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Toby scrambled up onto her lap and she sat petting him, thinking over what had happened that day.
She’d probably been reckless. After all, she had invited Jordan to say what she already knew, that he didn’t trust her. So why be offended or hurt when he obliged? It was illogical, especially when he clearly questioned everything and everyone.
Most of her anger had passed by the time she’d come out to the parking lot on the way to the career fair. Noticing Jordan’s car, she had walked over, intending to mend fences by inviting him to drive with her, since he’d obviously stuck around for that reason. But he’d been deeply asleep.
Unlike some folks who looked slack-jawed while napping upright, Jordan had simply appeared relaxed—in some ways the happiest she’d ever seen him. It had to be her imagination. She’d hate to think any person was at their happiest while unconscious.
Deciding not to awaken him, Nicole had left a note as a way of ribbing him over their earlier clash. So far, she hadn’t seen many signs he had a sense of humor, but she didn’t think it was totally absent. And if he was tired enough to fall asleep in his car, that could account for some of his stiff-necked attitude.
Her phone rang. “Hello?”
Jordan’s deep voice came over the line. “Nicole, I’m glad I caught you. I apologize for missing this afternoon’s event.”
“It was mostly teenage girls hoping for their big break. You probably would have been bored.”
“Yeah, well, I also called because I wasn’t at my best earlier and I’m sorry.”
“That’s water under the bridge,” she said lightly.
“Can we discuss it?”
“Is there any point? Jordan, you don’t seem to like or believe in anyone or anything. Trying to convince you that I’m an exception is a waste of energy. Besides, I’m not an exception. I’ve traveled all over the world and worked with good and bad and found that most people tend to be decent. I’m sure that doesn’t suit your skeptical outlook.” Nicole intentionally didn’t use the word cynical since he’d objected to the description.
Silence.
“There’s nothing wrong with skepticism,” he finally said. “It keeps you from being disappointed.”
“When it’s your ironclad fallback position, it also keeps you from getting close to anybody because you’re always looking for their faults instead of being with them. I’m guessing that also has something to do with why you decided to stay single.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Toby had been looking up at her and seemed distressed at the tone in her voice. He snuggled closer and sighed as she rubbed his neck.
“Perhaps,” she acknowledged, “and for your sake I hope I’m wrong because nobody is perfect and control is an illusion. But it doesn’t really matter, does it? After the articles are written, you’ll go your way and I’ll go mine. We won’t see each other again unless we happen to pass each other on the running trail or you come to visit Chelsea.”
Another silence, longer this time, before he answered. “Right. I’ll get off now so you can get ready for your date.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t think that Chelsea was speaking out of turn. I asked her if you were returning to the agency and she explained you had other plans.”
Nicole’s eyebrows rose. Jordan assumed that “plans” meant a date? Perhaps that was best.
“Fine. Have a nice evening, Jordan,” she said.
“Thanks. I’ll call or come by in the morning to arrange another time for us to get together.”
“Okay. Good night.”
“’Night.”
Nicole smiled wryly as she hit the off button on her phone handset. For a moment she stepped into the downstairs powder room and looked in the mirror; her hair was mussed and her lip gloss had worn off hours earlier. Hardly the image of a supermodel. One thing was certain: she was even more convinced that Jordan was the last man to develop romantic ideas about. He would want the fantasy, the perfection that only existed in a photograph. Someone who was flawless in every way.
Maybe he knew it wasn’t possible for any woman to be like that, or any relationship to be without its difficulties. So he’d decided to go it alone, to be content with being single and able to do as he liked.
