Page 20 of Phishing for Love
Really? Would it kill her to use her words? If the research is true, women speak about twenty thousand words a day. Surely, she can spare one to say hello.
“Hey, Ashley, pleasure to meet you,” Nathan booms, looking her up and down in a way that’s vastly different to the look he gave Aaron. Annoyance takes hold of me. Must Nathan show off like this? His posturing is vaguely off-putting.
Aaron and Ashley linger at our table. Why aren’t they leaving? I hate how awkward and tense this all feels.
All at once, I wonder if the reason Aaron is lingering is to ridicule me for falling asleep in his training session. My stomach knots. I haven’t told Nathan about what happened. I don’t know why. Yes, we’re comfortable with one another, but I don’t feel comfortable sharing that mortifying incident with him. Conscious of the office grapevine, I’m sure he’ll find out soon enough, but I don’t want him finding out now, not when I’m feeling genuinely good about myself. There’s a monstrous sink in my belly as I picture the three of them having a laugh at my expense.
Aaron turns to Nathan, and I brace myself for the taunt that will bring me down. Instead, to my bewildered amazement, he asks about Nathan’s work and says nothing about today, not even when Nathan asks him directly how the training went.
Aaron doesn’t look my way the entire time he’s talking to Nathan, but I can’t stop staring at him, trying to figure the man out.
A few minutes later, the server arrives with our food.
Ashley arches a brow at my bowl of mussels. “You don’t like mussels, do you, honey?” she purrs at Aaron.
“Not particularly.”
I recall his compulsively neat desk. “Too messy for you?” I ask, needling him because, well, it’s just so much fun.
“Too slimy,” he replies, rubbing the back of his neck. He’s annoyed, I realize. This is his tell. It’s a useful piece of ammunition, and I mentally file it away for future deployment.
Ashley presses herself against him. “Mussels are known for their aphrodisiac effect and Aaron needs no help in that department.”
Nathan releases a self-conscious laugh, and my jaw drops in disbelief. Wow, she went there.
To his credit, Aaron doesn’t appear flattered by her statement. Instead, there’s a tightness around his eyes when he says politely, “We’ll leave you to your food.”
When they’re gone, Nathan blurts, “Well, that was interesting.” He keeps his voice low since they’re seated only a couple of tables from us, yet I pick up a hint of insecurity in his tone that I’m currently not inclined to soothe away.
“Totally embarrassing,” I say, but my misbehaving imagination can’t stop thinking about her words, and I feel a flutter of something I’d rather die than admit to.
CHAPTER SIX
[GROUP CHAT]
Tess:Guess who I bumped into this evening at the restaurant?
Sofia:Ryan Reynolds.
Kenzie:Ryan Gosling!
Tess:Aaron Sinclair.
Kenzie:Oh.
Sofia:What happened? Did you fall asleep?
Tess:Hilarious. He was with a woman.
Sofia:Of course he was. A man who looks like that is not going to dine alone.
Tess:They had a big argument. She started crying, then she stormed out.
Kenzie:The poor woman.
Sofia:WHAT WAS THE ARGUMENT ABOUT?
Tess:I think Aaron dumped her.
