He smirks to himself as he brings his whiskey to his lips. “In about a half-hour, when they get a notification that the meeting has been canceled, they won’t.”
A match inside of me has been lit. “Manipulation with a side of control—great. What the hell?”
“Funny. Two years ago, you didn’t want to get away from me at a bar. Now you don’t want to come near me in a bar.”
His logic requires a long sip of my gin and tonic with lime. "It's messier now—an HR field day. Untangling the sides of us as co-parents and colleagues is uncharted territory. Still, I'm sure this isn't the way to handle it."
Is he even listening or just waiting to reply?
“You know there isn’t a difference. You look exactly the same as the last time we met in a bar. That’s… inconvenient for my self-control.”
I scoff, a bitter chuckle slipping out. My tongue glides over my teeth. This is pointless. "If you wanted me alone, why this? We’ve met outside the office before."
He tsks at me, and it’s filled with sin.It’s attractive if I’m being honest with myself. Very. “When Lola is around, then yeah, all is well. But the moment we’re alone, you and I, then you want to run. This is me trying to figure out the best approach with you non-Lola related. My patience is a peculiar kind, it tests waters until I have the answer. However, Iam a man of my word, and you’re here. So let’s talk business.”
I lift my nose, trying to inspect his sincerity. I’m convinced enough. “Okay.”
“You refused to go to the conference. Why? Foster has asked twice.”
My eyes lift because this is the topic he’s bringing up, and his tone is a mix of concern and curiosity. “You've been talking with him about my career?” I accuse him.
"No. He brought it up.”
“That has nothing to do with your project.”
“Doesn’t matter. Answer me.”
Sighing, I clutch my drink but don’t sip. “I don’t like leaving Lola. My parents could stay, but I’ve never been out of state without her. The spot at the conference should go to someone less worried—even if it affects my job. Lola matters more.”
Hayes nods his head as he listens patiently. “I thought you might say that. However, you might have to take the leap once. I’m also in the picture. Puzzling our schedules around each other is part of how things are going to have to go.”
“I'm aware.” I'm getting a little agitated. “But let’s leave her out of this, Hayes. I also don’t appreciate you talking with Foster about me in the office. Can we just focus on work right now?”
He smiles almost affectionately. “Okay. As I said to the others, we must improve efficiency and workflow between departments. More cross-department meetings are a good idea. Clients face many obstacles from the company, but communication could be smoother—more central.”
I continue. “Finance knows nothing about crate sizes or cargo routes that avoid the Bermuda Triangle, and we don’t need to. We communicate in numbers, often with a clientcontact who also lacks logistics knowledge. Finance should be kept separate, and the client should have a single point of contact for other issues. Invoicing often requires someone authorized to approve payment.”
“I’m aware. Just thought I would run an idea or two by you, so here we are.”
I snort. "Are we? Because it seems the work-related discussion's already done."
That suave grin appears. “You may be right.”
Taking a long drink, I debate whether I should just close up this evening and leave. Alas, I am not so smart. My eyes flick up to meet his. Even though the room is loud, it feels silent right now. Hayes enters my bubble by switching seats so he’s next to me. The presence of his body is magnetizing near my own.
And truthfully, when the responsibilities of being a mom and work slip out of my mind and I'm with him, then I'm reminded. The way he has the ability to make me feel secure enough to be spontaneous. I'm a woman who runs life by the book, except on the island, that click between us was instant, new to me, and it unlocked a side of me that I didn't know I have but had been waiting for a time to come out. It did then. And I'm having déjàvu all over again.
“Isn’t it crazy how our lives were always so close, yet we never crossed paths?” I wonder, almost fondly.
“I have been thinking about that lately.”
I smile wryly and meet his gaze. “You could drive anyone crazy.”
He licks his lips, amused. “Do share.”
"In a suit, you're all sharp edges. Out of one, you let a few walls drop."
His long finger brushes my wrist as I grip my glass on thetable. "Which version do you want tonight?" His words slip out, slow and heated.