Chapter 11
Josie stared at her phone’s screen for a full five minutes before placing it on her coffee table and picking up her Kindle. So much for keeping things professional with Adam. He’d just asked her out on a date. Wait, maybe it wasn’t a date. Maybe he just wanted to talk about the project.
She stood, set her Kindle back down, and paced. After replaying every word of their conversation in her mind, she still wasn’t one-hundred percent sure if he’d meant to ask her on a romantic date or just a casual business dinner.
Whatever he’d meant, he’d sounded so confident and sure of himself when he spoke.
Meanwhile, she’d stumbled over her words and sounded like an idiot.
Sighing, Josie sank back onto the sofa and rubbed her temples.
She wasn’t going to overthink things. She’d let Adam set the tone of their “date,” and she’d follow along.
If it was simply a business dinner, so be it.
Never mind that his voice had her pulse racing, and a hot flush had crept up her cheeks while they spoke.
She’d keep things casual unless Adam made it clear he wanted something more.
Despite the self-talk, hope bloomed warm and bright in Josie’s chest. She tried to ignore it and picked up her Kindle, but her mind kept wandering. After reading the same page three times, she opted to pour another glass of wine and watch a new series on Netflix instead.
The action-adventure theme of the show made Josie wonder about Adam’s time in the military, and about his current, sometimes dangerous, work with TSI.
For as warm and gentle as he was, she knew he had another side.
She knew he had a solid inner strength, and she was instinctively drawn to it.
He’d be a man she could rely on, someone she could trust, someone who might understand her broken pieces.
Oh, she needed to stop this ridiculous fantasy.
Until Friday, she wouldn’t know any more than she did at this moment regarding Adam Mathison’s feelings, or most likely his lack of feelings, toward her, and she’d do well to stop obsessing about him.
With a frustrated huff, Josie gave up on the otherwise promising television series and went to bed.
***
Although Josie spent a good deal of time thinking about Adam, the rest of the week flew by.
She’d thoroughly reviewed her first-year operational budget, separate from the construction budget, and put together a formal list of necessary hires.
Although mental health professionals would soon be needed, additional fundraising could begin immediately.
A few hours of research on available grants, and Josie knew she’d have to find a professional to handle this role right away.
Holly called Thursday morning and said she’d like to meet with Josie again. She invited Josie to walk the property, which Josie took as an excellent sign that the young woman might seriously be considering the offer on her land. They scheduled the walk-through for the following Monday.
Josie also spent time thinking through the initial therapies they could offer at the center, even during ongoing construction. By the end of the week, she had a full list of items to review with Adam at their dinner meeting. Or date. Or whatever it was.
Then it was Friday at six pm, and Josie stood in front of her closet in a panic. Her wardrobe was boring. Monochromatic. The exact opposite of sexy. She didn’t have to be sexy, though, right? She could just look professional, like always. Except, what if this was a date, and she looked… dull?
Not for the first time, Josie wished she had a best friend nearby with whom she could consult, but friendships didn’t come easily for Josie.
Her former college roommate, Kelsey, who was in fact her best friend, had moved to Denver to follow a job, and although they regularly scheduled video chats, the time difference plus the actual distance made it difficult to spontaneously connect about day-to-day things.
Like what to wear on a date. If this was a date.
With her wet hair wrapped in a towel, Josie rummaged through her closet, growing more and more desperate by the second. When her hand brushed against a garment bag in the back, she sighed in relief. She did have the perfect outfit after all.
Dinner meeting or dinner date, it was still a Friday night.
The midnight blue silk wrap dress would be perfect.
It complemented her dark hair and olive skin tone, worked with her slender figure, and dipped just low enough in the front to give it a hint of sexiness.
She’d worn it once to the theater when Kelsey had been in town, and then taken it to the dry cleaners afterward and forgotten about it.
Much calmer with her wardrobe issue solved, Josie turned on a jazz station and proceeded to dry her thick, wavy hair.
Normally, she wore it in a low ponytail or wound it into a professional looking bun, but tonight she left it loose.
With a little product, it cascaded down her back in glossy waves.
She didn’t wear much makeup normally, but a little mascara and lip gloss never hurt.
When she finally slipped the silk dress on, she paired it with knee-high boots made of the softest leather—because although Josie didn’t love clothes all that much, she had a secret addiction to shoes, boots especially.
Surveying herself in the mirror, she turned sideways, leaned in closer, and then stood at her full height, which, with the small heel of the boots, put her at about 5’9” tall.
Adam’s wife had been a petite woman, her head barely reaching Josie’s shoulders.
An image of the pretty blond flashed through Josie’s mind, and insecurity momentarily paralyzed her.
Allie had been so beautiful and sweet. The few times Josie had met her, she’d been warm and kind and nothing at all like Josie.
The young woman’s promising life had been cruelly cut short, and her family had suffered an incredible loss.
Guilt, doubt, and heartache colored Josie’s nervous excitement about the evening until she wasn’t sure what she felt.
Before she could spiral any further down a rabbit hole of confusion, the doorbell rang, and an entirely different set of feelings washed over her.
A warm flush crept up her neck and her stomach flipped nervously.
She gripped the handrail tightly as she made her way down the stairs.
It would be just like her to trip on her own feet and take a tumble.
With trembling hands, she opened the door and froze in her tracks.
Adam wore a dark suit that looked tailor-made for his body, which it probably was, and a crisp white dress shirt with the top button undone.
Josie caught his intoxicating scent, something clean and undeniably masculine, and inhaled deeply.
He carried a small bouquet of tulips in his large hands.
When she stood unmoving for too long, rather like a deer in the headlights, Adam tilted his head and his brilliant smile faded slightly.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Oh, um, yes,” she answered, giving herself a mental shake. “Please, come in. I’ll just get my coat.”
She turned and rushed back through the foyer. Behind her, she swore Adam laughed softly as he followed her inside.
“Josie,” he said.
She stopped and turned.
“You look beautiful.”
Her eyes widened and the fluttering sensation in her stomach intensified.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Then, clearing her throat, she lifted her chin. “You look very nice also.”
His smile returned.
“These are for you,” he said, holding up the tulips.
“Oh, yes, thank you. They’re lovely. Let me put them in some water.”
Josie detoured away from the coat closet and headed into the kitchen instead, where she pulled a vase from the cupboard and filled it with water.
“I’ll arrange them if you want to get your coat,” Adam offered.
Adam looked and smelled so good, and he’d brought her flowers.
This was definitely a date. Josie’s pulse raced as she fled the kitchen.
Cautious excitement warred with crushing self-doubt.
What did a confident, handsome man like Adam see in a shy, awkward woman like Josie?
Well, she’d never learn the answer to that question if she remained hidden behind the door of her closet.
Taking a deep breath, she looped her light wool coat over her arm and grabbed her purse from the coffee table. When she returned to the kitchen, Adam had finished arranging the flowers and placed the vase at the center of her breakfast bar. The bright burst of color made Josie smile.
“They’re perfect,” she said.
With a hand at the small of her back, Adam escorted her from the house. Josie found herself leaning into his touch and missing it the moment he’d settled her into the car.
“How was your week?” he asked as he drove away from her building.
“Very productive,” she said, relieved he’d chosen a topic she could easily speak about. She updated him on her upcoming meeting with Holly, and then began reviewing the list of items she’d prepared just in case this was supposed to be a business dinner and not a date.
“Sounds like you’ve been busy,” Adam said when she came up for air.
“It was a good week,” she answered.
“I’m glad. I knew you’d be perfect for this job,” he said, and she warmed at the compliment. “But we can talk more about this stuff on Monday. Tell me something about you.”
“Oh, um, like what?” she stammered.
“Well, what were you reading the other night?” he said.
“A thriller. But it wasn’t very thrilling,” she said.
Adam laughed. She smiled.
“Okay, what’s your favorite food? I probably should have asked you that before I made reservations tonight.”
“I like everything, really, except sushi. We aren’t getting sushi, are we? If we are, I’m sure I could find something on the menu to eat,” she said, rambling.
Adam laughed again. “We’re not getting sushi. I don’t like it either.”
“Okay. Good.”
“We’re heading to the North End. I thought Italian would be a safe bet.”
“I love Italian,” she said, nodding vigorously.
“I’m glad to hear that. Okay, next question,” he said, giving her a sideways glance.
“Wait, when will it be my turn?” she asked in a teasing tone, growing more comfortable with their easy banter.
“Now, if you want. Go ahead, ask away.”
“Hmm.” Josie tapped her fingers on her knees. There were so many things she wanted to know about Adam, and he seemed very willing to share.
“Why did you join the Navy?”
“Well, my dad served, and my grandfather before him, so it’s something of a family tradition. I planned to do my tour, get out, and get married, and maybe learn some skills I could use to turn into a career. But I actually loved it, especially once I’d made it through BUDS and joined the Teams.”
“You’ve got the danger gene, I see,” Josie joked.
“Yeah, a little bit.”
Josie hesitated before asking the next question, but she wanted Adam to feel like he could talk about his wife if he wanted to. “Allie didn’t mind you being away so much?”
“Oh, she did, but she supported me. Once the kids came though, I felt like I was missing too much. Cam and I had been talking about starting TSI for years by that point, so it seemed like the right time. It took me six years, but I managed to get a business degree in between deployments.”
“The company seems like it’s doing well,” Josie said, although other than the very nice office space it occupied, and the fact that TSI was contributing to the center, she really had no idea.
“It is. We hire the best, equip them with the best, and support them well, so our reputation in the field is stellar.” She heard the pride in Adam’s voice.
Just as she was about to ask her next question, they arrived. Adam tossed the keys to the valet and was at Josie’s door before she could open it. He offered his hand, and when she took it, her breath hitched at his warm touch. When they walked into the restaurant, he didn’t let go.
Her heart raced as nervous energy coursed through her. They arrived at the table, and Josie grabbed the menu, scanning the contents to give herself something to focus on.
“Josie?” Concern, perhaps mixed with a little humor, sparkled in Adam’s deep blue eyes. “Are you nervous?”
Josie cleared her throat and carefully closed the menu.
“Is…is this a date, Adam?” she asked softly.
“Yes, this is a date. At least, I hope it is,” he said with a self-deprecating smile.
She looked down at her hands, clasped nervously in her lap, and nodded. “I thought so, but I wasn’t sure.”
“Do you want it to be a date?” Adam asked gently.
Her eyes flew to his. “Yes. Oh, definitely yes. I just don’t have a lot of experience with dating, or men in general, and I didn’t think someone like you would actually be interested in someone like me.”
“Why would you think that, Josie?”
As far as she could tell, there was genuine curiosity in Adam’s question.
“You’re so…” she hesitated, struggling to find the right words. “You’re so confident and good looking and accomplished, and I’m so awkward and, I don’t know, plain,” she finished, waving a hand in front of her face.
Adam leaned forward. “Josie, you are kind and thoughtful and sweet. You’re also stunning and smart and very accomplished. You are anything but plain. Of course, I’m interested.”
Josie’s eyes widened and heat crept into her cheeks.
“I’d like to get to know you better, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he continued.
She swallowed and unstuck the tongue from the roof of her mouth. “I’m comfortable with you, Adam, and I’d like to get to know you better, too. I’m just… I’m just not good at this dating thing.”
“That’s all right,” he said with a brilliant smile. “I am.”
The rest of the evening flew by, and thanks to Adam’s attentiveness, Josie actually did feel stunning and smart and accomplished.
Adam really was good at this dating thing.
He kept the conversation flowing and listened as much as he spoke.
He made sure her glass was full and stood when she left to use the ladies’ room.
When dinner ended, all too soon for Josie’s liking, she found herself standing on her front steps with Adam beside her. There was no awkwardness, like she’d experienced after the few other first dates she’d been on.
“I’d like to kiss you now,” Adam said, his simple declaration filled with confidence.
When she gave a small, but enthusiastic nod, he kissed her senseless.