“And you can’t tell anyone or else he’ll lose his job,” Jenna says.
I nod, hunching my shoulders. “I’m caught in an ugly catch-22.”
“All things aside, let’s say there weren’t any restrictions holding you back from telling Arthur how you feel. Are you convinced he’s the right lad for you?”
I lift my head slightly, “I’m about sixty-five percent sure.”
Jenna finishes her meal and pushes her plate to the side. “Then it seems to me that we need to figure out a way to get you to be one hundred percent sure.”
“How am I going to do that? And what happens if Idobecome a hundred percent sure? Or if he doesn’t feel the same way I do?”
“We tackle one thing at a time. First, we need to be sure about you. Because if you don’t end up really liking him, then there’s no point in worrying about the consequences. I know you said you weren’t keen on going out on another date, but in this case, I think it’s a necessary evil to help you confirm to yourself where your heart stands.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.” I push my plate aside; I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.
“I promise you won’t have another experience like last time. I have two lads in mind who Iknowwould be complete gentlemen to you if you were to go out with them. One of them is a dance classmate of mine named Alfie, and the other is a friend from school named Oscar. Both are the type of blokes who would make you feel more like you’re hanging out with a friend rather than out on an actual date.” Jenna locks eyes with me. “There’s no pressure. This is your call.Ifit’s something you decide to do, just send me a text.”
My head is telling me to listen to Jenna’s advice. I’ve only been around Art for a few weeks. My feelings in that time have grown from wanting him out of my sight to counting down to the moments we’re able to spend time together. There are still so many things I don’t know about him. Is he even single? Would he even consider dating a woman like me?
The muscles in my stomach clench. What if he sees me as too young? As a child? Or maybe he considers me an entitled brat. I mean, he’s told me we’re friends, but was he just saying that? Or did he mean it?
I hear his voice in my head from last week.“I state the facts as I see them.”My pulse increases. Art wouldn’t lie about being my friend. He doesn’t mince his words. He says exactly what he means. Could our friendship grow into something more?
I lick my lips. “I’ll do it.” Butterflies flutter inside my stomach. I vow to myself here and now that this time, I’m going to be in control of thesituation. I’m going to ensure I put myself out there and test my heart. I have to know... Is what I’m feeling the beginnings of love? Or is it just a passing infatuation?
Jenna reaches across the table and places a hand on mine. “You’ve made the right decision. My father is fond of both Alfie and Oscar. If you need a character reference, he’d be happy to provide it for them.”
Hearing Jenna say that her father approves of them takes a small weight off my shoulders. I value the words and opinions of Dr. Evans equally to those of my own father. “I trust you.”
On Thursday,Art and I travel to my flat to see how work on it is progressing. It’s been about two weeks since my parents gave the green light for construction to begin. The timeline for the entire project is supposed to be twelve weeks, which I think is ambitious. In my opinion, it’s more of a sixteen-week project. But I’ll leave that in the hands of the project manager.
“Ma’am, I’m not letting you go in there without the proper safety gear.” Art shoves a hard hat, safety glasses, and a yellow construction vest into my hands.
“I wasn’t planning onnotwearing any. That’s why I wore steel-toed boots today.” I point to my feet. “I’m going to be an engineer; these items are going to become my uniform. You and Angela better get accustomed to it too.”
“Mmph.” Art closes the boot of the car and places his own helmet and glasses on his head, and a vest over his suit jacket.
“Um . . .”
“Yes?” He cocks his head to the side.
“You may want to remove your jacket. There’s a lot of dust floating around, and I’d hate to see it get covered with bits of debris. It looks expensive.” He’s wearing another black blazer today, but this time with a light-blue dress shirt and a silver tie. Blue’s quickly becoming my favorite color on him. I love how it accentuates the flecks of green and gold in his eyes.
“It’s just a men’s basic blazer from Primark.”
“Hmm,I had you pegged as a Savile Row gent.”
“Those are too expensive for my pay grade. I do have some suits that come from there that I inherited from my grandad, but those are reserved for special occasions, like my first day on the job. I generally prefer things that come from M and S. That way I won’t feel guilty if they get messy or destroyed.”
“Smart.”
His lips twitch.
“Going back to the jacket, even if it’s a less expensive one, it’s black and it’ll show any speck of dust that lands on it. Do you still plan to wear it?” I challenge.
“Yes, it’s against the regulations to be dressed so casually.”
“We’re not living in the Regency era; I doubt anyone will mind if you show off your shirtsleeves.” I snicker. “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.”
