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I just didn’t know what to do about it. PJ has so much on her plate with her dad’s illness and the company finances. The last thing I want to do is get in her way as she navigates how to handle the guy who’s making a play for Buttercup Hill and deal with debts no one understands.
I just want her.
“What the heck are these?” PJ asks when I hold up four hanging bags and offer them to her.
“I think you look great the way you are, but if you feel like changing clothes, these are a few options.”
Her jaw hangs open. “Are you serious? Did you…buy me clothes?”
“Not exactly. My assistant did it. I hope I got your size right.”
“What size did you tell her?”
“I said you were a foot shorter than me with curves I can’t stop staring at, a tiny waist, and a hot little ass.”
PJ rolls her eyes, but she can’t help cracking a smile. “Based on that, I’ll be very interested to see what she came up with.” She takes the hangers and lifts the plastic that hangs over the clothes.
The first outfit is a red pantsuit. The second is a frilly long dress that belongs on the cover of a romance novel. There’s a short sequined dress that’s instantly my personal favorite. And a tee that says, “Who’s Taylor Swift anyway? Ew.”
I’m about to call my assistant and rake her over the coals for choosing the last one when PJ bursts out laughing. “Are you serious with these? Are we going to a karaoke night? Is that what you high rollers do on a Tuesday night around here?”
She’s still laughing when I take out the cowboy boots and hold them up. “We are not going to a karaoke night.”
Looking from the boots to my face and back again, her eyes flash as she puts the pieces together. “Wait, you didn’t—” Almost like saying the words will make them untrue.
“I did.”
“We’re going to the concert?!” Her voice hovers somewhere between a shout and an ecstatic squeal. I nod, and she jumps into my arms.
“She’s amazing.” It’s easily the fifteenth time PJ has said this in the five minutes since we left the concert. “And so are you.”
Mission accomplished. The smile that’s been plastered on PJ’s face as she sang along to every song for over three hours is reward enough for the ache in my toes from these damn boots.
I took them off the minute we got back to my car in favor of some running shoes I keep in the trunk.
“So you liked it?” I feign innocence as I flip the turn signal to get us onto the freeway.
In response, she throws her arms around my neck and kisses my cheek.
Yeah, mission accomplished.
We’ve skated out of the parking lot in record time, thanks to some VIP passes that were thrown my way by the investors who provided the concert tickets. Behind us, car horns honk and throngs of Swifties glide through the immense parking area, where they’ll probably spend the next hour jockeying to drive out.
Sometimes I feel guilty about the privilege I have based on wealth that seems unwarranted. The truth is, I’d be doing what I do without a financial reward. I just like the work. But that’s not something I’m going to say to investors. Or anyone. These pastfew weeks have gotten my priorities back in line, and I plan on keeping my head down and my mouth shut when I go back to work next week.
Showing PJ around the lab has me jonesing to get back there. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed it. The only thing remotely close to the adrenaline that races through my veins when I walk into the lab is the way I feel with PJ. And if I’m honest, being with her is even better.
That scares the hell out of me because my fascination with science has sustained me for most of my life. I never questioned whether there could be anything else that might get my juices flowing. Now, faced with a single person who exceeds every possibility I ever imagined, I feel a little unmoored.
Astrophysics has been the answer for me, and it’s served me well. What’s more, it’s served the larger community well. Putting a dent in that for my own selfish pleasure is irresponsible.
It’s why I’m starting to hate that my time with PJ has an expiration date. For the first time, I’m letting my emotions get ahead of my rational sense that I need to stay focused on work and only work.
But what if…what if PJ and I didn’t have to end? What if I could have both?
I’m wrestling with these thoughts as we exit the freeway near the lab. I have one last thing I want to show PJ tonight, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s the best thing out there.
When we pull back into my parking spot, PJ tips her head against my shoulder. “Thank you so much for an incredible day. I know you like the simple things, but all the fancy shit makes a hell of an impression.”
