Wednesday morning was a regular event for Victor as he drove up to the office. He arrived to find Carmine waiting by the door. Just as yesterday, she wore a grey high school sweatshirt, jeans, and glasses. Her hair was up in a pony tail, and she wore no makeup.
"Oh hey." Carmine blushed. "I got an extra coffee...Maybe do you...?"
"Sure..." Victor said slowly as he stepped past her and unlocked the office. He took it and thanked her before stepping around to his desk.
For thirty minutes, they were alone in the darkened office. Due to the building's environmentally friendly design from an inspired nature loving era previous, skylights and wide windows made up most of the lighting. With all the windows still only dark grey in the early morning, the pair's desk lamps illuminated their islands of the office. They were painfully aware of each other's existence as the only two people on the floor, as they worked under the spotlights. Victor noted that she faced his desk now from where she was working.
He tried to be unconcerned about the changes in Carmine and what it could mean, as he swiveled around to make a call off his client book. He wanted to confirm anything he could, and change a Friday business lunch to later that day, or on Thursday.
As he turned back, he found Carmine had invaded a worktable directly in front of him. Obviously, it was a bid for more attention, but she played it up well and had printouts spread around her to look busy.
Victor got up to placate the suddenly mousy Latina. "More coffee? I got a nice brew."
Carmine blushed and pulled her feet up to her chest. "I know, I always liked it. Thanks for always sharing, I know I never said thank you."
Victor felt like he was back in high school with little to say and a burning face. "I... I will be right back."
Quickly he blurred through and splashed out a hasty pot of coffee. After rushing, he collected himself in the kitchen area before pouring a cup and returning to his desk.
"Here this one is on the house." He said and instantly regretted it. "Ah... forget it."
"It's okay, I think it's sweet. Not the coffee...the coffee is good." Carmine squeaked.
Victor tried to ignore her until the work day started in earnest. Meredith was as brief with him as usual. Victor watched her notice Carmine as she came in. Victor presented her coffee in her office as usual.
"Carmine looks like a picture of a girl studying hard." Meredith noted from her desk looking through the glass wall.
"Yes, I noticed she started letting her appearance go, so she could concentrate on other things." Victor replied following her gaze out to Carmine who fidgeted under their gaze. "She does look like a nerd now."
"This isn't good." Meredith noted looking at the coffee curiously and back up at him.
Quietly he took it back and cursed himself. "How is Jan? Is she not in today?" Jan had spent the night at Meredith's by direction.
"No." Meredith said simply.
Sometimes direct questions worked better for Meredith. "Okay, is she still at your house?"
"Yes, and she will continue to work from there." Meredith said nodding.
"Interesting." Victor paused thinking whose idea that was, then pushed on. "Where is your mother staying when she comes this weekend?"
"They will stay at my house, in the spare bedrooms." Meredith announced.
"They?"
"Aunt Maronie it coming too." Meredith said tipping her head as she watched his face.
Victor was always given the Jewish conversion speeches by her foster parents on visits but Meredith's Aunt Maronie was the worst. Unless she drank, then, she regaled him with stories of all the black men she had wanted to fuck.
She was pushing fifty or sixty and was somewhat more than just a little 'chubby'. She cooked too well, which was her problem. Meredith's family was very religious but they did make slight exceptions on 'Kosher'. If it was good enough and didn't have pork, or shellfish, they simply didn't ask how it was prepared.
By lunchtime, Victor and Meredith boarded the elevator to get food, and found themselves sharing a ride with Marcos and his woman Kaarthen. Kaarthen was a very tall pale white blond with a thick muscular top heavy frame. She looked like a leather biker lesbian, or like she could go fishing topless in some alpine mountain stream. She was stunningly beautiful, with full almost dark purple lips that contrasted well on her chalky pale face and albino white blond hair. With her curvy body, she could find her way onto pin-ups by accident.
Today, she wore a purple and black pants suit that still seemed overtly sexual in a very subtle way that Victor couldn't find any real fault with.
Both looked at Victor furtively from behind Meredith and asked innocently for their company at lunch. The place they agreed on was a bar and grill that had its own wine, beer, and vodka labels from a vineyard and brewery outside town. The location was locally famous place that made frequent play on its French-German hybrid name, and close sounding country theme. At 'The Château de Weiss Stern', they enjoyed the house wine and discussed the paths their lives were on.
"So, getting married?" Marcos noted.
Victor nodded behind his wine glass. "Yes, we decided why not? We've known each other for years we're not getting any younger."
"I know how you feel. Kaarthen and I get married sometimes." He noted.
Victor puzzled over that, Meredith seemed to get confused as well.
"So how goes your friend's search for Mara?" Kaarthen asked after a moment.
