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After lunch, Paul excused us from the table and walked me to the restaurant entrance.
“Laurence will drive you to the dorms.”
I fidgeted with the strap of my tote bag. “So that’s it? I didn’t tell you anything.”
“No, I believe I learned a lot about you, Ms. Sokol. But I’m out of time.”
Disappointment set in and I hunched my shoulders, deflated. “Okay. Well, thank you for lunch,” I said with a lift to my voice and a wave. I must have failed any further consideration for surrogacy.Now I’ll have to go to that stupid sugar baby mixer.
He lowered his perfectly shaped brows and asked me coyly, “Have I disappointed you, Nadia?”
My insides warmed. Something was sexy about the way his rich baritone voice said my name. “No. That was the best meal I’ve ever had. Thank you, and well, don’t be a stranger.” I let out a dry laugh.
He broke into a broad smile. “I must go. Give me your phone so I can give you my personal number.”
My hands fumbled in my bag for my Nokia 6300 4G phone, and I flushed as I watched him type in his number. A few seconds later, I heard his phone ring—the latest iPhone. Sharing phone numbers was against the rules, right? Paul sat on theboard, so he was aware. I didn’t ask because I’d reached my limit for bad news in one day.
“If you ever need anything, call me.”
“Not that anyone cares what I say, but the restaurant is at the other end of the Universe,” I joked. It was the last line ofThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
A pained expression crossed Paul’s face, and I didn’t know why, though I was sure I’d said the wrong thing.
“Sorry. I’m goofy when I’m nervous,” I lied. To be honest, Paul made me nervous.
He gave me a rueful smile. “Goodbye, Nadia.”
Puzzled, I watched his exquisite, confident stride as he walked away from me.God, Paul is by far the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen, and he took me to lunch!Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d done something wrong. He seemed so much older than the thirteen-year difference in our age.
When I returned to the dorms, I tried to get into my homework, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Paul and his reaction at the end of lunch. I paced in my dorm until I gave up and called his number.
“Nadia,” he said on answering.
My heart hammered hard.OMG. What am I doing?
“You…you probably didn’t expect to hear from me so soon, and I know I’m supposed to be cool, but I need to know if I said something wrong.” I bit my lip hard and touched my twisting stomach.
He was quiet for a few moments, and then he said. “Aubrey, my late wife. She had a fondness forThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. When we first met, she quoted the book, and I was….”
He didn’t answer, but I knew he must’ve been hurt.
“I’m sorry, Paul.”
“So you called to comfort me? You’re softhearted, but you need not worry about me.” He sounded playful again, but I believed it was a cover. I did that all the time when anyone tried to bring up my past. But I knew he was also trying to distance himself from the memory of his wife’s death.
“Now you regret giving me your number,” I teased.
“I don’t, Nadia. I like how comfortable you are in contacting me. You can do it anytime.”
“Really? I mean, surely you don’t mean anytime.”
“Yes, I do. No restrictions. If I’m available, we’ll talk. I enjoyed today.”
“I did too.”Too much.I had no idea what else to say to him and didn’t want to blow it. “Well then, I guess I’ll talk to you again soon, Paul.”
“Great, Nadia. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
We ended the call, and I touched my heart, pounding with excitement at talking to Paul. Thinking over our conversation in my mind, I didn’t know if I’d overstepped, or even what to do next. I debated about who I could ask for advice. Sophie? Isabelle? I wasn’t sure if I even had anything to tell, really.It was only a spontaneous lunch after my argument at his agency.
