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I wanted to scream. If anything, Clive looked even better than the last time I saw him at an event for Marcie’s consignment store, the Blind Hem, where I worked for her.
He’d been hitting the weights or something, and his tall frame, already lean and fit, filled out his suit jacket to perfection. Even my Screech Owl entrée, so fancy that I had no idea what half the ingredients were and the menu didn’t list a price, tasted like dust because I was so hyper focused on Clive.
His nearness, the seductive scent of his cologne, the solid way he felt against me when he greeted me with a hug when I’d arrived. And he was kind and funny and charming the whole-time during cocktails and our meal, never once betraying that he felt anything other than something resembling paternal affection for me. I drank in every second of it, even though I knew better than to hope for something more with this beautiful, brilliant man.
“So Frankie,” he rumbled in that deep, perfect voice. He set his elbows on the table and linked his fingers together as he locked his warm brown eyes on me and cocked his head. “How have you been doing? We’ve been talking about the store and work and everything, but I want to hear about you.”
I took a hurried sip of red wine and pushed my dark curls back over my shoulder. “Things are good,” I said. “Great, honestly.”
“Great?” he pressed, tipping his head skeptically. “C’mon, we’ve known each other for years. I really do want to know how you’re doing.”
It took me a second to think of what to say—so few people outside of Marcie and my other best friend, Kresley, ever really did ask me that question and want the real answer. I was good time Frankie, so everyone always assumed the answer was I’m fabulous, thanks, and we’re meeting for cocktails later if you’d like to join us.
Was it safe to confide in Clive? Sure, he was my ultimate unattainable fantasy, but he was also a good person. Kind. And a great listener. He always had been.
“Personally, spinning my wheels a little bit, I think,” I said carefully. “I like to go out and have a good time, be the life of the party, whatever, but it…” I trailed off with a shrug, unsure how to explain it. “Sometimes I feel a little bit—I don’t know, boxed in, I guess. Like people think that’s all there is to me.”
Clive raised an eyebrow. “How do you mean?”
I sighed and swirled my wine in my glass. “I dated this guy for a little while—a finance bro. You know, very into the whole startup scene and trying to get angel investors for something he and his friends had cooked up.”
“I’ll be honest, he already sounds like a dipshit,” he said, wrinkling his nose. “Does this story have a happy ending?”
“Of course not.” I tried to make it sound like a joke, but it was hard to deny the slight bitterness lacing my tone. “We broke up, and he told me that I was…well, unserious was the word he used.”
Clive grimaced. “Oh, ouch.”
“Yeah,” I said, remembering how much that statement hurt. “I told him to have a nice life.”
He took a deep breath and frowned, like he was thinking hard about what he wanted to say next, but before he could open his mouth and get it out, our server dropped the slim leather folio with the bill on the table. Clive didn’t miss a beat—he pulled out a black credit card and tucked it inside, handing it back to the server before she even had a chance to walk away.
“Do you want to get out of here and go for a walk?” he asked. “I think and talk better on my feet, and then maybe we can grab another drink or something.” He glanced down at his watch—expensive-looking gold and leather, the kind of thing that people called a timepiece because it sounded classier than plain old watch. “It’s not even that late. What do you say? Sounds like you have some stuff on your mind, and honestly, I’m not in the mood to go sit alone in my hotel just yet.”
The server placed the folio back on the table, and Clive grabbed his card and slid it back into his wallet before signing the slip inside.
“You in?” he asked again. He stood and held his hand out to me.
I felt something spark, deep in my heart, buried underneath the layers of disappointment and unrequited affection. I placed my hand in his and let him pull me to my feet, trying not to imagine what tonight would have been like had this been a real date.
I smiled and decided I didn’t want to be alone tonight just yet, either. “Let’s go.”
“So I know you’re not unserious,” Clive said as we exited the restaurant and he let go of my hand. “And Marcie and Kresley definitely take you seriously. I guess the question is, do you take yourself seriously?”
The sunset blazed over the city as we strolled down the street, a last few minutes of warm sunshine before the cool evening breezes off the bay took over. Every so often, our fingertips would brush, and the fleeting touches jolted through my body like electricity. I felt better out here, a little less stiff. More like myself—a Seattle girl through and through.
“I do, yeah,” I said carefully. “I’m way more than just some party girl. I graduated magna cum laude from college, did you know that?”
He glanced down at me and nodded. “I remember. That’s very impressive.”
I shrugged. “I honestly can’t recall the last time I told anybody, because then they ask about my major, and when I tell them I have a degree in apparel merchandising, it’s like all those good grades don’t matter anymore.” I heard the frustration in my own voice.
Clive turned to look at me as he sat on a bench that looked out over the water. “Marcie appreciates it. You help make that store work. She’s told me more than once that she couldn’t do it without you.”
I smiled at the praise as I smoothed my skirt and lowered myself down next to him. We sat a few inches apart, but I could feel the warm, welcoming heat radiating from his big, elegant body. I fantasized about moving closer and burrowing my face against his neck.
“I know that,” I said softly, shaking those thoughts from my mind. “Praise from Marcie—well, it matters a lot. She’s one of the most important people in my life.”
“Mine too,” he agreed. “She’s the best. Her mother would be very proud of the woman she’s become.”
