Janet was in the middle of a pleasant lunch with her colleagues.
"Lind, your phone's been ringing for a while now. Someone is probably trying to reach you." Gerda spoke through a mouthful of beef noodles. She was exceptionally observant by nature, so she was able to hear Janet's phone even with all the chatter around them.
It was a good thing, too, since Janet herself hadn't been paying attention to the device.
She picked it up now, and hurriedly opened her screen to a message from Bernie. He was asking her out, saying that he wanted to apologize to her in person.
Janet paused, hesitating.
Bernie had never treated her badly. If anything, he had always tried to do the best for her. He used to speak up for Janet whenever Jocelyn would bully her. He certainly wasn't as vicious as Fiona or Jocelyn.
Moreover, Bernie had a gentle, easygoing demeanor. It wasn't even much of a surprise that he had reached out to her after they had fallen out.
After a moment's consideration, Janet typed a reply. She agreed to meet with Bernie at a cafe of his choosing.
She headed straight over once office hours were over.
Janet sat there for a good while, but Bernie seemed to be running late. It was already well past the appointed time.
She ordered a cup of coffee just as the sun was starting to set outside.
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