Page 38 of So Not My Thing
“Is that all?” I asked.
“Tall order, right?”
“Yeah. But I kind of love it.” We’d reached Miss Mary’s, so I stopped and put a hand on his arm. “We’ll find it. Give me some time to think through it, talk to a few contacts about what’s possible, then I’ll get back to you.”
He glanced down at my hand on his arm, and I let it drop, not sure why I’d reached out in the first place. Maybe I’d been trying to punctuate my point.
“You sure you don’t want to grab some lunch?” he asked.
“Nah, I have this diva client with wild dreams, and I need to get on it.”
“He sounds like a jerk.”
“He’s all right.”
“Okay, then, Miss Jones. I’ll wait to hear from you.”
He waved and headed around the corner to the café parking. I watched him go, wondering if I was imagining a slight drop in the slope of his shoulders. Had I made a mistake not taking him up on lunch? The truth was that I didn’t have anything pressing to do. I’d told him that because I had a desperate need for space again.
I pushed open the door to Miss Mary’s, the lunch rush in full effect, most of the tables occupied. I caught Nora’s eye, and she nodded at me, shorthand to grab any open table I wanted. I took Miss Mary’s at the back, knowing she wouldn’t mind.
Kendra called out, “Shrimp salad?” as she passed by to the kitchen, and I gave her a thumbs up then settled into work, pulling out my phone and scrolling through the emails that had piled up on my morning off.
Well, not off, really, as Miles had reminded me. But he was right: it hadn’t felt like work.
Kendra set my food in front of me a few minutes later and hurried off to her other tables, and I scrolled through my phone, answering more emails, putting new dates into my calendar.
Halfway through my salad, Chloe texted.Want to try Redbird tonight?
Are you writing a review?That was where Dylan worked, and Chloe pulled no punches. I didn’t want to get caught in the middle if she didn’t like the food, even if Dylan wasn’t the head chef. Not that he even knew Chloe was the Kitchen Saint. But I’d still feel divided loyalties.
No. I’ll go some other time to review. You can hang out with me and relax. Dylan is safe.
Chloe and Dylan didn’t super love each other, so it was a decent offer from Chloe. And going outdidsound fun.I’m in, I texted.
I set down my phone to pick up my fork, but I hesitated, thinking again about Miles’s slumped shoulders. Hispossiblyslumped shoulders. I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was a little lonely...? It didn’t make sense. Maybe I’d watched one too many romcoms about successful men who have everything except real connections.
It wouldn’t be a big deal to have Miles come eat with us tonight. One-on-one non-work time wasn’t a great idea, but with Chloe as a buffer, it should be okay. If I was right, it would make Miles feel better. If I was wrong, he could just say no.
I sent a text before I could talk myself out of it.Roommate and I are going to try my brother’s restaurant tonight. Want to come?
He didn’t respond until I was finishing my salad.Sure, sounds good. Is it cool if Aaron comes?
I wrinkled my nose. I hadn’t liked his business manager much when they’d visited the office. And why was he bringing him anyway? Was he trying to balance it out so it would be like a double date? Or was he pulling Aaron in front of him like a shield to scream, “This is a business relationship”?
Ugh. Why did this have to be so complicated?
Sure.Meet you there at 7.That should make it clear that he wasn’t coming to pick me up like it was a date, if that was what he was worried about. I texted the address and dropped my phone on the table, irritated that I was getting so wrapped up in my head.
“Something wrong?” Miss Mary asked, pulling out her chair.
“No.”
“Did I see you out on the sidewalk with Miles Crowe?”
“Yeah.”
“And how did that go? He seemed pretty shook when he put it all together yesterday. He apologize?”
