“Um, before you get back into it, I am glad to have bumped into you. I thought that after the dinner at the bistro that I might’ve gotten off on the wrong foot with your friend.”
“Jordan?”
“Jordan, that’s right. Look, would it be okay if you and I had a coffee and discussed Dream Match a little more? I really am intrigued and would like to know more about it.”
She hesitated, conscious of Jordan’s warnings about this man and his motives. “Is this a coffee between you and me, or should I be inviting Jordan and my business team along too?”
“You have a business team?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m not a complete newbie.”
“I didn’t mean to suggest that you are. It’s just that I haven’t heard you mention anyone else until now.”
“Apart from Jordan,” she pointed out.
“Apart from Jordan, that’s right.” He nodded. “So, by all means invite him and anyone else along. The more the merrier.”
She studied him, still uncertain.
“Do you not trust me, EJ?”
Her cheeks flushed with heat. “I don’t know you well enough to know if I can trust you.”
“Well, there’s something you can do about that.”
“What’s that?”
He smiled. “You could get to know me by having a coffee with me. Or a drink. Or a meal. I’m not fussy.”
She doubted that. It was probably five-star all the way with him. She doubted he was a fan of the local coffee shop’s ten-dollar breakfast roll and coffee special she and Jordan enjoyed most weekends.
“Think about it?”
She swallowed, conscious others were looking at the two of them. Movement beyond his shoulder showed someone taking a photo. She winced.
“What?” he asked.
“Someone just took a photo of you.”And me, she added silently.
His nose wrinkled. “It’s part of the deal, unfortunately.” He straightened. “You’ve got my number. If you ever unblock me, you’ll see I’m not such a bad guy.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she murmured.
“Let me know when you’re free, and I’ll make it work.”
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.
He smiled, his look one that could pass for genuine. “I’ll do whatever I can to finally have Ms. EJ Bennett spare me a moment.”
She forced herself to nod, then turned back to the rowing machine and resumed her workout. She didn’t want to look flustered, even though everything that had just happened in the last twenty minutes was enough to turn her upside down. How could he overlook her rudeness like that? Should she take him up on his offer for a coffee? It truly didn’t seem like a date or that he had nefarious intentions if he was happy enough for her to invite Jordan and the others along too. Was it possible that she’d been so arrogant herself that she misinterpreted his interest as being in her instead of her app?
All of this did not sit very well with her previous experience. Nor did it sit with what Jordan had said. How could she reconcile these two very different sides of Eric Churchill?
She finished her workout, ignored those who were still watching her, and pulled out her phone, her finger hovering over the contacts list. Then, before she could second-guess herself yet again, pressed UNBLOCK. And watched as a stream of Eric’s former messages swamped her phone.
Then saw he’d written another one, just now. A one-word question.
“Coffee?”
