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"You often deal with made-up scenarios?"
"No, but you know what I mean. Let's start with a very simple one. How long have we known each other?"
"I signed my divorce papers two months ago, so it can't be longer than that."
I felt a pang deep in my chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was that recent."
"The breakup wasn't, but the divorce stretched on and on. I sometimes thought it would never end."
"All right, so let’s say we met three weeks ago. That would mean we knew each other well enough to attend a charity event, but not too well." I was fumbling my words. Why was I so nervous? "Or maybe we should make it six weeks? And then we can say we started dating three weeks ago."
"Let’s go with three overall. We met and immediately started dating. Do you actually anticipate anyone asking us this?"
"Malcolm might," I said quietly. "So, three weeks it is. And where?"
He nodded, narrowing his eyes. He'd been right about the coffee; he actually did seem more awake, and he’d only had two sips.
"The gym?" he suggested.
"I don't think anyone would believe that, and especially not Malcolm. I work out at the hotel in the morning before anyone else starts their day," I explained. "And the gym isn't open to anyone else except guests at the hotel. Before we opened the hotel, I worked out at home. He knows that."
"Okay, the gym's out."
Now that the subject had come up, it was obvious he had to spend a lot of time at the gym.
"You like shopping?" he asked.
"Hell yes."
"Then it's easy. We met in my shop."
"That’s smart. See? That's why I figured it would be better as a collaborative effort. We've got this," I exclaimed. "You often go to your shop?"
"Daily. Mostly in the evening to check if there's anything out of the ordinary."
"That's very committed."
"I always ask the sales associates for any feedback they’ve got for me."
"But you have stores all over the world."
"I know. I get written feedback from the other places too. But I like to go to this one personally, since it’s local."
"All right, then that's our story. I came in to try one of those gorgeous dresses."
He looked sideways at me. "Have you ever shopped in our store?"
"You’re kidding, right? It's one of my favorites. We can say that I came looking for a dress that had a velvet corsage with organza sleeves and skirt. I love that combo. By the way, you have an excellent talent for picking out designers."
"Thanks. They’re the most important part of the company. I can run it, but I can't create anything."
I liked that he owned up to that. A lot of CEOs thought people around them were disposable and replaceable.
"All right, so I came in the store. What next?" I held my breath. Why is this so exciting?
"I was talking to my sales associate, asking for feedback. You came in right at closing and said you desperately wanted a dress for the next event. And I was so smitten with you that I decided to keep the store open for a while longer."
"Smitten at first sight? I like it," I said. My heart was beating faster.
