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“You’re mean.” Janessa turned to face Aria. “Butyou’renot. Will you bring me some food?”
“Sure. I suppose I could do that.”
“See, Gareth?” Janessa flicked her hand in his direction. “That’s how a nice person responds to a desperate plea for good food.”
As usual, Aria enjoyed watching the siblings interact. She was also excited about the plans for her date with Gareth, but she just hoped that she didn’t screw anything up.
So many wonderful things had happened over the past few weeks, and she was worried that maybe there had been too many. It was like waiting for the other shoe to drop, but maybe there was no other shoe. Maybe this was going to make up for the absolutely horrible two years she’d had to endure.
“Well, I’m heading out,” Jay said with a salute. “I need to get to the school for practice.”
“Are you ready to go?” Janessa asked Aria as Jay disappeared down the hall toward the back of the building.
“I can give you a ride if you’re not ready to go yet,” Gareth offered.
“That sounds perfect,” Janessa said before Aria had a chance to respond. “I’ll see you at home.”
With that pronouncement, Janessa gave a wave of her hand, then followed Jay.
Gareth chuckled. “That one has never been subtle.”
“I just have to finalize this order, then I’ll be ready to go.”
“No rush.” He pulled his legs in and got to his feet. “I’ll be in my office. Just come get me when you’re ready.”
Aria nodded, then watched as he walked away from her. She still had a hard time believing that a man like Gareth would really be interested in someone like her. Of course, he didn’t really know her all that well yet, so he might change his mind once they’d spent a little time together.
Shaking her head, Aria tried to rid herself of the negative thoughts so she could focus on the order. It was important that she do this correctly so Jay wouldn’t have any reason to complain about her work.
Once the order was submitted, she wrote the transaction number on the paper copy of the order, then put it in the file Janessa had shown her. She’d use it to verify they got everything when the order came in.
After that was done, she made sure everything was ready for the next day, then she shut down the computer. The clinic was eerily silent as she left the reception area, shutting off lights as she moved toward the hall. She knew the cleaner would be in shortly, but for the time being, it was just her and Gareth in the building.
As she passed Gareth’s office, she paused and knocked on his door. “I’m just going to grab my coat and purse, then I’ll be ready to go.”
“Perfect.” Gareth pushed back from his desk. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
In the small staff room, Aria pulled on her warm jacket. She met Gareth by the back door, where he set the alarm before holding the door open for her.
The sun had already set, and the air held a chill, making her doubly glad for the thick jacket she wore.
“We might end up with some snow,” Gareth said as he started the car. “They’ve been forecasting it, and it feels like maybe they’re right.”
“I don’t suppose that you shut down the clinic for a little snow.”
Gareth laughed. “Nope. We don’t shut down much of anything around here for a little snow, and it’s been a while since we’ve had a snowfall that did shut things down.”
Aria angled herself in her seat so that she could watch Gareth, but she wasn’t able to see him well in the dimly lit car. “I wasn’t sure if you were actually asking me on a date earlier.”
“But you said yes,” Gareth said. “So, what did you think you were agreeing to?”
“I thought maybe it was just a desire on your part to get to know me better as an employee.”
“Huh. I guess I should have clarified. Maybe if I hadn’t asked you at work, it might have been clearer.” He paused, then looked over at her as he pulled to a stop at a red light. “Would you have said no if you’d known it was a date? I mean, I don’t want you to feel like you have to go if you’d prefer not to.”
“Idowant to go,” Aria hurried to assure him. “I would have happily accepted either reason for a dinner with you.”
Gareth put the car in motion again, and in the flashes of light from the lampposts as they drove, Aria could see a smile on his face. “I’m glad to hear that.”
