Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Iwas grateful that our food showed up at that moment. Since food was apparently one of his many hobbies, I kept him talking about it instead of about me. It was safer that way.
When the server cleared our plates and offered dessert, I knew I couldn’t take another bite.
“You have to try their crème br?lée,” he said, and ordered two.
“Oh no. I’m too full. You should have ordered one, and I would have tasted yours.”
His eyes opened slightly wider than normal, and it looked like he was holding his breath. For someone who didn’t express his emotions much, it was a visible shock.
“Haven’t you ever shared a dessert before? Is that something you don’t do in your circle?”
“Rarely,” he admitted. “But I would have shared mine with you if I’d thought of it.”
I laughed at that. He was being playful… or was he?
“I like your laugh,” he said, a small smile growing as his gaze lingered on me.
“I liked when you laughed earlier,” I said. “It was the first time I’d heard it.”
His expression reverted to neutral again, the angularity of his face harsh against the lighthearted words we’d exchanged.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Now he was the one who looked uncomfortable and shifted in his chair.
“Hmm,” he said. “I guess I’m not as in control of my emotions as I assumed if you can tell that I’m unnerved.”
“Unnerved? Because I said I’d never heard you laugh?”
“We’ve known each other for several days and have been traveling together for over 24 hours. Saying you haven’t heard me laugh shows I’m not… agreeable, and that bothers me.”
“What?” I asked incredulously. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that you’re not agreeable!”
“It’s not your fault. I realize I’m not full of jokes and wit. I’m surprised it bothers me.” He said it all so matter-of-factly.
The entire exchange was so strange. It was weird how direct he was, right? I wasn’t used to men telling me exactly what they think. I certainly never voiced my insecurities.
“Well, earlier when you were telling me your opinion of yourself, you didn’t say you were a comedian. So, at least you were right on that point,” I said, hoping the slight teasing would lighten the mood.
“I should have mentioned I’m accurate,” he said with a wink. This was his way of joking, I realized.
“You said you weren’t witty.” I raised an eyebrow and took a bite of the crème br?lée the server placed in front of me.
It was mouthwateringly delicious. So much so that I closed my eyes and threw my head slightly back.
“Yes,” I said. “Wow. That is amazing.” Creamy, light, and sugary—divine.
“I told you,” he said, taking a bite himself but not taking his eyes off me.
“I’m not sure any crème br?lée will ever compare after this one,” I said after swallowing my last bite.
“You haven’t tried mine,” he said, placing his napkin carefully on the table.
And I probably never will.
I simply smiled and thanked him for the food recommendations that evening. We discussed the next day’s schedule, as far as the time of the flight and the car to the airport. We agreed to meet in the lobby at nine in the morning.
When I said goodnight and walked toward the elevator, I half expected something to stop me.
Maybe he’d come up behind me exactly as the door was opening and tell me he wanted me.
Maybe he’d follow me in wordlessly, and as soon as the doors were closing, he’d pull me to him and kiss me.
The elevator doors slid shut, and I went up to my hotel room alone.
It wasn’t hard to let go of my silly fantasies.
I’d been doing it all my life. Nothing all that romantic had ever happened to me, nor was it likely efver to happen.
Even something as dramatic as Margaret Flame disappearing hadn’t really happened since she was back now (not that I wasn’t relieved).
I kicked off my heels and started to undress. I took my time, wondering about the whole evening’s experience. Our conversation had certainly had its weird moments, but I oddly wished the evening would’ve lasted longer.
Colin was… interesting. Unlike anyone I’d ever met before. Sure, he was handsome, but there was something else about him…something magnetic. Maybe it was the way he looked at me so intensely, as if he genuinely wanted to understand me.
The next morning, I met him in the lobby with my suitcase in tow. We greeted each other, him in his usual self-assured manner.
Snap out of it, Katelynn. My hand lifted in a small wave and a measured smile.
He, in turn, gave me a real smile, and, I swear, it was like the heavens opened. I was so shocked that I must have blushed.
He was actually smiling? And at me? My chest felt all warm and gooey, and I realized right then that I had an honest-to-goodness crush on my boss.
Wonderful.
The flight back was uneventful and without conversation since we sat in different rows again. I listened to music and read a bit of an e-book on my phone. When we landed and I stepped off the plane, Colin was waiting for me.
“Had a pleasant flight?” he asked.
“Yeah, it was smooth. And you?”
“Great. I have a meeting in half an hour here at the airport hotel. This is where I leave you.”
“Oh, okay. Well, good luck!” I said.
“Thank you for accompanying me to dinner last night,” he said. “I enjoyed getting to know you.” He smiled. Another smile?
I couldn’t help but smile back, this time unbothered by the red I was sure was splotching my cheeks.
“Same here,” I said, taking a calming breath. “See you at work.”
“Yes,” he said. His face returned to its neutral state.
“Okay, bye.”
“Goodbye.”
I turned and walked about five feet before a hand touched my arm. Alarmed, I stopped and saw that it was Colin.
“Did I forget something?” I asked. “What’s wrong?” There was something in his expression, something I hadn’t seen in him before. Was it uncertainty? Impossible.
“I… I’d like to repeat it.” His hesitation unsettled me at first, leaving me confused.
“Sorry?”
“Dinner. I’d like to repeat it. Would you go out to dinner with me again?” His voice was steady now, but the definite uncertainty in his eyes stirred something deep inside me.
My lips slightly opened and my throat was dry. I was fully aware that I should say something, but the words wouldn’t move from my brain to my mouth.
He furrowed his eyebrows slightly. “If the idea makes you uncomfortable in any way, please pretend I never said it. You don’t even have to answer. You can walk away, and it’ll never come up again. I had considered …”
My disbelief started to melt away as I was given a front-row seat to the unnerving of this self-proclaimed confident man.
“I’d like to repeat it too,” I blurted.
Now it was his turn to be stunned. His smile returned after a moment, and I beamed back at him.
“I’ll call you to set it up,” he said. He was trying to compose himself, but there was a quiet thrill in his gaze that matched my own. For a second, as his eyes roamed my face, it seemed he wanted to kiss me.
I wanted him to kiss me.
But he didn’t.
I nodded, and he walked away in the opposite direction. When he was about twenty feet away, Colin turned around and gave me a wave. I laughed, waved back, and only when he disappeared from view did I rush to the nearest bathroom stall and silently scream.
When I got home, I barely made it past the entryway before my phone buzzed.
Grant: How was the meeting?
I sat down without taking off my jacket or shoes, exhausted from the entire weekend, flying, and the excitement of being asked out by my boss.
Me: Are we on speaking terms now? They canceled it. They signed with another firm.
Grant: So you didn’t get your fancy dinner after all.
Me: I did. We still had to eat.
Grant: The two of you alone?
Me: Yes.
He asked nothing else after that, and I had little incentive to give him any more information. I wouldn’t tell Grant about Colin asking me out. Not only was I Colin’s subordinate (which created a whole host of issues), but it wasn’t like anything had happened yet.
I did, however, relate every bit of news to Angie.
“This is exciting!” she gushed while I had my phone on speaker while making myself a pasta dinner.
“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, though,” I said.
“Listen. Tell yourself that you deserve this. The way you’re talking, it’s like this guy is a demigod you’d never be worthy of. And that can’t be true! Because my best friend Kate is smart, funny, beautiful, and kind.”
“Aw.”
“It’s true! What’s this guy’s name again? Let me see if I can find a picture of him online.”
“Colin Slade.”
She paused, and I jumped when she unexpectedly shouted, “What the hell!”
“What?” I asked.
“Kate, I looked up his picture. He is gorgeous.”
“I am aware!” I shouted. “What does he want with me? And he’s rich. And the owner’s son. It makes no sense.”
“No way! Stop. It makes perfect sense. You’re a catch. He might be interested in slumming it with the middle class.”
We both laughed.
“At this point, I don’t even consider myself middle class. Did I tell you my rent is being raised again? At this rate, I won’t be able to put anything in savings.”
“Tell me about it,” she said and told me about her spending habits. We discussed trying to visit each other soon, but we were unable to make any concrete plans.
We hung up not too long after that, and a mixture of relief and gratitude washed over me because I had Angie to talk to about my upcoming date.
The next day, I arrived at work with a rare, sparkly energy that I didn’t usually have on a Monday morning.
I wasn’t sure if I’d run into Colin, but I was supremely aware of my surroundings as I entered the building, waited for the elevator, and walked toward my desk.
It was as if I’d sprouted super-sensitive Colin antennas.
Grant was in our little corner, and he must have heard me coming because he turned around and put a finger to his lips to keep me silent.
I pouted and was about to ask him what was going on when he stood up and pulled me back into the hallway.