It wasn’t until I saw Diane putting on her coat that I realized it was 5:00. Where had the time gone? I was in the middle of a calculation, and it would be much easier to just finish than to try and get back into the groove tomorrow, so I decided to stay until I was done with that section.
I waved goodnight to Diane and was just looking back down at my desk when my phone rang. It was upside down on my desk to keep distractions to a minimum. The ringtone was not one I recognized. In fact, it sounded like…oh…no…
I turned my phone over and saw the handsome face of Jack Garcia. Grinning, of course. Because somehow, he’d hijacked my phone, taken a selfie, and put in his contact information. Oh, the nerve of that man!
Chapter 11
My hand hovered over the phone, debating whether to answer, and all the while, the opening riff of “PRTY GRLS” played. I could just let it go to voicemail. But, most likely, he’d just keep calling. I should just answer and get it over with. Did I want to talk to him? No, definitely not. He was annoying. I didn’t have space in my life for him. But those eyes, those curls…Yes.
I swiped to answer the call and using my coolest tone, I said, “Hello, Jack.”
I heard his ridiculously cheerful voice. “Hi Eve. Took you long enough to decide.” Why did my body get all goose-pimply? Didn’t it get the memo that this man was seriously annoying?
“What do you want, Jack?” I know my tone was snappish, but on the inside my fangirl was swooning like a lovestruck teen. He called! He called! He hadn’t ridden off in his taxi forgetting all about me!
“I seem to recall, Eve, that I promised to introduce you to New York’s best pizza. Want to go get some for dinner tonight?”
My heart lurched sideways. He was asking me out? A date? Not forced by circumstances but, presumably, because he wanted to see me? I took a deep breath and reminded myself of all the reasons that this was a bad idea. 1–He was the most annoying person I knew. 2–I was very busy with work. 3–I knew that if it went farther than casual dating, he’d gut me like a fish. Well, emotionally speaking. I didn’t actually think that he was a murderer. Other than murdering my reputation.
“Hello, are you still there? Having more decision constipation, Eve?”
I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn’t see me. “I’m sorry, Jack. I’m working late, so that’s not possible. Thank you for the offer, though. Consider your promise fulfilled.”
“Not by a long shot, hon. I’ll be seeing you.” And he hung up. No good-bye, no “are you available later in the week,” just click. OK, Jack. Play it weird and cryptic. It’s what you’re good at.
I shrugged off the conversation and tried to focus back on my work. The sooner I finished up this portion, the sooner I could get home to my…oh boy, what did I have in my fridge that I could eat for dinner without cooking? Um, yogurt, I guess. It didn’t sound enticing, but it sounded better than having to go out and pick up something.
I was scanning the columns of numbers, looking for inconsistencies, when I heard a rap on my office door. I’d watched Diane leave, so I had no idea who it could be. I opened the door and a pizza delivery guy with a red and white striped shirt and an Authentic Vinnie’s Pizza ball cap on his head was standing in the door holding a large pizza box and an Authentic Vinnie’s Pizza tote.
“I’m sorry, you must have the wrong office,” I said, although the pizza smelled so good that I was practically drooling.
The delivery guy had his head bent over the receipt taped to the top of the box. “Nope,” he said in a gravelly voice, “It says this order is for Eve Lambert, and that’s what the office door says.”
“Oh,” was all I could manage, surprised. Had, perhaps Jack done this sweet thing for me? Ordered dinner, since he knew I was working late? “Well, come in and set it down over on the coffee table. How much do I owe you?” I turned to get my wallet out of my purse.
The guy kept his head down and said, “It’s all been taken care of, including the tip.”
“Oh,” I said, again. I’m quite the wordsmith when I’m surprised. “Well, thank you.”
As I was turning back, he said in a softer voice, “Can I share it with you, Eve?”
My heart raced as I heard that voice. He lifted his head, and I couldn’t help laughing out loud at Jack. He looked so pleased that he’d fooled me. I rolled my eyes again, since he could now see me, nodded my head, and said, “Sure Jack. You may share the pizza you brought me.”
He was grinning at he opened the tote bag. “It’s not just pizza. I brought the works. We’ve got some red wine, some wine glasses, sorry they’re plastic, some salad, in case you’re fanatical about greens, breadsticks, and some of those amazing little Italian lemon Amaretti cookies.” He spread out the feast on the coffee table, including a generous stack of napkins, paper plates, and forks.
We sat side by side on the couch as he lifted the lid on the box. A wave of delicious pizza smell hit me—smokey, like it came from a real wood-fired oven, yeasted dough, tomato sauce, oregano, basil. Drool. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I took a whiff of it and had to hold myself back from diving face first into the box.
Jack lifted a generous slice onto a plate and handed it to me. “I hope you’re not picky about toppings.”
I took a bite and might have moaned. It was SO good. His eyes twinkled as he watched me eating. I chewed and swallowed. “I can handle anything on a pizza except anchovies. They’re way too salty.”
“Good thing I, too, am averse to small salty fish. Zero anchovies on this baby.” He took a large bite and made similar noises of appreciation.
“You weren’t kidding when you said this was the best pizza in New York. It’s amazing! How did you find it?” I was already eyeballing a second piece. I’m sure the salad was nice, but it could easily go spend the night in my fridge. This warm pizza with the gooey cheese would not wait. I helped myself to a piece that had a particularly dense sprinkling of olives.
“It’s a place near where we practice, so the band hangs out there a lot,” he answered, pulling a long string of cheese off his chin. He wiped his hands on a napkin and said, “Wine?”
“Yes, please!” I wasn’t going to ignore a single aspect of this glorious feast. Except maybe the salad. I’d already had a salad today, and I needed to save room for the cookies.
