I tuck a loose curl behind my ear and jolt when he leans forward. One of his hands is on the black granite. The other is on the back of my barstool, and he uses it to turn me to him. The scent of his cologne, a woodsy aroma mixed with citrus, toys with my nose.
Was he always this forward?
Shadows dance across the sharp lines of his cheekbones and down to his trimmed beard. His lean figure fills out the all-black suit pulled over his shoulders.
“You really do look like Ghost fromPower,” I giggle into my water glass. Omari Hardwick is alright with me.
“I get that a lot,” he says in a low tone. His stare smacks the breath from my lungs as he closes the distance between us. “I’d like the honor of taking you on your first date. I’ll make a bid.”
I frown. “On yourself?”
“I consider it an investment.”
“In?”
He studies me. “Possibilities. I’ve been searching for a way to approach you without pulling your number from your résumé.”
“Because that would be weird.” I went to Maple King about a job, not for a man.
Kieran’s fade catches in the light when he nods. “I took a chance you’d be here tonight.”
“And if I didn’t come?”
He shrugs. “I’d find another way. We’re problem solvers by nature, Miriam. I was disappointed to hear we won’t be colleagues. But perhaps we can still collaborate in a professional sense outside of the office.”
“I already have a job,” I say.
“I heard.” He lets out a chuckle at my brows threading. “Buffalo is the second-largest city in the state, but it’s small in many ways. News about you travels fast. Do you think teaching STEM after school will satisfy you? Our offer still stands.”
“Teaching kids is only part of it. When I’m done, they will have built equipment to help sustain urban farming efforts across the city. These kids are future engineers who look like us, and they will go farther than we ever have. It’s more than just after-school teaching. This is a generational investment.”
The pieces of my life clicked together when I stepped into the Jefferson Moselle Community Center on Monday. I was a child who naturally gravitated toward science and technology. My parents recognized the spark and invested in me, the same way I’m investing in these children four days a week.
They’re eager to learn, and they deserve more than the scraps the city gives them in funding every year.
“You sound happy.”
For the first time tonight, I smile and actually mean it. “I am.”
He considers me. “I would like to support you. Our lab is open if you ever need it.”
“I might take you up on that.”
“Now, about that date.”
Kieran isn’t unattractive. By conventional standards, he’s handsome, with good teeth and a top-paying job at a prestigious engineering firm. I don’t feel a zing with him, but maybe that’s okay. It’s dinner, not a hand in marriage.
I reach for my cocktail but think twice. “A dinner would be nice.”
He chokes back a laugh. “All I get is one?”
“Do you think you’re entitled to more?” I shake my head and sip my drink before covering the unsexiest cough.
The bartender refills my water with an apologetic smile.
“Thank you, Samford,” I say.
“What are you looking for?” Kieran asks.
