Mariah laughed loudly--way too loudly. "Oh my gosh, Mr. Greenway sir, what a wild coincidence running into you here!"
Alex, Sr., for his part, grinned as if this was, in fact, a big coincidence. "How nice to see such great talent at the bar closest to the office," he joked, but kindly.
"Oh, is it really? I met your son today, too. I'm in his department. Great kid you got there!"
She looked over her employer's shoulder, trying to gauge how much more time she would need to stall him. Because they were so close, Mariah recognized every one of Lindsay's flirty motions--especially the way she kept her mouth in a half-cocked smile as AJ spoke to her. AJ and Lindsay were getting into something up at the front of the restaurant, and Mariah didn't want Lindsay to feel embarrassed should Alex, Sr. come back before she could wrap up her conversation.
"Yes, he is, and I should be getting back to him. Excuse me." He nodded at her, tried to maneuver around her.
AJ was moving to sit closer to Lindsay. How long would this take?
Thinking fast, she went to step out of the way, but purposefully lost her balance.
"Oh, gosh!" she cried, tipping straight towards her employer. "These damn shoes!"
Alex, Sr. caught her by the elbows and supported her as she pretended to fuss with her shoes. "Can I help you back to your seat?"
"I--um--just gotta tighten the strap quickly." Mariah was fumbling with her pumps, hoping that her boss wouldn't look down at her very strap-less shoe. She stole another glance from under Alex Greenway's armpit, and finally saw the two of them separate at the front of the bar.
"Got it!" She grinned widely at her employer, then grabbed his wrist in her own flirty way. "I'm really glad I ran into you," she said before sauntering away.
Her saunter turned into an awkward gallop as she got closer to her and Lindsay's table.
"You better have a damn good reason for why I just had to come onto Mr. Greenway back there."
Lindsay raised an eyebrow at her friend. "I'm sorry, what did you just do?"