“First, can I ask why I’m here? For an interview for Blair’s job or because you’re feeling out of sorts at the way the night ended?”
He smirked at her. Her face was flush. It took a lot for her to ask that and he wasn’t offended when many would be.
“Both.”
“I deserve that. Which one do you want to start with? I have to admit I’m surprised you’d consider me for the job and just assumed it would be to find out the more... personal part of what happened.”
“If that was the case, why did you show up?”
She uncrossed her legs, switching them to the other side.
He knew it wasn’t on purpose to draw his eye there, but it happened, nevertheless.
Her fingers were curling some and relaxing, almost wiggling around. She was shifting in the chair, but the whole time her eyes stayed locked on him.
She was nervous, but she wasn’t backing down.
A trait he could appreciate.
“To clear the air. There are several reasons it wouldn’t work out with me being your assistant. But I don’t like the way I felt the next day, and for me to move past it, I’ve learned I’ve got to deal with it head on, no matter how uncomfortable it is.”
Talk about a shot to his ego. “How did you feel the next day?”
“Horrible.”
What the fuck?!
“Excuse me?” He fought not to lift his eyebrows but didn’t think he succeeded.
“Sorry. I’m not trying to insult you. Please, please don’t think that. It’s more an insult to me. I’ve never done that in my life.Ever.”
“Why did you then?”
She inhaled and then exhaled loudly. The scent of mint drifted toward him.
“Trying to break out of imposter syndrome.”
This was getting even weirder. “You’ll have to explain that to me.”
“It goes with why you don’t remember me. Think short, chubby, wild hair that was often falling out of a messy ponytail. A young girl sitting off by herself in the corner with a book and not a friend.”
His jaw dropped.
Holy shit.
He remembered that. Almost exactly.
“Wow,” he said. “Talk about a flashback. Damn.”
“See. And try beingthatperson and having Norris as your father.”
His shoulders dropped with his exhale. “Enough said.”
“There you go. I’m not going to break down my life to you. It’s not about that. None of this is. We all figure it out at some point, even if some think it’s later than others. On the outside, I got healthy and showed off confidence.”
“But on the inside you didn’t have it?”
“It never seemed it. Not with men. I went to the casino that night to just experience a night out that I never had before. Maybe I thought that doing it in a strange place it’d be easier. You came over to me, not the other way around.”
