Page 41 of Love.V2
“Well, you got me thinking last week about clubs. I did a little digging, and I found a silent book club I went to on Wednesday.”
“A what?” I couldn’t even begin to think what a silent book club entailed.
He laughed and leaned back so our server could place our pasta in front of us. “It’s a club where we meet up somewhere like a coffee shop or a bar for an hour and all read quietly, then there’s optional social time afterwards.”
A club where I didn’t have to actually talk to anyone? I perked up.
“Thought you’d be interested in that. It was fun. You should come with me to the next one.”
“Would I like what the club is reading?”
“That’s the beauty. It’s silent, so you can read any book you want. I started a new sci-fi I’d had my eye on.”
“I can only remember you reading business stuff.” I was visualizing his bookshelf back in Nashville, filled with titles like,Who Moved My Cheese?andThe Power of Persuasion.
“I read fantasy when I was a kid. Since then, I only read because I felt like I had to. It was nice to do something just for myself, without it feeling like an assignment.”
He gestured, animated, as he told me about his new book. Our conversation meandered while we picked apart the food on our plates and chatted about anything we wanted, just for the fun of it. I realized how much that critical element had been missing from our relationship.
Fun. The simple pleasure of doing something just because you wanted to, not because you had to.
“I think the list is magic,” I admitted later. He shook his head, grinning.
“And this is just week one. Imagine what next week will bring.”
“Oh, trust me. Meery’s already insisting we go do somethingshe’sgood at. She’s dragging me to a karaoke bar.”
Dylan winced in sympathy, intrinsically understanding that a loud bar where I was expected to get on stage in front of people was the most cringe-inducing scenario I could imagine. It ranked up there with those horrifying dreams where you’re back in high school, then suddenly all your clothes are missing. “Maybe I can come with you? I can sing a mean Elton John, if I have to.”
I nearly snorted water out of my nose. “I remember.” Who could forget the night he’d climbed onstage at that dueling pianos bar in Nashville? He and Mac had been hungover for days. I paused, not sure if he’d be mad about the next part. “I know we agreed not to tell anyone at work, but I told Meery about us. Really, she guessed, but she told me no one else suspects. I hope that’s okay.”
He shrugged. “It makes sense for us to be careful about this for personal reasons, but I’m not keeping you a secret, Tess.”
My head bobbed. “Right. I know. Still, probably for the best if we don’t go shouting it from the rooftops.”
“You’re worried about Victoria?”
His shockingly quick and accurate assessment threw me off, pushing my shoulders back in my chair. “How did you know?”
We hadn’t spoken once about Victoria. I didn’t enjoy thinking about her too much. Plus, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know if he’d noticed her flirting with him. She was beautiful and assertive, like him, not shy and awkward, like me. I didn’t want him to notice her. It was safer to simply avoid any conversation about her.
Dylan also sat back in his chair. “Everyone at Jinx loves you. She’s the only one who would have something negative to say about our relationship. I don’t like the way she talks to you.”
“I know. She’s difficult.”
Dylan snorted, letting me know how much of an understatement he thought that was. A pressure eased from my shoulders. He wasn’t attracted to her. The thought made me feel generous.
“She’s actually good at her job when she’s not trying to one-up me or make me look bad.”
His eyebrow quirked, incredulous. “Is she?”
“I…” I stopped to consider the answer before I gave him a knee-jerk response. Yes, her designs leaned toward the safer side, but she worked well with clients, and I’d seen her create some seriously decent work. “I think she can be, if she focused on her job and not me.”
“You can always fire her,” Dylan offered, swirling his wine. I watched it spin inside the delicate glass. The thought had crossed my mind, but the concept of firing someone, being responsible for the loss of their livelihood…I wasn’t the person who fired people. I couldn’t be, not when I couldn’t even correct a barista if they got my coffee order wrong.
“I want to give her a shot. She has potential, and maybe when I’ve been around for longer, she’ll move on and make everyone’s lives a little more bearable.”
“Some might say you’re too nice.”
