He made a “Hmmm” noise and said, “People disappoint us. Sometimes by leaving, sometimes by staying too long.”
I felt a soft pang—his reply had me both intrigued and unexpectedly moved.
The server appeared and asked if we’d decided. I hadn’t even looked at the entrées section of the menu, realizing I’d been clutching it throughout the conversation as if it were a lifesaver.
“Can I recommend something you might enjoy?” Colin asked.
I nodded, and he pointed to the steak with lobster. I agreed and told the server I’d be having that.
“You can make that two,” Colin said, handing the server our menus. When we were alone again, he gestured toward me with his glass. “So now I’ve told you something about me. You still have to share something. Preferably, what all that laughing was about.”
I began to laugh.
“Not again,” he said, and at last he smiled. I took it as a personal triumph and decided to share with him how worried I’d been about Maggie.
When I got to the part where Grant and I initially suspectedhim, he laughed. It wasmesmerizing.It lasted only a couple of seconds, but it was clear that this man should laugh more often.
I left out several embarrassing details, but finally relayed that Maggie had checked in with Grant and that she was not lost, murdered, or kidnapped. Colin said he was relieved. He didn’tlooksurprised or relieved by the news, but it wasn’t unusual for him to be unreadable.
“She would have been the one on this trip with you,” I said. “Not that it would have made much of a difference, since the meeting didn’t happen. I wanted to know—why did you choose me over Grant?”
“It really came down to personality in the end.” He played with the stem of his wine glass. “You seemed more charming. And I wanted to charm them.”
“You had met me for all of five minutes. And it’s not like I was nice to you,” I said.
“You charmedme,” he answered me too quickly. It was subtle, but Colin never rushed anything. His jaw tightened immediately afterward, as if he’d caught himself saying something he hadn’t meant to say.
I took a slow and deep breath in, not knowing how to respond to that. He was quiet as well, so I took a sip of the very expensive wine.
“Don’t you think you’re charming?” he asked after a few moments, any hint of restraint just as quickly replaced with ease and a growing sense of familiarity.
I scrunched my brows, wondering what the right thing to say would be. “I’m not sure.”
“What do you think of yourself?”
I was floored.What were these questions?I had to force myself to stop squirming in my seat.
“I’m not sure what you mean. Um, I think I’m a hard worker. I think I do my job well.”
He nodded and said, “Go on. This isn’t an interview, by the way. You look a little scared.”
“Do I?” I bit my lip again, realizing I had to stop the awful habit. “I don’t mean to. I mean, I’m not scared. Just not sure where this is going.”
“I’d like to know what you think about yourself. There has to be more to you than you being a hard worker.”
“I guess I’m kind. I’m loyal… Is this how you normally make conversation?” I rested my arm on the table, palm up, getting a bit tired of feeling uncomfortable.
“You’re right. I’m being too forward. Forgive me. We can change the subject.”
I pulled my hand back. “No, it’s okay. I just…well, why don’t you tell me whatyouthink aboutyourself.” I sat back, more relaxed now that I’d turned it around, waiting for his response.
“Of course,” he said, leaning forward with a glint in his eye. “I’m tenacious, respected, confident, disciplined, well-spoken, intelligent, and reasonably good-looking. Oh, and I’m a marvelous cook. It’s one of my many hobbies.”
I wondered what I must have looked like after he described himself as “reasonably good-looking.” He certainly was confident, and I wondered how he couldn’t see that he was edging dangerously close to arrogance.
“Well, there you go.” I brought the wine back to my lips, trying to conceal a smile that wouldn’t fade.
Had I been more self-aware, I would have noticed that I was in danger of falling for Colin Slade.
