Page 21 of Things We Fake
She shook her head. “Not really. I’m half Italian, so I love food. I’m not picky.”
“A woman after my own heart.”
That was music to my ears. I gazed down at her mouth, her lips full and naturally pink, without any lipstick. My gaze drifted lower and landed on her necklace—a tiny, simple cross she wore on a thin gold chain. It was completely off center from her collarbones.
Mindlessly, I reached out and straightened it. My fingers touched her soft skin and lingered for a moment, before I realized she had stopped breathing.
I blinked. “Your pendant was crooked.” My eyes lingered on her neck as I slowly withdrew my hand.
She cleared her throat. “Thanks.” She reached up to trace the pendant with the tip of her finger. “I rarely see it, but I can understand how it might scream ‘straighten me’ to someone looking at it.”
I smiled sheepishly. “I might be a little obsessive about neatness and alignment.”
“I don’t mind. I actually find it cute.”
“I hope you’ll still feel that way if I rearrange your food during dinner.” My gaze dipped to the pocket of the smock she was wearing. A battered bar of dark chocolate was poking out like it was trying to escape. “Is that a chocolate bar?”
She looked down, mortified. “Oh my God, yes. Irma keeps stashing chocolate in the lounge for emergencies, and I may have... borrowed this earlier.”
I grinned. “Are you one of those people who think chocolate is a food group?”
“Maybe.” She stuffed the bar deeper into the pocket. “I just have a little… weakness. It’s not a problem. I can stop anytime.”
I chuckled. “If I’d known that, I’d have led with chocolate truffles instead of software updates.”
“There’s always next time.”
“I’ll remember that,” I promised.
Our eyes held for another long moment, then I glanced at my watch. “I really hate to cut this short, but I have to go. I have back-to-back meetings, and my brother Craig also asked me to help Carley and Luke with some errands.”
“I envy your relationship with your brother and his family.”
I smiled at the wistfulness in her voice. “Are you an only child?”
She smirked. “I wish. I have a brother who’s four years older. When I was two, he took me to the local animal shelter. He wanted to trade me in for a puppy. We’ve never gotten along. Then, about ten years ago, his best friend and I broke up. Long, ugly story. Let’s just say I’m glad that he stayed in Warwick and I moved to New York City. So, are we done here?”
“We are. You can play around with the software and let me know if you have any other problems. Here’s my phone number.”
She tapped my number into her phone, then I asked for hers.
“I look forward to Saturday,” I said truthfully. “I have a place in mind for dinner. Unless you’re a vegetarian, I can guarantee there’ll be meat on the menu.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“I’ll see you then.”
As I walked away trying to contain my elation, I realized I had never mentioned I owned Omega Software. And I didn’t intend to clear the air until I got to know Susanne better. I wanted to see if she liked me, notmy bank account.
Chapter Eight
Sue
As I watched him walk away, I stuck my hands deep into the pockets of Irma’s smock and pinched myself.
Oh, for the love of gelato! It was him again. My imaginary boyfriend. The man the universe kept throwing at me like a sexy boomerang.
I’d fake-dated him in my head, summoned him like Beetlejuice, and now here he was, looking like sin in a suit, while I stood there smelling like half-digested gardenia and dressed like the love child of a rejected sofa and a vintage tent.
