her moms house, so Jay's out." Elizabeth takes her glasses off and pinches the bridge of her nose.
"Is everything alright?" Now it makes sense why Jay was noticeably absent at their briefing meeting just an hour prior.
"Abby's a little stressed, understandably so, and Jay seemed a bit … flustered...when I spoke with him. Anyway, Nadine, I know it's it's last minute but I'm asking that you go in Jay's place."
Nadine nods thoughtfully, briefly wondering if she should call Jay and see if there's anything she can do. She's had her share of hip related injuries over the years- he and Abby are in for a tough few weeks."Of course, ma'am." She isn't necessarily thrilled about the impromptu assignment, but given her position, it comes with the territory. Not that she dislikes traveling, but it's been a week already, with numerous unfinished projects that demand her attention. Of course, being away from the State Department for almost an entire week is certainly not going lessen her workload, or anyone else's for that matter.
"Before you say yes, there's something you might want to know." Elizabeth averts her eyes over Nadine's shoulder, and her face is a cross between amusement and sympathy.
"Oh?" Nadine's spine stiffens, waiting for whatever ball that is about to drop.
"Mike B is also going. In fact, he specifically requested that Jay attend."
Nadine feels the blood rush from her face, her palms going unexplainably clammy. She clears her throat and shifts uncomfortably in her seat. "Ah, ma'am, …" her voice trails off, unsure of what to say. "I can't possibly see why Mike B attending would present itself an issue." She knows it doesn't sound convincing, but it's worth a shot.
Elizabeth is trying to hide her amusement and failing miserably. "I know things between you two didn't end well." She steeples her fingers beneath her chin and clears her throat.
"I beg your pardon, ma'am?" Suddenly feeling more exposed, Nadine crosses her arms across her chest and stiffens. Your obligation is to this job, Nadine, she reminds herself, annoyed that she's letting the thought of Mike B get into her head and linger there for too long.
"Nothing is sacred around here, as I'm sure you are aware. Plus," Elizabeth trails off, seemingly choosing her words carefully. "Despite all of his flaws, Mike is a good friend of mine. Sometimes we talk about things that aren't work related."
"Is that so?" Nadine swallows somewhat angrily, peeved that her boss has such insight into her personal affairs, but more so at herself for not realizing it a long time ago.
Elizabeth know she's hit a nerve. "Honestly, Nadine, whatever happened between you and Mike isn't my business. What you do in your personal life isn't my concern." She stops for a minute before continuing. "What I will say is that he certainly isn't the easiest man to put up with. In any situation."
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Mike very clearly told Elizabeth how things ended between him and Nadine. So much for keeping things quiet. "Well in that case, I'll start clearing my schedule, ma'am."
"It's already been cleared. Jay will handle your appointments and meetings as soon as he's back, which barring any unforeseen issues, should be Wednesday. The rest of the team has graciously offered to pick up any loose slack in your absence. We should be just fine without you for a few days."
"Looks like you have everything under control," Nadine says smoothly.
"Blake will be sending you an updated briefing for the week and all of the travel arrangements by 10 PM tonight. The flight leaves tomorrow evening."
"Does Mike know about this last minute switch?.
"I haven't quite had a chance to tell him yet."
"I see." Somehow Nadine doubts the secretary's lack of chance, but she says nothing.
"Mike will mind his manners and be a gentleman. I just felt that you should be aware of the circumstances."
"Well, I appreciate you being discreet about the matter," Nadine responds dryly.
"You know, if you're feeling particularly generous, I'm sure Mike wouldn't be disappointed it if you had dinner with him once or twice. He was disgustingly mopey the last I saw him." Elizabeth puts her glasses back on, a tiny grin crawling across her lips.
"Is that so, ma'am?"
"He knows he messed up. Mike's not very subtle when he's ruminating, despite what he thinks." Elizabeth puts her glasses back on and shifts a few folders around her desk. "I told him he needed to take it up with you when the time came."
"Well then, I'm sure we have plenty to catch up on in Seattle." Nadine decides not to comment on Mike B any further and she rises from her chair, reaching for her bag. "Well, if that's all, ma'am, I should head home to get a start on packing."
"Of course. Goodnight, Nadine, and thank you."
She tries to remind herself that her obligation is to Elizabeth, and that her personal matters shouldn't interfere with work. Somehow, she has a feeling it won't be that easy.
…
Luckily, they're on separate flights.
Nadine is completely relieved when he doesn't show up at her gate Tuesday afternoon. Before boarding, she has a glass of wine in the restaurant in the terminal, making small talk with the bartender, a young man who reminds her of Roman. Despite it being a full flight to Seattle, the not quite six hours she spends in the air are peaceful and for once, almost relaxing. She takes a few minutes to answer some late in the day emails but spends the majority of the flight reading until the cabin gets too dim.
It's 8:35 Pacific time when she steps off the gate into SeaTac, and she quickly navigates herself to baggage claim. Once she's collected her luggage, She calls an Uber and within the hour she's at the hotel.
Nadine has been to enough of these events throughout her years of service, so she's not surprised to see the somewhat long check-in line at the hotel concierge and an even more full hotel bar a few yards past the lobby of government professionals in suits, sipping drinks and making small talk. Almost the entire line (save for a family of 5 with several young children directly ahead of her and a few others) is full of people also attending the summit. She blends right in.
Nadine rests her purse on her suitcase and reaches for her phone. She taps out a text to Roman, letting him know she landed safely, then one to Elizabeth to let her know she'd be in touch tomorrow morning for any last minute memos for the first sessions of the Summit. Finally she sends one to Blake, reminding him to keep her updated with the seventh-floor happenings. It's when she's reviewing the agenda for tomorrow morning when she hears the one voice that can simultaneously give her goose bumps and boil her blood.
"You certainly don't look anything like Jay Whitman."
She'd know that voice anywhere.
She spins around, nearly rolling her suitcase into the family of five in front of her to face Mike B, immaculately dressed in a suit and expensive shoes. It was barely evident he too had just spent 6 hours on a plane.
"Mike," she greets him half heartedly.. "Nice to see you." Nadine swallows hard.
"I heard Jay backed out for his mother in law. I wouldn't have backed out for my former mother in law's broken hip, that's for sure."
"Well, clearly not everyone shares the same values as you, Mike."
"Funny, Bess said the same thing when she told me you were taking Jay's place." Mike looks around the lobby and shrugs his shoulders. He's not oblivious to her lack of interest in their conversation, but not about to let her off the hook that easily. "How long has it been, Nadine?"
"A few months..." She does some mental calculations. Yep, about 4 months.
His eyes scan her frame, and linger boldly for just a few seconds too long on her legs. "Well, it's a pleasure to see you. You look great, as usual."
"Thank you." The line doesn't seem to be budging anytime soon. She's stuck here. Great. She rummages through her bag for her phone, her wallet - anything to distract her from making awkward small talk with Mike.
"Want to grab a bite to eat once we're checked in? I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you didn't have dinner."
"I … I ate," Nadine begins feebly. She knows - hell they both know - that was a bold faced lie. If she was being honest, she was starting to feel pretty hungry. The airplane snacks hadn't done much for her.
"The pretzels on the plane don't count, you know. There's a steakhouse a few blocks away from here that is phenomenal, but if you're not feeling steak, the hotel bar actually has a great late night menu." Leave it to Mike to know the scoop on every restaurant in a five block radius.
She's about to make an excuse about room service when Mike gestures behind Nadine. "Looks like you're up. Call me if you change your mind about dinner."
Chiding herself for not thinking quicker, Nadine pulls her suitcase behind her to the desk and greets the man at the desk with a smile. According to his nametag, his name is Brandon. "Checking in, Nadine Tolliver." She reaches for her wallet and hands him her phone with the confirmation number. For good measure, she also presents her government credentials.
"Certainly, Ms. Tolliver." Brandon punches a few keys on the iPad, clicks a few screens, narrows his eyes, then punches a few more keys. "Um, ma'am, there seems to be an issue with your reservation. Your confirmation number seems to have been cancelled."
"I'm sorry?" Nadine props her elbows on the desk. "Cancelled?"
"Yes … there's no booking of a room under your name."
"There should have been a last minute change to the reservation. It originally was under a Jay Whitman?" According to Blake, this had been taken care of.
Brandon presses a few keys, and shakes his head. "I'm not seeing anything on my screen that matches your name or confirmation number. When did the change to the reservation take place?"
"Within the last day or so."
Brandon spends a few moments clicking through screens and pressing keys. "I think I've identified the issue, ma'am. Apparently whoever altered your reservation accidentally deleted it." He looks apologetic.
"Accidentally deleted it?" Nadine's lower back starts to ache, her patience wearing thin.
"Yes. Actually, there were two reservations under this booking account. A Michael Barnow? He also had a confirmation number that was deleted." Brandon clears his throat awkwardly.
Nadine rolls her eyes. "Mr. Barnow should have been assigned to a separate room." She looks over her shoulder at Mike B, who is impatiently tapping his foot. He catches her eye, mouthing, what's wrong? From his spot in line. She ignores him and turns back to Brandon.
"There has to be some mistake."
"I didn't confirm the cancellation, ma'am, and it may have been a glitch in the system, but from what I am seeing, when Mr. Whitman's reservation was cancelled, yours was never added, and Mr. Barnow's was also deleted in the process. Your reservations were made by the same account, which could also account for the mix-up. He spins the iPad around to face Nadine and gives her an awkward half-smile, confirming that she was indeed shit out of luck. "Does Mr. Barnow happen to be here with you? Perhaps we could figure out a solution for the mix-up."
Nadine rests her head on her hand. "That can't be," she begins, reaching for her phone to pull up the documents Blake had forwarded to her. Surely he'd double checked and verified the switch.
"I'm Mike Barnow," Mike's voice booms from behind her, pulling his suitcase behind him up the the counter beside her. Brandon glances between Mike and Nadine.
"You're Michael Barnow, sir?"
"The one and only," Mike retorts with a grin. "What's the problem?"
"Sir, I'm incredibly sorry for the inconvenience, but somehow there was a glitch with yours and Ms. Tolliver's room reservations, and we do not have rooms for you available at this time."
Mike's eyes grow wide, and his jaw tightens. For once, he doesn't look amused. "That has to be a mistake. I have my confirmation here." Mike hands the him his phone, and Brandon looks between their two screens before turning back to his iPad.
"I understand, sir. When Mr. Whitman's reservation was cancelled and Ms. Tolliver was added, apparently there was a glitch that deleted all 3 of your reservations. I'm so very sorry that this happened. Our system is very reliable but unfortunately not perfect."
Nadine casts a sideways glance at Mike, who meets her gaze with just as much indignation. "Is there anything you can do?" She can almost feel the color drain from her cheeks and her hands go numb. She wishes the floor would open up and swallow her entirely.
Brandon taps a few keys on the iPad, peering closely at the screen. "We - ah - uh - " he clears his throat, as if he knows the answer will only complicate matters more. "we do have one room available."
"One?" Mike and Nadine answer in unison, meeting each other's eyes with disbelief.
"Just one. Because of the mix up, we would be more than happy to comp your stay. I need a credit card on file for any incidental charges."
"So you're saying we have to stay in the same hotel room for 4 days?"
Brandon clears his throat again, looking behind him for a manager or higher-up to relieve him, with no luck. ""Ms. Tolliver, Mr. Barnow, I'm incredibly sorry. I'm afraid we are at capacity without any additional rooms for the duration of your stay. There's a chance we may have another vacancy in the next day or so, but it is unlikely." Brandon shifts in his seat, looking increasingly uncomfortable. "If something does open up, I will make sure one of you is moved immediately, and of course, your stay would be comped."
"One of us might not make it out alive before then," Mike jokes. "Probably me."
Brandon looks between him and Nadine awkwardly, looking like he wants to disappear..
Momentarily forgetting her surroundings, Nadine snaps at him. "You know, sometimes the Mike B show gets really old."
"Pretty sure you liked it at some point," Mike snaps right back. At this point, Brandon looks like he wants to disappear.
"Um Ms. Tolliver, Mr. Barnow, if you are agreeing to take the available room… I'll just need a credit card on file... for incidentals," Brandon tries again gently, interrupting their bickering, yet struggling to make eye contact with either of them. If it were any other circumstances, she may have found the entire situation comical. Nadine glances at her watch. 9:45. It's been a long day, and the exhaustion is beginning to catch up with her, the start of a headache pulsing in her temples. "Fine," she sighs dejectedly, resigning herself to the fact that for the next few days, she's sharing a room with Mike B whether she likes it or not.
"Sure," they both grumble in unison, reaching for their wallets.
"I got it,," She brandishes the small plastic square between her fingers, but Mike's hand is surprisingly gentle over hers, pushing her hand away from the counter and wedging his body slightly in front of hers.
"I'm taking care of it, Nadine." He hands over his black Amex firmly, indicating a done deal. Conceding, she sighs and tucks her card away in her wallet.
After a few more awkward moments of silence, Brandon pushes two key cards in their direction. "You are in room 1038. Elevator is over there," he gestures toward the hallway to their left. "Tenth floor, to the left. There's a complimentary hotel breakfast that starts at 6:30 every morning, open until 8. And again, my apologies for the inconvenience. Enjoy your stay."
She wonders if he's mocking them.
"Thank you," they mutter in unison before stepping away from the counter toward the elevator.
An awkwardly quiet ride to the tenth floor follows, and when the door rings and slides open, Mike reaches for her suitcase along with his.
"I can pull my own suitcase, Mike."
"Just let me pull your damn suitcase, Nadine."
"Fine." She tosses her purse over her shoulder and slips through the doors with Mike and their luggage behind her. Stubborn ass. Clearly nothing has changed. He's still the same self-centered, arrogant, - her thought process is interrupted by Mike saying her name.
"You just walked right past the room," Mike's voice is laced with as much annoyance as she feels. "1038 is back there." He turns sharply with their bags, and Nadine trudges behind him, feeling her blood pressure rise.
"Here we go." Mike swipes his key card and the door opens with a green flash and a resounding click. He awkwardly shoulders the door open and wrestles their two bags over the threshold. Nadine steadies herself with a few deep breaths before following him, counting to ten in a half-hearted attempt to steady her racing brain.
Mike leans on their suitcases. "Where do you want this?" He's seemingly oblivious to the sight in front of them, but it just about smacks her in the face, clear as day.
A massive, king-sized bed sits in the middle of the room. "You've got to be kidding me." Her stomach twists into a knot.
"What?" Mike's eyebrows disappear into his hairline when he catches on, his face a juxtaposition of amusement and surprise. "Well. That certainly complicates things."
"You don't say, Mike." Nadine props her hands on her hips and narrows her eyes at him. "Now what?"
"Maybe there's a pull out bed or a twin bed in the closet," Mike offers tentatively, crossing the room and pulling the closet doors open, turning up empty. "Or not."
Nadine checks the couch, which turns out to be just a normal couch, no pull-out bed. "Don't all hotel rooms have pull-out beds?." Her voice comes out a bit more bitterly than she'd intended, and she hopes Mike doesn't pick up on it.
Not surprisingly, he does. "I can go back downstairs. Maybe they can switch our room with someone else who hasn't checked in yet," Mike says cautiously - he almost looks afraid of her at this point. He's halfway toward the door when she stops him.
"They don't have anymore rooms, Mike. Just forget it. it's late. We have an early day tomorrow. Let's just … I don't know. We can figure this out in the morning." Nadine perches on one end of the large bed, shrugging out of her jacket and draping it neatly over the armchair in the corner.
"So you're saying we share the bed?" He has a tiny but unmistakable grin on his face, one she wants to wipe right off. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Well Mike, unless you want to sleep on the floor, I don't see another option. Unless they can move one of us to another room, looks like we're stuck." She leans over to unzip her suitcase to rummage for her toiletries bag. "I need to take a shower."
"Toss me the that remote. I'll find us something to watch. You can take the bathroom first." He flops down onto the bed, tossing his suit jacket to the side.
She's about to tell him not to bother but ultimately decides it's just better to keep her mouth shut. The less they have to engage with one another, the better.
Nadine is relieved for the tiny sanctuary of the bathroom. She turns the shower on hot, abandons her clothes in a heap on the floor, and steps into the spray, taking a few calming breaths as the day washes off of her. After about fifteen minutes, she does feel more human. She applies her face cream and brushes her teeth, neatly arranging her things on the counter before shrugging into some pajamas - luckily she'd brought the navy blue silk ones - ones he hadn't seen, thankfully- and hangs her towel on the bar.
She emerges in a cloud of steam. Mike's shoes rest at the foot of the bed. He's flipping through the TV channels, tie loosened and jacket off. "I hope you haven't been waiting too long." She's unsure of what else to say.
"Nah. I'm used to waiting for you." He turns to face her. "Nice pajamas. Are those new? I don't recognize those." With a wry grin, he pats the free side of the bed - the side she'd always taken when they were together. She hopes it wasn't intentional on his part.
Nadine rolls her eyes, tossing a pillow at him. "Bathroom's free."
"I'll give it a minute," he doesn't take his eyes off the television. "You always use all the hot water, anyway. Give it a chance to heat back up."
"Do you have to have a comment for every little thing I do" she responds icily.
"Comments? I'm just stating facts," Mike flips the channel once more, a habit Nadine always poked fun of. In their short dating tenure, he'd rarely been able to stick to one show for its duration. Finally, he settles on Blazing Saddles and sets the remote down with satisfaction. "Great movie," he nudges her arm and she flinches. "You ever seen it?" When he notices her phone in her hand, he pokes her again. "Do you ever put that thing down?"
Nadine sighs heavily, looking up from her phone. "No Mike, I haven't seen it. And to answer your question, I'm taking care of a few emails before getting some rest."
"You know it's bad for your eyes to stare at a screen before bed? Almost as bad as the fact that you've never seen Blazing Saddles." He fluffs the pillow behind his head and reaches for another. His nonchalant attitude towards this whole situation is starting to grate on her nerves.
"I think I'll survive, Mike. I've made it this far." She busies herself with her emails, pointedly ending the conversation.
When he's in the bathroom and before she can talk herself out of it, Nadine goes to the closet and grabs the extra pillows and blankets. She lines them up in the center of the bed, forming a barrier- a line of demarcation -between them, cursing herself and her uncertainty the whole time. She knows it's ridiculous, that it certainly won't make the situation any less uncomfortable.
Mike reappears a few short minutes later, wearing a worn UVA t-shirt she recognizes well (she has also worn it before) and sweatpants. "Great water pressure in that shower," he offers, rubbing his head dry with a towel and drapes it over the chair. "What did you think?"
"I didn't notice the water pressure, Mike." She sets her phone down on the bedside table.
"I'm going to turn out the light soon. You need anything? Water? Extra blanket?"
"No, Mike. I'm perfectly fine. Good night," Nadine replies, her back toward him. She stares at the wall, willing herself to keep her eyes shut. The scent of his soap fills her nose, and the familiarity makes her eyes burn. Or maybe it's the harsh blow of the air conditioner. Either way, her eyes sting behind her closed eyelids, and she makes a conscious effort to ignore it.
The bed dips under his weight when he climbs in beside her, settling next to her. She curses herself when it makes her heart skip a beat on its own accord.
"What time are you setting your alarm for?"
"Six thirty."
"Sounds good. I'll do six fifteen. I'll be out of your way in no time." Somehow she doubts that. He sets his phone down on the table and settles into the bed, adjusting the blankets. Mike's leg brushes against one of the pillows, and he stops suddenly, feeling the lumps next to him, reaching down into the depths of the bed. "What the...?" He pulls the blanket down to reveal the pillow island she'd formed just minutes before. "What the hell is this?" He glares at the pillows with disbelief, then back at her.
She sits up, sighing in frustration. "Listen, Mike, I just thought that since this isn't necessarily an ideal situation for either of us, it might keep things - "
"Might what? Are you kidding me? Are you twelve years old? God damnit, Nadine. I already know what you look and feel like naked! This seems pretty damn pointless at this point." Mike looks incredulous, and slightly offended at her creation.
"That has nothing to do with this." Nadine draws her knees to her chest and lets out an angry breath, throwing the covers off of herself in the process.
"Christ, Nadine. If you actually think I would...it would be...I can't believe you." Mike takes a few deep breaths, collecting himself. "You know that's not me." A thought crosses his face and his expression changes to a crestfallen one. "Would it make you more comfortable if I slept on the couch?" To prove his point, he grabs a few pillows and the spare blanket on the bed, taking them to the small couch in the corner of the room.
"Mike, stop being ridiculous." Nadine leans back against the pillows, groaning. This was exactly what she didn't want, and exactly where they were heading. She knew this wasn't a good idea.
Mike lays down and his ankles protrude off the edge of the couch arm. "See? It's comfortable. It'll work."
It looks so ridiculous she starts laughing. He winces in discomfort as he tries to shift positions, failing miserably.
Nadine stifles her laugh behind her hand. "You'll never sleep like that."
"Maybe not, but I'd rather you get some sleep than me." He rolls over pathetically and jerks in discomfort."I owe my chiropractor a visit next week, anyway. She misses me."
"Get back in this damn bed, Mike. You have ten seconds."
"I always did love when you bossed me around." His eyes shine wickedly. He just can't control himself, can he? She rolls her eyes at his remark.
"Damnit, Mike. Get off the couch."
He recognizes the bite in her voice so well it wipes the grin off his face and he shuts up. His eyes bore into hers even from across the room; it makes her spine tingle. "Are you sure?" He's actually serious. "No more pillows, Nadine."
"Yes. I'm sure. Now let's just go to bed." She throws the remaining few pillows from the center of the bed onto the floor, the barrier between their respective sides gone.
Mike crosses the room in two long strides. "Alright." He flicks off the light next to the bed, and settles beside her for the second time. "I promise, I won't try anything," he adds, and Nadine hears the smirk in his voice.
He can't still be talking.
"Good night, Mike." She can practically see him smirking in the dark, undoubtedly pleased with himself. Unsettled, she closes her own eyes, willing sleep to come quickly.