Part 4: Calling Q

                                    

                                          
The next morning, I got ready for work quickly. If Amanda had known about the dinner with Nick, then she would want to hear all about it, even if nothing had happened. I had a full day booked, so I needed to get in early if I was going to tell her anything.
I walked in, and Amanda was waiting for me in my office. "So, spill," she said, barely letting me close the door behind me. 
"I, um, ended it early. We didn't even get a chance to order," I said, sitting down in my desk chair. 
Amanda was shocked. "You what? You and Evan were done. Nick was supposed to be your rebound!" she exclaimed. 
"I got a call, and I wasn't interested in having a relationship with one of my clients anyway. I don't know why you're so invested in it," I replied, opening my laptop. 
She shrugged. "My marriage is kind of boring. It's been twenty years. Nothing exciting happens anymore. Who was the call from? Evan?"
                          
I shook my head. "Nope. One of the friends of my new clients. Emma is trying to get me a rebound date."
"Rebound date? That's good. I'm gonna have to talk to her about that," Amanda answered thoughtfully. "You've got a busy schedule. I'll leave you to it," she said, leaving my office. 
I opened Twitter, scrolling through my new clients' accounts. Noah had followed step one of the plan, and it appeared to be working. Josh's account was pretty basic, and there were no tweets that I needed to worry about. Jaden's account was a little dead, so I made a note to talk to him about posting more. 
There was a soft knock on the door frame, and I looked up to see Noah. "Hey, Izzie. I'm a little early. I hope that's okay."
                          
"Absolutely. Come on in," I said, motioning for him to sit in the seat across from me. "I saw that you went ahead with step one on Twitter. It looks like it's doing just fine. Everything that I have seen so far has been great. It's only been two days, and you're already on track. I don't think that we need to have daily meetings. If there are any problems, just get in contact with me, and we'll get it all figured out. I appreciate you putting your trust in me, Noah. Do you have any questions?" I asked. 
"Actually, yes. If I think that there might be something about a post that could be seen as controversial, can I send it to you for you to approve?" he asked, shifting in his seat. 
I took a deep breath before answering. "If you have an idea that it might be controversial, chances are high that it is controversial. Don't post it if you don't want people to start 'canceling' you."
Noah nodded as though he understood, and I sent him on his way.
                          
I had a few meetings with the heads of a few companies, and I headed over to Emma's office with my lunch.
"Did you call him?" she asked as soon as I shut the door behind me.  
"My goodness. I just got in here. Will you calm down?"
She shook her head. "I will not. Quinton seems like such a good guy. I think that he could be really good for you. Will you please give him a call?"
"Fine."
"Do it right now," she ordered. 
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"Call him right now," she repeated. "You won't actually do it if you don't do it right now."
                          
She was right, so I pulled my phone out of my pocket, redialing the number that had called me last night. "Hello?" he answered on the other end.
"Hi, Quinton. This is Isabella Davis from last night."
"Oh, the girl whose number Jaden gave me last night, right?" he asked for confirmation. 
"Yeah, that's me," I replied. 
"Oh, good," he began. "I was going to call you a little bit later. I'm sure that you're a very busy woman, but I would love to get to know you."
I had the call on speakerphone, and I could see Emma getting excited on the other side of her desk. "Um, I would like that a lot," I replied. "I get off at six. I could call you then."
"That sounds great. I look forward to it," he said, hanging up.
                          
I looked at Emma, and she was practically squealing with excitement. "I can't believe that you actually did it! I can't believe that you actually called him! You're gonna call him again! I can't believe- oh my goodness!"
"Calm down," I laughed. "Nothing will probably come of it. It's just a phone call for right now. I'm taking it slow. Evan and I just broke up a little over twenty-four hours ago. I'm not trying to jump into anything serious yet."
She sighed. "You don't have to punish yourself. You and Evan didn't work. It's okay to move on quickly."
                          
"No, it's not. I loved Evan with my everything. I'm not in a position to completely forget about that," I argued. "Eventually it will be okay, but right now, I want to take it slow. If anything happens at all, I just get a new friend."
"Not to be rude or anything, but who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?" she asked, chuckling softly. 
"Okay, probably myself, but that's not the point. I'm just going to try to get to know him right now. Shit, I have an appointment in five minutes. I'll talk to you if I get a little bit of time later," I said, excusing myself from her office. 
                          
I went through the rest of my day blindly, avoiding thinking too much about Evan, Quinton, or Nick. 
When I got home, I dialed Quinton's number, looking at my phone anxiously as it rang. 
"Hey, Izzie."
The sound of his voice gave me butterflies, and I was silently kicking myself. I had never even met this man in person. "Hey, Quinton."
I walked around the apartment as we talked for hours. No matter what came of this relationship, I was really looking forward to it.