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“Something like that,” Stacy muttered as she turned back to the mirror. Britney was much closer in age to Nick than she was, yet she felt just as giddy—on the inside.

“I wonder if he has a girlfriend. I bet he does. Why wouldn’t he? He’s so—”

“Gorgeous. You said that. I really have to go now.” Stacy put the cap on her lip balm and dropped it back into her purse.

“I saw him waiting in the lobby. Are you going out to lunch with him?”

“Yes. Fran was supposed to come too, but she had to cancel.” She’d added that last part for Britney’s benefit. It was bad enough that the woman had caught her primping in the mirror. She hadn’t wanted to give her any fuel for the gossip mill.

“I’m sooooo jealous.”

“Bye, Britney,” she said and rushed past her.

“Have fun,” Britney trilled as Stacy went out the door.

Between Kelsey’s phone call and Britney’s bombardment, Stacy had kept him waiting long enough. Taking a deep breath, she smoothed a hand over her blouse and then rounded the corner into the reception area.

If Nick had been disgruntled about the wait, he didn’t show it. He greeted her with a warm smile and said, “There you are. I was beginning to think I got stood up.”

The receptionist, Sherry, an attractive woman in her forties, giggled like Britney had a moment ago. “I kept him company,” she said, smiling bigger than Stacy had ever seen her do before.

“Okay, then. Ready to go?”

“Let’s do it,” he repeated.

Stacy refused to look at Sherry on the way out lest she see how his words had affected her. Nick held open the door and motioned for her to go first. As she went past him, she wished she could shut off her olfactory nerve. Hopefully, the smells in the restaurant would overpower the intoxicating scent of his cologne. First, though, she’d have to ride in a car with him…

Four

Stacy offered to drive since she knew the area. Besides, it would force her to keep her eyes on the road instead of gazing at the sun’s profile. Nick seemed perfectly content to be the passenger, folding himself into her car like he belonged there. She had a brief flashback of her ex-husband, Cole, who hated when she drove.

“What sounds good for lunch?”

“I’m easy. Whatever you want is fine.”

“There’s a good deli nearby.”

“Sounds great.”

Instead of making small talk, she decided to save it for the restaurant. In the meantime, Nick looked out the window at the passing scenery, which mostly consisted of office buildings, shops, and restaurants.

Soon she was pulling into the parking lot of the deli. The place was crowded as usual, but they were known for their fast service, which was partly why she’d suggested it. As they joined the line, she noticed a few heads turned to look at them, mostly female, of course. Based on their attire and the way they stood, near but not touching, the women had probably surmised that she and Nick were coworkers and not together. When one woman stared overly long, Stacy shot her a scowl and purposely moved a step closer to him. Nick had been studying the menu board and didn’t seem to notice, but the woman got the hint and averted her eyes.

After they placed their order, a turkey Reuben for him and a ham and swiss for her, they made their way to a table for two at the back of the restaurant.

“They’re usually pretty quick,” she said.

“I’m in no hurry.”

Cole had always been in a hurry, not that she should be comparing the two.

“So, do you live nearby?” he asked.

“About ten miles north of here.”

“I’m living with my aunt and uncle right now, but I need to find my own place.”

It was hard for her to imagine living with Fran. She couldn’t picture her out of “business mode” and doing everyday things that people did.