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The waiter nodded again. "Your orders will be ready in a few minutes."
"A salad?" I questioned when the waiter had gone.
She took a sip of her water. "I'm vegan."
My brows raised in surprise. "You are?" She nodded in confirmation. "Is there any particular reason?"
She shrugged. "I love animals. All of them. I stopped eating meat when I was ten. I've been a hardcore vegan ever since." She leaned forward slightly in her seat and stared at me with her beautiful blue eyes.
"That's impressive. You just stopped eating meat once you turned ten?"
"It was hard at first. But every time I got tempted or caught myself slipping, I'd watch a cat video or a video of an adorable dog, and it'd remind me of why I was doing it. Why I became vegan in the first place."
"Would the videos still help if you weren't eating cats and dogs?"
"How do you know I wasn't?"
"My bad, I'm sorry for assuming. Question, which one of them tastes better?"
"I'm not answering that." She took another sip of her water. My eyes fixed on her full lips as she brought them down on her glass and drank. "The answer to your first question, however, would be yes. It did help."
"How?"
"Animals aren't the same. Not by a long shot. They're smart, different, incredible creatures that each have their own strength. But watching videos about them, no matter the animal, reminded me of that. It reminded me that they're not just things to be cooked or eaten. They're alive. They feel. They laugh. They love. They learn. That was what helped."
I felt my heart swell. This woman wasn't just gorgeous and sexy. She wasn't just brilliant. She was kind. A kindness I hadn't seen in a long time.
"Did you have any pets growing up?"
"I always wanted a dog. But my mom was allergic so we couldn't get one. I still want one, but I'm too busy with work and everything. I don't want to get a pet if I rarely see it."
She took a sip from her water. I watched with rapt attention as her full lips came down on the rim of her glass.
I'd never wanted to be an object as much as I did at that moment in my life.
"Were you born here?" I asked suddenly to distract myself. I needed to think of anything else other than her lips. Or those nails that were tapping slightly on the table. Or her hair that was tucked behind her ears.
Sophia shook her head. "I was born in Maine actually. I moved here about four years ago when I graduated from college. You?"
"Born and raised. Any siblings?"
"None. I always wanted a little brother but…" She shrugged as if to say, 'Oh well.' She seemed to hesitate for a moment before she spoke again. "What about you?"
"Just one younger brother. You're lucky that you're an only child. My brother is the worst."
"I can imagine," she mumbled under her breath.
We spent the rest of lunch asking questions and learning more about each other. I found out a lot of things about Sophia. Her parents lived in Maine and she visited them a few times a year. She'd never been in a serious relationship, but she believed in true love. She was funny, quick-witted, and had the most melodious laugh I’d ever heard.
I found myself feeling a bit more than just attracted to my new secretary, although I pushed the thought away. So far, all our encounters had been strictly flirtatious with no hint of anything more. I refused to ruin that or complicate our work environment.
As we made our way into the office, I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course. Anything."
"That phone call from earlier." She stiffened slightly. "Who was that?"
"My ex-boyfriend." A sigh tumbled out of her lips. "He's an asshole. Although it doesn't matter because I'm done with him."
