Page 64 of Let's Call a Truce
“I finished up, so I thought I’d come grab you so we could walk back to the hotel together.”
“Perfect! My walking GPS.”
James walked me over to the door, thanking me for taking the time to speak with him.
“It’s a rare person who will happily talk about all of this for hours.”
I smiled back at him. “I’m pretty sure anyone who works in HR would have been just as excited to learn from you as I was.”
“Maybe, but I doubt any of them would have been as charming as you have been. At the risk of being too forward, I would love to take you out for dinner one night before you leave.”
Ben stiffened by my side, but he made no move beyond that. I sputtered, struggling to figure out the best way to handle this. I didn’t want to damage our new relationship with the university, but I was out of practice on how to turn people down gently. James laughed.
“Don’t worry. I can tell when I’ve overstepped. I’m looking forward to our professional working relationship.” With one last smile, he turned back to his desk.
Ben was quiet on the walk back to the hotel. I asked about the rest of his afternoon, getting respectful but short answers. His mind wasn’t in the conversation, and I gave him the space he needed.
We had two hours before dinner, which was scheduled at a fancy steakhouse near our hotel. I took full advantage of the time alone, luxuriating in the shower and using the rest of the two hours on my hair and makeup. I missed my girls, but I never had time to pamper myself this way anymore.
I pulled out a long-sleeved dress I bought for this dinner. The boat neckline swept under my collarbone, keeping it professional and tasteful. The dark blue velvet, which almost perfectly matched my eyes, hugged my body, following my curves perfectly until it stopped right above my knees. I paired it with black tights and high-heeled ankle boots, praying my coat would be enough to keep me warm for the short walk.
Ben was already waiting for me in the lobby, offering his arm as he led me through the streets to the restaurant, never once having to check where he was, like he was following a line on the pavement I couldn’t see. I handed off my coat to the coat checker when we arrived. I looked over my shoulder to ask Ben if he was going to drop his, too, and found him following the line of my dress, his eyes dark and hungry. I gulped, a flush moving across my upper chest and neck. He noticed the blush, and his lips curved at the corners before he leaned past me to hand the lady his coat. He dipped his head so he could whisper it in my ear.
“You look stunning.” I shivered at the touch of his lips, wishing I could drag him into a back corner of the restaurant where we could have privacy. My eyes met his, and his own flared at the desire he saw.
“You all found it.” James walked over to greet us as the rest of our group congregated right inside the front door. I looked for Quinn but didn’t see her.
“Is Quinn not joining us?”
“Who?”
“Quinn Riley.” He continued to stare at me blankly. “From the career office?”
“Oh, right. Quinn. No, we wanted you to get some time with faculty, and she’s just staff.” The statement didn’t sit well with me, but I shook off the feeling as we headed to our seats. I found myself sandwiched between James and President Munchen.
“Thank you, President Munchen, for scheduling the meeting with James. It was an interesting and spirited couple of hours.” James laughed from beside me.
“He said the same. And please call me Maureen. You impressed me on our call, so I am pleased to hear you can hold your own against a person like James.”
I laughed at that. “Hold my own may be a bit of a stretch. I learned much more than I taught. Hopefully, he’ll let me brainstorm with him again after the program finishes to see if I need to tweak anything for the next year.”
“I’d be happy to.”
Maureen smiled brightly. “The sign of a true academic is one who always keeps learning. I’m looking forward to seeing what you accomplish this summer.”
The conversation flowed naturally for the rest of the dinner. The Bostonians unsurprisingly made jokes about how everything in Florida was trying to kill you, and the Floridians (or Floridian plus the transplant) pointedly talked about how nice it was not to have to shovel snow. We made our way out of the restaurant hours later, satisfied by both good food and good conversation.
James grabbed my arm as we all said our goodbyes. “Let me add my number to your phone. Give me a call at the end of the summer if you want to talk about the program.”
As he took my phone, I was hyperaware of Ben’s presence behind me.
“And if you change your mind about dinner, too, you have my number.” He winked and headed off down the sidewalk.
Ben and I walked the couple of blocks back to our hotel in silence. As we stood in the elevator, I broke from the awkwardness.
“I was surprised you didn’t jump in when James was hitting on me.”
“I’m not a jealous guy,” he said blandly. “And I don’t get to decide who you spend your time with.”
