“Yes, but as we get closer to the end of my assignment . . .” I tried to swallow without gulping. “I guess he needs to touch basemore.”
“Ah. Makes sense.” Sebastian’s damn shoulders were so broad, I couldn’t even see around him. That made it easy to notice when they eased from around his ears. Did he suspect something was up? I gestured behind him. “I just needto—”
“I’ve barely seen you all week,” hesaid.
I held my notebook to my chest. “I had some work to catch up on at my office,” I said to explain my absence since the baseballgame.
Which could very well be myoldofficesoon.
Was Vance testing the waters, or had that been an official offer? And was it firm? The salary was generous, but I’d never leave any job or position, especially one I loved, without negotiating for thebest.
Sebastian tilted his head. “Well?”
“Sorry, what?” Iasked.
“I said, how’sFrançois?”
“Um.” I scratched my eyebrow, trying to glance around Sebastian’s irritatingly large physique to signal that it wasn’t the best time for a chat. I needed to digest the news, and I certainly didn’t want to be talking to Sebastian until I’d decided how to broach this with him . . . or if I should at all. “I don’t know. We haven’t spoken since after thegame.”
Sebastian glanced over my head. “Afterthe game? Justin said you went straighthome.”
I cocked my head. Justin had already teased me mercilessly about François. He’d peppered me with questions even after I’d told him with exasperation thatyes, the date had been fine, andmaybewe would go out again andno, François had not kissed me at my train stop. A first kiss in a subway car with onlookers would’ve been only slightly less awkward than one in front of Sebastian and his sidekick at the game. But why would any of that have come up between Justin and Sebastian? “I did go home,” I said. “But we took the train together until hisstop.”
Sebastian’s eyebrows lowered. “He couldn’t even see you to yourdoor?”
“He would’ve had to ride all the way to Brooklyn, walk three blocks, then backtrack home.” I caught myself fidgeting with my notepad and stilled, not wanting my anxiety to show. Sebastian making non-hostile conversation for once wasn’t helping my budding guilt over the fact that I’d been offered his job minutesearlier.
“You only live three blocks from the subway?” he asked. “What’re your cross streetsagain?”
“I live on Pineapple.” This conversation was going nowhere. Couldn’t we be having itafterI used the bathroom? “But again,” I said, “it would’ve made no sense for Frankto—”
“Pineapple. Cute,” Sebastian said, smiling like it was an inside joke. “If it wereme, I would’ve walked my date home—at least to see how the hell her Great Dane fits in a one-bedroom. Or is it astudio?”
Despite my desire to escape, I smiled a little at that. “One-bed. We go on lots ofwalks.”
“Hey, Bruno and I are good on walks. Any time you need some extra muscle, let meknow.”
“Sure.” With a higher income, Bruno and I could move closer to a park. Apparently, I really was considering Vance’s offer, but I couldn’t decide how to feel about it while Sebastian was being sonice. I moved to get around him. “I needto—”
“I’m available weekends,” he teased. “This one, infact.”
“Sounds good.” I ducked to theright.
“You have plans withFrançois?”
“No plans,” I called over my shoulder and finally took cover in therestroom.
I locked myself in a stall, leaned back against the door, and exhaled a breath. It wasn’t as if I owed Sebastian anything. Not an explanation for considering the position, or exploring the idea that I might wantit.
It wasn’t the first job offer I’d ever gotten from a client, but it was the first that would be such a big step up. And the only one I’d taken seriously. I’d loved reconfiguringModern Manbecause I was passionate about problem solving, but neither the magazine’s content nor its message inspired the same excitement in me. If the publication continued on the path I’d set, I’d remain a casual reader, but at the heart of it, I wasn’t the director the team needed. One of the best parts of my job was that no two days were alike, and once I started to get comfortable in an assignment, it ended foranother.
At the same time, I knew firsthand that the creative director position regularly presented unique and complex problems. Regardless of how I felt about coming in to the same office each day, it wasn’t a dull job by any means. I hadn’t gotten this far in my career by walking away from challenges—or opportunities to advance. I prided myself on being a smart and savvy businesswoman with more drive than the person behindher.
And then there was the money. I could hear Neal in the back of myhead. . .
“Who in their right mind would walk away from double the salary? You’d be stupid not to take it, and you’re not stupid, Georgina. Areyou?”
His condescension was still, at times, too loud to ignore. Ihadbeen stupid for all the times I’d second-guessed myself around him, even though this was one of thosetimes.
