“You were bad,” Tanaz said. “But you looked happy about it.”
“Do you want to get a drink sometime?” I asked him.
He tilted his beer toward me. “No time like the present.”
“That’s not what I mean,” I said.
“I know,” Josh said.
Tanaz was making herself scarce.
“But I’m your boss.”
“Do you like me?” I asked. I’d never been that bold before. It felt like adrenaline to the vein.
“I do,” Josh said.
“So let’s have a drink.”
Josh eyed me. I could tell he wanted to.
“OK,” he said.
Before anything—before we went out for that drink, or held hands, or even had a conversation with the door shut—which admittedly would have been difficult, again, there were no doors—we told our one-woman HR department, Kelly.
“Is that really necessary?” I asked Josh.
“This is a small company. Everything has to be aboveboard.”
We signed a bunch of papers that I didn’t read and Josh read thoroughly. “There’s a clause in here that says if we stop dating for any reason she doesn’t have to leave the company, correct?”
“She cannot be fired for your relationship,” Kelly said. “Is that what you’re asking?”
“I just want to make sure she is looked after.”
It’s just a drink, I thought.
It wasn’t just a drink. After the papers were signed we went to Alchemist Bar & Lounge, a dimly lit bar near Oracle Park. We drank rye whiskey and apple brandy out of mason jars, and then we went back to Josh’s apartment. He had a loft overlooking the bay that was sparsely decorated in a step up from IKEA furniture.
“I haven’t had time to make it something. My ex did some decorating, but when we broke up, she took most of the things with her.”
“I like it,” I said. “You could throw a huge party here.”
Josh laughed. “I’ve had a few company get-togethers. Not much as of late.” He went over to the stainless steel refrigerator. “I have red or white, and they’re both in the fridge because I know nothing about wine.”
“Can I have a glass of water?”
Josh struck a hand to his face in a gesture that felt overly dramatic. “I’m so sorry, of course, I should have offered as soon as we got in.”
He took a mini Brita out of his fridge and poured me a large glass.
“Thanks.”
I took a few big gulps. He watched me.
“You’re very interesting,” he said. “You don’t seem to have a whole lot of fear. Me on the other hand, I’m basically living in a Hitchcock movie.”
I wiped my lips. “That is not true.”
