“That’s the point. It’s like juice with a buzz.” She didn’t miss the part where he was asking their mutual friend what she liked either. To keep from making the moment weird, she buried that little bit of information in the back of her mind. “I’ll have a glass with dinner. Water will work for now.”
He gave her a brief nod before disappearing into the kitchen. It allowed her a moment to collect her good sense. Giving herself a mental shake, she pulled her iPad Mini out of her purse and queued up her notes.
“So, have you come up with any ideas for how we can save the arts program?”
He breezed back into the room, handing her a tall glass of iced water, and she had to focus on keeping a secure grip on the cold slick surface once his fingers touched hers. She expected that he would move to the sofa opposite her once she had her drink in hand. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it, he sat down next to her, pushing her boundaries even further. It was easy to pretend this was strictly a business meeting when he wasn’t right next to her, close enough for her to smell the cool scent of his cologne mixing in with the seasoning and spices of their food.
Captivated by his presence, she was lost in the sharp lines of his face and the crisp taper of the fade at his temple, in the way his neatly trimmed goatee framed his lips. It was only his expectant expression that clued her in he was expecting her to respond to his prompt.
“You… you know how well the fall festival does for bringing in scholarship donations, right?”
He took a sip of his beer from the longneck bottle in his handand she had to force herself to look at her notes and not him. In his natural habitat without the restraint of his office, Adam was just too tempting. If she wanted to keep things strictly business, she had to remember why she was here.
The kids, I’m here for the kids, my kid in particular. Right?
“Yeah. Especially this year with Vanessa’s two-million-dollar bid. Your girl sure knows how to do things big.”
“That and she has a really big heart.”
He took another swig of his beer before continuing. “Michael’s a lucky man to find someone who loves so easily.”
His words pulled her eyes to him, and she looked beyond the smooth tan skin and gorgeous locs, attempting to find something deeper.
“You say that as if you’re envious.”
“That’s because I am.”
Whatever she’d been expecting by way of an answer, that hadn’t been it. The Adam she knew was a loud showman who never let anyone see him lacking.
“In the market for forever, Adam?”
He placed his beer gently on the coffee table in front of them and turned to fix his attention on her.
“At the moment, I know I’m not intentionally looking for forever,” he responded in that deep, rich tone she was fast becoming addicted to. “But I don’t think I’d run from it if it found me.”
She couldn’t understand why this information made her insides tremble. Somehow knowing he was on the market for something more than fun made her heart thud against her rib cage.
“Have you ever been in a committed relationship or is this just you thinking in the hypothetical?”
He leaned back into the sofa cushion, putting what she knew to be a firm chest on display.
“You know I was married for a few years.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you were committed to the relationship.”
She waited patiently for an answer as she watched his eyes lift to hers.
“While my ex and I were together, I was completely committed. It wasn’t enough to save my marriage, though. I told you, we married for the wrong reasons to begin with. No level of commitment would’ve saved us.” He took another drink from his beer. She half expected him to fiddle with it to shy away from her and the topic. To her surprise, he didn’t. Soon, he was staring right back at her as he continued.
Adam adjusted himself on the couch by turning and putting his knee on the cushion. This angle meant he was looking directly at her now. “I’ve done a lot of work on myself since my divorce,” he stated plainly. “Although I’m in a good place emotionally, now because of work, the timing isn’t exactly optimal for me to get involved. But if the right person came along, I imagine I wouldn’t be afraid to put the effort forward. What about you?”
“I’m not sure forever exists for me.” She waited for him to say something slick or flippant. Instead, he leaned in, bringing his rapt attention to her. “I was married for nearly sixteen years. Ending it wasn’t something I ever thought I’d have to do until I was actually doing it. James’ well-being came first. It still does.”
“As it should,” he quietly stated, as if he were mulling her answer over in his head. “James is very lucky to have a mother like you, someone so dedicated to him.”
The thought of her boy brought an automatic smile to her face. She’d sacrificed so much for his happiness, and she didn’t regret one single thing she’d done to make sure he’d had what he needed.
“I’m the lucky one. James is a sweet, caring boy who deserves the world. That’s why I’m fighting so hard for this program. If you could see him perform, see the bone-deep joy in him when he’s creating and performing, you’d understand why I’m so passionate about this fundraising.”
