I felt my face heat with shame. “Yeah, kinda. I maybe didn’t do my research because I made certain assumptions.”
“And now?” he asked.
I shook my head. “He’s completely opposite that. He’s so humble and so damn sweet.”
Michael’s eyes lit with enthusiasm. “Let me tell you about humble. I told you my sister got into Juilliard. Well, while she was there, she fell in love with composing and changed her major from performance to composition. Jeremy’s got a doctorate in both, and his Oscar nom was for an indie movie score he composed. When Gianna finished her master’s thesis composition, she asked him to look it over to see where she could improve.”
Michael picked up his phone and scrolled for a bit, then turned and showed me a picture of Jeremy and a young woman I assumed to be Gianna, both in formal wear. “This was after a concert where he debuted Gianna’s master’s thesis.”
My jaw dropped. “Wow. That’s incredible. Her career must have taken off.”
He nodded in agreement. “It did. She’s made a name for herself, but it started because he believed in her and encouraged her instead of thinking of her as a competitor.”
There didn’t seem to be much to say after that. Michael returned to the dark web, and I finished changing all my passwords. I thought about the man I had only known for a day. As different as our lives were, we seemed to get along well. Maybe it was just the newness. I mean, it started as a hookup, and he was leaving in June. But Jeremy only lived in Manhattan—that wasn’t far. I rolled my eyes. I needed to stop getting ahead of myself. But the thought niggled in the back of my mind—this was already more than a hookup, and we both knew it. Could it turn into something real?
I sighed and stretched, then checked my phone for the time. Almost midnight. I wondered if Jeremy was still in the dining room or if he had gone up to his room.
“Hey,” Michael said, “you don’t have to stay here. I’m going to be at this for a while.” He paused. “That is if you don’t mind me camping out in your office.”
“Not at all,” I answered, “Can I get you something to eat or drink?”
Michael smiled crookedly. “Mountain Dew or an energy drink will be fine.”
I rose and unlocked my phone. “Tell you what, I’ll do one better.” I dialed the front desk and was impressed that Will picked up on the first ring.
“Moonlight Inn, this is Will. How can I help you?”
“Hey, Will. It’s Mr. O’Neil.”
I heard some shuffling like he was standing straighter or something. “Mr. O’Neil, what can I do for you?”
“I have someone in my office who’s doing work on the computer system. Would you please bring him a room key, a Mountain Dew, and some snacks from the vending machine?”
“Of course, Mr. O’Neil. Any room in particular?”
“The best one available.”
“Will do, Mr. O’Neil.”
“Thank you, Will.”
Michael stared at me when I got off the phone. “What?”
“That was very nice of you. Thank you.”
I shrugged. “It’s the least I can do after you came here so late at night. Now you can move upstairs, if you want, and be more comfortable.”
He stretched his arms up. “I might just do that. I brought my overnight bag because I was going to stay at my parents’ place, but this is much better.” He gave me a sly grin. “More privacy.”
I shut down my laptop. “If you’re okay here, I’m going to head out.” I tapped the closed computer. “I’ll leave this here in case you need it for something.”
Michael nodded absently while staring at his screen. “Sounds good.” As I was about to step out, he looked up at me. “Hey, how’s the Grindr action down here?”
“I’ve never had anything to complain about.”
He raked me with his gaze. “And no complaints either, I’d wager.”
I felt a smile tug at my lips. “None that I’ve heard.”
