“Sean, have you got a moment? I wouldn’t mind running through the next steps with you while it’s all fresh in our minds.” She gave him a wink, and he knew he was in for a grilling, and the subject would benothingto do with their current sales problems.
Resigned to his fate, Sean headed back to the long table, dumped his laptop, and pulled out a chair. “Jo, I—”
“So was it everything you thought it would be?” Joanna threw herself into the seat opposite and leaned her elbows on the table. “Where did you go? Was he a conceited arsehole? Did you go home together?”
Sean rolled his eyes towards the ceiling.Shit,I have no idea where to begin.It was funny really, because most of the time it was him asking Joanna about her dates, not the other way around. She was usually hassling him to get out more and broaden his horizons. He should have anticipated that she’d want every detail, and in a way hewasglad to have someone to act as a sounding board. His emotions were all over the place, and maybe it would help to talk things through.
“Well, come on!’ she prompted, tapping impatiently on the table with the end of her pen.
“All right.” He chuckled. “First we had dinner at Swanson’s. I had the fish. It was a delicious steamed Atlantic salmon with a dill sauce—”
“Sean!”
“Okay, okay.” He grinned as Joanna threw the pen at him. It bounced harmlessly on the tabletop and Sean picked it up. “To be honest, I had a great time. Good food, and the company was fabulous. After dinner we went for a walk and sat on a bench near the fountain in the park. We’d didn’t talk much but it was… comfortable, you know?”
“So tell me about Jason. I’ve seen him outside of work when we all go for drinks, but I haven’t seen him away from the office crowd. What’s he like? I bet he’s a bit full of himself, with those movie-star good looks?”
Sean looked at her in surprise. Not because Joanna thought Jason looked like a movie star, because hesodid, but because she’d voiced the idea of him being conceited. He seemed down to earth, a stand-up guy who was good at his job, treated everyone with fairness and definitely pulled his weight.
“Jo—”
“Sorry, that was bitchy. I know he’s one of the good guys, but I bet he’s used to being popular.”
“Is that a hint of jealousy I hear there, Jo?”
She pursed her lips, then nodded. “I know. Not every good-looking guy is like Jake, but what can I say? It still smarts.”
He reached across and placed a hand on hers. He knew how much she’d been hurt in the past. “You’re entitled. The guy was a jerk.”
“Anyway, enough about me. Jason’s a much more interesting topic.”
Jo smiled, although Sean sensed it was forced. He allowed her to direct the conversation away from her own recent heartbreak.
“You know, Jo, I don’t think Jason even gives his looks a second thought. It’s not arrogance; he just accepts who he is and is comfortable in his own skin. There’s no pretence there.” Jason was confident and self-assured. Envy flared briefly—Sean wished he still had that same level of confidence about himself, but he was resigned to the fact that he was never going to be that way again—confidence was no longer part of his repertoire. He shook the thought away. “But he is hot, isn’t he?”
“You’ve got it bad, my friend.” Jo’s laugh was light. “From the sounds of things, he’s a keeper.”
He snorted. “It’s a bit early to go that far.”
“All right then, but I tell you, Sean, I’ve got a good feeling about this. Tell me more.”
He didn’t want to share everything Jason had told him, but he filled Joanna in a little about the type of man Jason was, sharing one or two of the funny tales Jason had entertained him with and making her laugh with the bait story. When Joanna asked about a potential second date, he hesitated, aware of the sudden fluttery feeling in his stomach.
“We spoke about it…. I actually suggested it—”
“Woo hoo! Go, you!”
He held up a hand to stem her exuberance because… well, doubt was nibbling away at the bravado he’d managed to summon the night before. “But I’m not sure, Jo. I mean, we did have a great time, and he’s such good company, but I’m not sure I’m ready. It’s one thing to go out for a casual dinner, but a second date seems so—” He searched for the right way to express his thoughts. “—like it’s the start of something.”
Joanna wasn’t having a bit of it. She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “You listen to me, Sean Vargos.” She squeezed his hand tight. “It’s about time you got on with your life. It’s been… what? Two years? You need to put yourself out there and take a risk. What’s the worst that can happen? I love you, Sean, I really do, and I understand your pain, but you’ve used it as an excuse for too long. Not anymore. This is your year—the year you’re going to throw caution to the wind and get back into life.”
God, it was good to have a friend like Jo. She was his support person and his cheer squad all wrapped up in one elegant feisty package. He just wished he believed everything she said. He squeezed her hand back. “You’re a good friend, Jo.”
His mind was swirling when he returned to his desk, dumping his stuff and dropping into his desk chair. He pushed down the disappointment at the sight of Jason’s vacant seat. Although maybe Jason’s absence was a good thing, because even sensing him the couple of cubicles over had Sean on full alert. Yep, much easier to keep focused when his head wasn’t full of thoughts of Jason—gorgeous, outgoing, charming Jason.Argh.
His phone chimed, drawing his attention from the vacant cubicle. He looked at his phone where it lay on top of his laptop. His heart sped up when he saw the sender.Jason Simpson.He picked it up with shaky fingers and read the message.
How about wehit the movies on Tues night?
