“You are not! This is a bona fide date, and you’re going to look fabulous.”
“You’re making too much of it.” Annie didn’t want to think of this as a “real” date, or she’d be too nervous to go.
Fawn got out of the SUV and slammed the door. “I could shake you. This is your chance, Annie. Take it.”
Muttering about pushy friends, Annie got out and hurried to the office. She found Jillian already hunched over the computer in her office. “How’s it going?”
Jillian barely glanced up. “This thing still isn’t working.”
“Scoot out of the way and let me take a look.”
Jillian stood and went toward the door. “I’m going to get some coffee. Want some?”
“Sure.” Jillian was tall, so Annie’s toes barely touched the floor. The results sure looked haywire. She suspected some row or column in the database had been tagged with a wrong label. She launched the spreadsheet program and began to go through it line by line. One row of figures didn’t make sense. She needed the original model, and it was in Gina’s office.
Annie went to her boss’s office and began to go through the filing cabinets. Her thoughts drifted as she flipped through the folders. She didn’t want to think about her date with Mano, so she set her mind on her brother. She had to talk to him and try to figure out how to get him out of the mess. She stole a glance at a picture of Gina’s family as her mind whirled. Ah, there was the file she sought.
“Find what you needed, or can I help you?”
Annie turned to see Gina standing in the doorway. “I wondered if you were still here.” She shut the filing cabinet drawer. “I think I’m making progress.”
A relieved smile lit Gina’s face. “I hope you can get it done today.” She cleared her throat. “Um, I hope you don’t mind, but your father called me and invited me to dinner.”
Annie’s eyes widened, but she smiled. “I admit I’m surprised. He’s never shown any interest in anyone since Mother died.”
“That’s what he told me. I like your father, and we seemed to hit it off. Is it okay with you?”
Was it? Annie didn’t want to admit the emotion stirring in her heart was jealousy. “I want him to be happy. You too.” It looked like more changes might be coming into her life, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to handle them. Gina’s flirtation with her father last night had seemed blatant, but then maybe most men liked that. Annie was no expert.
Annie nodded toward the picture of Gina’s family. “Your daughter looked familiar, then I realized it’s because she looks so much like you. I’ve never seen her visit. Does she live on the island?”
Gina’s smile faded. “She’s dead.” She looked away. “She and my husband died in the same accident. I should have been there. He never was good at taking care of the children.”
Annie ducked her head. “Oh, Gina, I’m so sorry.” She’d jumped to conclusions about her boss. Gina hadn’t shared much about her family life.
“It was a long time ago.” Gina’s smile came back. “That’s one reason I’ve felt so close to you, Annie. You’re a lot like Michelle.” She caught her lower lip in her teeth. “And, um, I really like your dad. More than any man I’ve met since Alex died.”
The softness in her boss’s gaze touched Annie. “Mahalo, Gina. It means a lot to me.”
Gina touched her cheek. “You make me proud, Annie. That’s why I push you so hard. I see a lot of potential in you. You’re going to accomplish great things in your life.” Her gaze strayed to the picture. “Just like Michelle would have.”
“What did she do?”
“She was a marine biologist. She died on a dive.”
Annie had to wonder if that was why Gina took such chances on dives herself. Maybe subconsciously she wanted to join her daughter. There was no way Annie could tell her boss that, though. “I’d better get that computer model fixed.” Annie squeezed Gina’s hand, then went back down the hall to Jillian’s office.
Jillian was standing over the computer. “I’m all for tossing this thing out the window. How about you?”
“I think I’ve got the answer here.” Annie held up the file folder. “If this doesn’t work, we’ll go with your plan.” She moved past Jillian and looked at the computer. She dropped into the chair. The figures ran together as she looked over the file for the next thirty minutes. She laid it aside. “I still can’t figure it out.”
“Tomorrow will have to do. I want to spend some time with Heidi tonight,” Jillian said. “We’ll forget trashing the darn thing until then.”
Annie stepped into the hallway to go home. Monica was standing by Gina’s door. “If you’re wanting to see Gina for some more sucking up, she’s left for the day.” Monica’s lip curled.