“Yeah, I don’t have cousins who are like siblings. So I had to take what I could get, but I liked talking to these guys who make a ton of money.”
“And women?” Ivy said.
“Oh, sure. Though I must say, the ladies are less likely to meet me for drinks, which is really bad because I could profile them so well. You can send your clients to me, and I’ll take care of them.” Nate grinned.
Ivy groaned on the inside. She wouldn’t put her clients in his hands.
“Are we ready to order appetizers?” the server cut in.
Thank god the wine was here. Ivy sipped it, crisp and cool and perfect.
“Yes, we’ll have the deconstructed Caesar salad,” Nate said.
“All right, two deconstructed-” The server tapped it in on her screen.
“No, actually, I want to try that cured salmon flatbread I’ve read about,” Ivy said, barely keeping her annoyance out of her book.
“It’s amazing!” the server said. “You won’t regret it.”
“I know I won’t.” Ivy smiled.
“I guess you don’t care about calories,” Nate said.
“Nope, I don’t.” Ivy stared at Nate until he glanced away, sitting straighter in her chair.
Nate looked her up and shook his head. “Okay, so as I was saying, if you bring me your clients, I can ensure they get front and centre. My online click-throughs have been up this month by a lot. I’m sure you aren’t getting anyone too big, being new.”
“I’ve just accepted the job as Senior Communications Strategist.” Ivy hid her smile behind a sip of wine, noticing how Nate shifted in his chair.
“Oh.” Nate glanced out the window.
“Where do you live in the city? I need a new place.” Ivy set her wineglass on the table, leaning toward him.
“I’m the burbs, actually.” Nate’s tone lost some of the confidence he had earlier.
“Too bad. I’m looking for something downtown.” Ivy flicked her hair behind her ear.
“I guess with the number of hours you’re going to work, that makes sense.” Nate scrolled through his phone.
“Yeah.” Ivy smiled and wondered what Alice thought was decent about this man.
The waiter put her app in front of her, and Ivy dove in.
“That looks good,” Nate commented.
“It’s delicious.” Ivy speared a forkful and almost moaned around it.
Nate stared at her as if he had never seen anyone eat before, then his cell rang. “Oh, that’s the desk. I got to take it.”
“Go ahead.” Ivy shrugged.
He left the table, and ivy exhaled. She wanted to go but didn’t want to be rude. Her phone buzzed, and she thought it was Gabe, but no, her mother had texted her a group shot of her improv group standing in the yard in a circle on hale bales.
Ivy laughed. It was good to be home but also suffocating.
“Hey, listen, I gotta go. It was nice meeting you, Ivy.” Nate held his hand to her.
“You too, Nate.” She shook his hand.So glad that’s over.Ivy drank her wine and caught the waiter’s eye, requesting another glass.
