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He banished the thought. He liked his life. He was happy being a bachelor—not allowing anyone close enough to hurt him. He had nothing to worry about.
“I’m sorry about dinner,” he said as they neared his apartment.
“The food was good.”
“I meant the company.” He wheeled into his parking spot.
“I’m sorry your deal fell through.”
“I’m not.” He never thought he’d say those words and mean them, but he did mean it. “I won’t do business with someone so stuck in his ways.” Ric’s gaze met hers. “Thank you for being so good about everything.”
“What will you do?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t have a backup plan because I thought I’d come up with the best pairing, his company and my program. I obviously thought he would be professional. I was wrong.”
“You aren’t giving up, are you?”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “You think I should try to work with that man?”
“Not necessarily him, but I’m sure your program can help another company.”
She was right, even if he wasn’t in the mood to hear it right now. At the moment, he just wanted to wallow in his disdain and anger. Sure, come tomorrow he’d see things in a different light. But for now, he just wanted to leave the subject alone.
Ric climbed out of the car and before he could round the car to get Gia’s door, she let herself out. She was unlike the other women he’d dated. Gia wasn’t helpless, but she could ask for help when she needed to. He admired her strength.
The more time he spent with her, the more he liked her. And he knew that was dangerous. Because when she tracked down her father, she would leave the island—leave him.
Unless he was to keep her at a friendly distance. He
could do that. After all, it wasn’t like he was falling in love with her. He could do the friends with benefits thing. He prided himself on being able to accomplish most anything he set his mind on. This wouldn’t be any different.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
SHE FELT BAD for Ric.
The meeting had been a total bust.
Gia wished there was something she could do to help him. But she knew absolutely nothing about computers, other than the basics. Programming was way beyond her abilities.
Still, she could tell Ric was going to be in a funk the rest of the evening if she didn’t come up with a way to distract him. But what could she suggest that would keep him from heading back to his study where he’d grow even more melancholy?
When they entered Ric’s apartment, the puppy came running up to them.
Arff. Arff.
“Does somebody need to go out?” Gia knelt and petted the little guy.
His tail rapidly swished back and forth.
“Okay. We’ll go.” She straightened and reached for the red leash on the black stand near the front door. It was then that she noticed Ric was lingering nearby and a thought came to her. “Would you like to join us for a walk?”
Ric shook his head. “That’s okay.”
It wasn’t a direct no. In fact, it wasn’t a no at all. And so she tried again. “It’s a lovely evening. We could walk to the little gelato shop I spotted. I’ve been dying to try it. And then we could—”
She stopped herself before saying they could watch the sunset together. She was pretty certain that would sound like she was crossing the line between their arrangement to care for Gin and romance.
She told herself she had no room in her life for romance. She didn’t even know who she was. Putting the brakes on this relationship was for the best. But she knew it was a lie. She’d fallen for Ric. Hard.
