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“First, let me start off with an apology.” He turned to Minka, hand humbly set in the center of his chest. “I’m sorry about how I acted before at the meeting and then again a little while ago for overstepping. I’ve still got a lot to learn about business etiquette, but I saw a chance and I took it.”
“O...kay...” Frowning curiously, Minka perched on her desk, as well.
“I had drinks with Vectra Bauer this afternoon.”
Minka’s dark eyes shifted toward Qasim. He’d stilled, his features going sharp.
“Drinks.” Qasim felt a muscle stir along his jaw. He didn’t care if it showed.
Will didn’t appear to notice. “Yeah, we ran into each other after she’d finished up a lunch meeting. We struck up a conversation... I see why you like her so much, Sim. She’s really nice. Hard to believe she’s single.”
“Uh, Will.” Minka coasted another uneasy look toward Qasim. “You said something about overstepping?”
“Right.” He threw back his head slightly in sudden remembrance. “So we got on the subject of her gallery and all her obligations and before I knew it, I’m telling her about what we’d discussed at the meeting about using her place for the scholarship event.”
Will fixed Minka with an indulgent look. “I gave you full creds and told Ms. Bauer that the idea had really been yours.”
“Did she seem interested?” Minka asked.
“Very.” Will took a step closer to the desk. “Even after I told her me and Sim weren’t too thrilled about it.”
Minka bowed her head to hide a sudden smile.
“She made me see how important it was to do all we could to see that the bulk of the money got in the hands of the folks we’re trying to help.”
Qasim tugged the loosened tie away from his collar with a touch more force than he actually needed. “Sounds like you talked for quite a while.”
“Oh yeah.” Will folded his arms over his chest, looking pleased. “She’s real easy to talk to. Before I knew it, I was talking about stuff I hadn’t thought of in years.”
Qasim could feel the stirring jaw muscle positively dancing then. He looped the tie around a half-closed fist and imagined the silken material going around the neck of a man who had once saved his life.
“So, Will, you say she sounds interested in the event?” Minka observed, returning the conversation to more peaceable details.
Will nodded, his honey-toned face reflecting his enthusiasm. “She wants me to call her with a date and time for a dinner meeting. She wants you there and anyone else with a role to play in organizing the event.”
Minka quietly sighed, not sure how to respond given the menacing element that had taken hold of Qasim’s profile. She opted for diplomacy. “Sounds like a good idea, Will, thanks. I appreciate your diligence.”
“Where’s this dinner?” Qasim’s voice carried a toneless quality. He kept his dark eyes on the tie he had wrapped around his fist.
“Nothing’s set. I’m not even sure who all needs to be there.” He looked at Minka. “Guess I could use your help deciding how big a deal we want to make this.”
“I’ll come by your office before quitting time and we’ll discuss it,” Minka offered. “Thanks for taking the reins on this.”
Will smiled broadly. “Just doin’ my job.” He nodded toward Qasim. “I’ll let you get back to work.”
Qasim managed to drag himself up out of his agitated haze. “It’s good work, Will.”
The words seemed to be the encouragement Will was looking for. He knocked a fist conspiratorially against Qasim’s upper arm and then set off in the direction of his office.
Minka made a pretense of straightening an already pristine desk. “You’re gonna cut off circulation to that hand if you wrap that tie any tighter.”
That comment made Qasim smile, and he felt some of his tension wane. “I’m not handling this too well, am I?”
“Well, it is Vectra Bauer.” Minka shrugged. “Men tend to go stupider than usual over her, I think.”
He grunted then eased off the desk. “Amen to that. Keep me posted on this dinner meeting. I want to be there.”
“Will do,” Minka called.
Heading for his office, Qasim stopped before he rounded the corner. “You wanted to tell me something.”
Minka waved a hand. “It can wait.”
“No, it can’t,” he guessed.
She smiled self-consciously. “Something’s telling me that my ‘nothing’ probably really is nothing.”
Sim assessed her for an extended moment. “Why the change?”
