The Organization by Lucy di Legge Page B

attention after all.
    At the end of her shift at 0530, Charlotte took her time returning to the locker room. 
    Once there, Joanna asked, “Tea?”
    Charlotte tried to seem casual as she said, “Actually, I think I’m going to grab a shower here before I take off.  Can I meet you in, say, 10 minutes?”
    A flash of annoyance showed on Joanna’s face before she recovered and said, “Sure, of course.”
    “By the way, I’ve got a question for you,” Charlotte said, trying to keep her voice light.  She began unlacing her boots to keep from looking at Joanna.
    “What’s that?”
    “Do you know if Harriet lives on Slaidburn?”
    “That’s an odd question,” Joanna said.  “Yes, that’s where Harriet and Thomas’s row house is.  Why do you ask?”
    “Oh, it’s nothing.  It was just, well, Harriet mentioned an address and I couldn’t quite remember it,” Charlotte said.
    “Right,” Joanna said.  “See you shortly?”
    Charlotte nodded, embarrassed that she was likely caught in her lie.  She waited until the locker room cleared out before she finished disrobing, carefully folding her clothes and placing them on her shelf in the locker.  She grabbed her towel and headed to the stainless steel shower stall at the rear of the locker room. Before activating the shower, she massaged hair-cleansing powder into her scalp.  She squeezed her eyes closed through the thirty-second antibacterial mist but then relaxed and enjoyed the three-minute warm water rinse.
    She returned to her locker and was grateful that she had the foresight to keep a change of clothes at work.  She changed into clean undergarments then applied sunscreen to her hands, face, and neck. Next she put on the same pair of grey slacks she had worn that day and pulled on a clean, black, long-sleeved blouse. Finally, she changed into fresh socks and laced up her boots.
    #
    When Charlotte arrived at the café, Joanna and Paul were deep in conversation at one of the tables.  Their heads were inclined toward each other and they sat close together.  As she walked up and said hello, their conversation abruptly stopped.
    “I’m sorry,” Charlotte said lightly.  “Am I interrupting?”
    “No, of course not.  Don’t be silly,” Joanna replied.  She turned a teacup over, placing it upright on the table.  “Tea, Charlie?”
    “Please,” Charlotte replied.  She sat down, joining them, but had an uncomfortable feeling that something was wrong. 
    Paul made conversation about football for several minutes before changing the topic to the weather.  By the time he began discussing the heat index, Charlotte had the definite feeling that something was going on.  She thought it was possible that Joanna and Paul were romantically involved, but that seemed unlikely; she just didn’t perceive a romantic spark between them.  Perhaps Joanna had mentioned how she had asked about Harriet’s address, and maybe they were concerned for her emotional wellbeing?  She couldn’t be sure without asking, and she wasn’t willing to ask.
    Charlotte was on her third cup of tea and was beginning to wonder when she should excuse herself for her long walk to Harriet’s place when Paul interrupted her thoughts. “Say, Charlie, I saw Collins over at your workstation today.”
    “That’s right,” she said, although she knew they shouldn’t be talking about work in public.
    “It’s not often that he comes out from his office, eh?”  Paul laughed.
    “No, I suppose not.  I can’t say I’ve had much face-to-face contact with him.”
    “But it seems he likes you well enough.  Maybe pretty well indeed.”  Paul was still smiling, the residual of his laughter, but something serious shone in his eyes.
    “I really don’t know,” Charlotte replied.  “I think he’s happy with my work.”
    “Hmm,” Paul replied noncommittally.  He picked up the teapot and felt its weight.  “I’ll get us more hot water.”
    “I need to get going, actually,”