Chapter 11: Hard Masks
As Charles and Fitz left LL. Co, Charles could not stop gushing about Jane. "You're so lucky that all your work and meetings are with Jane, she's absolutely gorgeous and nice too. I almost ran her over but she was incredibly nice about it. She was professional during the meeting and I can tell she's as passionate about law as you are Fitz," he said.
"Yes, Jane is indeed quite pretty. Elegant too. I could tell that you two had a connection during the meeting, you weren't exactly subtle Charles."
"Perhaps not. I sure hope that she likes me enough to say yes on a date when I find the courage to ask her out. What did you think about Liz and Charlotte? You could tell that they're a power duo together and share the same elegance as Jane. I look forward to working with them and the editor."
"Charlotte and Liz were definitely professional. They know what they're doing and I'm glad you're working with them. Their firm checks out, nothing sketchy. As for noticing them, I did notice Liz but I found her a bit colder than Charlotte. Hard exterior maybe, either way I didn't notice any of them the same way you noticed Jane."
Liz honestly didn't know what to think or how to feel. She wasn't trying to eavesdrop, she just happened to be heading that way for her usual coffee stand when Charles and Fitz left. It was her favorite coffee place despite it being a truck. The barista and owner, Chuck made coffee extremely dark, just the way she liked it. It was a heavenly cup of coffee she needed in doing last minute work before wrapping up her long days. She just happened to notice that Charles and Fitz were ahead of her, talking about the meeting that took place and couldn't help but listen in.
She was smiling when Charles spoke of Jane and then her stomach dropped once Fitz started to talk. She knew she was cold but she didn't think that she had been cold during the meeting. She had tried her best to be open, honest and polite. She was also disappointed at herself for feeling a pit in her stomach when Fitz described her as 'barely noticeable'. She had a lot of pride and she was almost ashamed to admit that she had found Fitz attractive and agreeable. Maybe even hoped that the moment shared before the meeting in the conference room had given him the same butterflies it had given her. But at least now she knew why he hadn't looked at her at all. He had concluded that there was nothing special about her and she was more than offended. She was flabbergasted beyond belief. Liz turned around forgetting all about her coffee and headed straight back to her office.
Charles had started to protest at Fitz's words that only described Liz as plain. That woman was everything but plain and Fitz was insane if he truly thought otherwise. He had also thought that given his lack of interest in women who threw themselves at them, perhaps someone like Liz was what Fitz needed. A powerful and successful woman who stood as an equal. It seemed that Charles had been wrong. Or was he?
As their conversation drifted off, both Charles and Fitz were lost in their own thoughts. Perhaps a bit too lost to notice a familiar pair of tall high heels walking away from them as fast as they could.