Jeff was perfectly nice, intelligent, handsome, and we hada lot in common. I’d have been thrilled to arrange a partnership between his company and Matchify if he was our contact.
But the thought of a second date?
It left me apathetic.
Maybe this was a fake-it-til-you-make-it situation, though, and I wasn’t trying hard enough.
I refocused on him, ensuring my smile was always ready and my laugh a short step behind it. He seemed gratified by my amusement, and his smile came more freely, too.
And yet, I was slightly disappointed when, instead of asking for the check, he ordered us dessert—a miniscule portion of buttermilk panna cotta.
I’d been trying to keep my eyes on Jeff, but I chanced a look at Grant. His focus seemed to be on the base of our table, but his eyes suddenly met mine, his lip tugging up at the edge.
That was when I realized my foot was tapping.
I stopped it, cursing my body for betraying me.
“This has been great, Vivian,” Jeff said, setting his napkin to the side. “I have to get to a Zoom meeting with a client in Tokyo, but maybe we can get together again after I get back from Johannesburg.”
“I’d like that,” I said, hoping I was telling the truth. Maybe a second date would be better now that we’d gotten through the awkwardness inherent in a first date.
But it hadn’t really felt awkward. It had just felt…fine.
Jeff had either forgotten about the journalist shadowing me, or he didn’t care. I wasn’t about to remind him. I let him help me out of my chair, then walked with him to the front. As we squeezed between the last two tables, his hand settled gently on the small of my back to guide me through.
Grant watched from the bar, his expression unreadable, but when he noticed me looking at him, he raised a brow as if to sayhot to trot.
Jeff opened the door, and I stepped outside into the dusky light, wondering if there was any universe where Grant mightforget we were supposed to “debrief” now, whatever that meant—or if maybe I could walk fast enough after saying goodbye to Jeff to lose Grant.
“Well, I’m this way.” Jeff jabbed a thumb to his right.
“And I’m this way.” I jerked my head the opposite direction.
He smiled. “We’ll be in touch, then?”
“Definitely.”
“Thanks for a great evening, Vivian.” He paused, put a hand on my arm, then leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek.
ELEVEN
My muscles tightened instinctively,but I managed to relax my face and straightened my glasses when Jeff pulled away. It wasn’t a bad goodbye. It just felt out of place. Maybe because we’d primarily talked business, and you just…didn’t kiss on the cheek at the end of a business meeting.
“Good night,” I said, and we turned our separate ways.
I forced myself to take a huge, slow breath as I walked.
Less than fifteen seconds had passed when I heard Grant’s footsteps approaching.
I shut my eyes, wishing I could make him go away. I didn’t want Grant’s perceptiveness right now. I wanted to go home and overanalyze the evening in peace.
“Hey!” Grant called.
I picked up my pace.
I swore I heard a light chuckle.
I could beat most women in a heel-walking competition, but Grant wasn’t in heels, and based on the change in the sound of his footsteps, he had started to jog.
