As if the bare walls weren’t bland enough, the brown carpet was the matted and grimy type that I never wanted to touch with bare feet. The only personal thing I had was a photo of myself with Gretchen and Lucy that Lucy had taken, printed, framed, and brought over my first week at the magazine.
“It’s not mine,” I said. “I’m just borrowing it.”
He glanced around the room. In the daylight, his mysteriousness persisted. But in an office, with the desk between us, he somehow seemed less threatening. And if possible, more handsome.
“Is Diane coming back?” he asked, turning back to me.
“Oh—well, no.” It shouldn’t have surprised me that he knew Diane, except that Mr. Beman had made it sound as if they’d never spoken. I shifted in my seat. “Weirdly, I’m the new point person on the ‘Most Eligible Bachelors and Bachelorettes’ feature. Well, one of them.”
“Why is that weird?”
“First, I run into you at Lucy’s. Two days later, we’re meeting again. It’s just a weird coincidence is all.”
He nodded slowly, as if processing for the first time that this might be out of the ordinary. And then, he shook his head. “You think this is a coincidence?”
More teasing. Wasn’t it? I frowned. “I mean, yes . . .?”
“Isn’t there a chance I came here looking for you?” he asked.
In the few minutes he’d been here, that possibility hadn’t crossed my mind, yet he didn’t laugh or even smirk. “You don’t know anything about me, but you and Diane have discussed putting you in the feature. So it makes more sense you’d come here to see her and found me instead.”
“Or maybe it’s fate?” He raised his chin. “That’s a nice way of looking at it.”
“Not fate, Mr. Dylan. This isn’t a John Cusack film.”
He chuckled. “Diane and I never discussed my participation. I don’t even know who she is beyond the fact that an editor at this magazine has left me several messages over the years that I’ve never returned.” David leaned his elbows on his knees, his eyes dancing. “I came here for you, Olivia Germaine. I warned you I could be persistent.”
7
Persistent bachelor David Dylan sat across the desk from me, a magnificent sight in a bland room. He’d come for me, he said, but I heard the alternate meaning in his words.
I see you, Olivia Germaine.
As it had on our first introduction, my heart skipped hearing my name from his mouth. Myfullname, this time—which I’d never given him. Saturday night, I’d gotten the sense he’d seen deeper in me than others. Now, that suspicion veered dangerously close to truth. “How did you find me?” I asked.
“Luckily, we have a few friends in common.”
My throat dried. “You asked Andrew about me? My best friend’s husband—who is also a close friend tomyhusband? What makes you think that’s okay?”
“Don’t worry.” He winked. “I didn’t give anything away.”
His insinuation wasn’t lost on me. He was trying to rile me again, to get me to admit there was something to give away. I sat back in my seat. “Why are you here?”
“Two reasons. First, to apologize if I made you uncomfortable the other night. I know I came on strong—I’ve never been one to mince words.” Lowering his voice, he continued, “It wasn’t my intention to . . . well. It caught me off guard, seeing you again. We can blamethatrun-in on fate.”
He sounded sincere, though an apology was the last thing I’d expected.
“I appreciate that,” I said carefully.
“To be clear, I’m not sorry for what I said . . . only if I alarmed you. I had the distinct feeling you might run out on me any moment, and it made me—”
Serena entered the office. “Here you are, Mr. Dylan,” she said, carrying a tray to my desk. I slid my notebook out of the way to make space, and she offered us each a steaming mug.
“Thank you, Serena,” I said.
As he took a sip, David stared at me over the rim, a hand cupped around his coffee. His eyes narrowed as if he was contemplating having me for his next meal.
I shuddered. In unison, we glanced at Serena. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
