Page 15 of Chasing Me

“Quinn?”

“Yes?”

“Are you free for lunch?”

I blinked.Stared.Was he asking me on a date?Or was this business?I felt myself blushing.“I’m, well, I mean, I have to tell you, I—”

“Have a boyfriend?”he interrupted.

I bit my lip, but he didn’t look upset, just thoughtful.

“Yes.”

“Understood.I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.I just enjoy speaking with you and wanted to pick your brain a bit.”

“Oh.”So, it was more about colleague-to-colleague?That, I could handle.He didn’t give off any of those weird vibes like he wanted to use his higher position to get favors, or dangle this program in the hopes of dating me.He was passionate about his work, and his personality seemed to fit mine.One worker bee easily recognized the other.“I wouldn’t mind grabbing a burger and discussing some things.”That felt safe.

“Perfect.We can go right down the street.”He grabbed his coat and ushered me out the door, heading toward Rose’s Pub, which was known for their gourmet fries.“How’s school?”

I wrinkled my nose and tightened my scarf around my neck.Our steps easily matched each other’s.“Fine.The last semester is the easiest.I just have to finish up a few projects and keep my A’s intact.”

“Ah, an overachiever.I’m the same way.I remember when I was in the University of Florida, and I got food poisoning a day before my final exam.The professor was hardcore, so I showed up with practically an IV in my arm and took it.”

“Got an A?”

“Of course.”

I laughed.We got settled into a booth, ordered two burgers, fries, and Cokes, and settled in.“What made you want to get into counseling?”I asked curiously.

“Same as you.My mom was an alcoholic.I was the oldest, so I took care of her.Co-dependence issues galore.Got fed up, got educated, and gave her tough love.She was not one of the lucky ones, though.Refused to do rehab, so I ended up losing her.”

My heart hurt for him.“I’m so sorry.”

He gave a half-smile without humor and shrugged.“It’s okay.Part of who I am was because of the experience.I was focused on saving everyone else for a while, but now I’ve balanced out a bit.I just want to offer the best programs I can and let the individual decide if they want to work it.Make sense?”

He gazed directly into my eyes, and I felt my skin tingle.A shared emotion passed between us, as if we recognized ourselves in each other.So strange.Though he was older, I was already an ancient soul, so we were almost evenly matched.I broke the gaze and sipped my Coke.“Makes perfect sense.Exhausting sometimes, isn’t it?”

“Yes.But what’s the alternative?Mediocrity?”

I smiled.“Maybe.Tell me about your plans for New Beginnings.”

The waitress brought our burgers, and we dug in.“I want to add another level to the program.There are a lot more experiments in holistic health, meditation, yoga, et cetera that we only touched on.I’m hiring a brand-new coordinator to run the extra programs, which will extend the regular term by another week.”

I frowned.“What about insurance?Most residents want to work the program and get back out.Many can’t afford to stay longer.”

His face reflected admiration at my question.“Already working on that, and it’s almost approved with some companies.For the others, I’m looking at doing a work-study program in order to get them to stay.Give them incentives.It’s a way to reach a bit deeper into the mental blocks alcoholics have.”

I’d done classes with holistic techniques and found them favorable.Many alcoholics were quite brilliant, with no way to settle their mind other than looking for another hit.This was a positive way to give them new skills and alternatives.“It’s brilliant,” I said simply.“I think it would work well at New Beginnings.Tell me more.”

We ate our burgers, and he talked animatedly about the ins and outs of the program.I got caught up in his excitement, and realized how alike we were.I was a fixer, nurturer, and enjoyed stability.

Like Brian.

I didn’t care, though.I kind of liked who I was, though sometimes I was way too shy and intimidated and felt like the world was spinning out of my control, which I hated.But James balanced me in a way I’d never experienced before.As if by allowing me to feel things so deeply, he’d provided an outlet that gave me more peace than I’d ever had.

Or maybe it was just the multiple orgasms.

I smiled at the thought.

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