The next minute, I saw a group of elementary school kids walking by. I pointed out the window. “What are they doing out so early?”
Miles glanced at the clock and did his famous shrug. “They have early release too. It’s one thirty. Time for them to be out.”
“Crap.” I wadded my napkin and threw it on my tray. “I’m late.” I’d promised Cam I’d meet him between one and one thirty and squeeze in a cup of coffee before heading to the airport. I’d blown it now. He was probably waiting for me. “I’m sorry. I have to run.”
“Hey, I get it. Busy life.” Miles slid out of the booth.
I grabbed my purse and pulled out my phone to text Cam. “I really am sorry. This has been great. We should do it more often.” My thumbs flew as I typed out a text to Cam, apologizing to him, too, saying I’d have to cancel. There wasn’t enough time. I was feeling heavy with regret.
Miles nodded. “Yeah.” He pointed to my bag. “You going to make it to the airport on time?”
I nodded. “I’ll call an Uber. No problem.”
Cam texted me back. I can’t stand another minute without seeing you. Let me drive you to the airport. I’ll bring coffee. I insist.
“Must be the boyfriend,” Miles said.
“What?” I said, distracted by Cam’s text.
“You have that sappy look on your face again.”
I laughed. “Caught. Yeah. It’s him.” My thumbs were flying. “He’s going to pick me up and take me to the airport.”
“Okay then.” Miles glanced at the clock again. “Should I wait around and check this guy out?”
“Absolutely not.” I looked mock aghast at Miles. “I’ve only been seeing him for a week. I don’t need you scaring him off.”
Miles laughed. “Okay. I get it. I gotta run too, anyway, or I’ll be late. You’ll be okay here waiting for him?”
“I’m a big girl,” I said. “I think I can handle it. Go. We’ll get together again soon?”
“You betcha.” He surprised me with a big bear hug and took off.
I waited for Cam outside. I stuck my thumb out when I saw him pull up to the curb not fifteen minutes later.
He rolled down his window. “You don’t hitchhike your car service.” He wore that grin that made my knees go weak.
“Sorry,” I said. “My faux pas.”
He jumped out of the car and pulled me into his arms, kissing me as if we hadn’t seen each other for years. I didn’t want him to let go. But finally, someone in a car that wanted by honked.
“Impatient bastards.” Cam took my bag and loaded it in the trunk while I got in the passenger seat. “Fancy establishments you hold your meetings at.”
“It was the other party’s choice,” I said. “The coffee’s not bad.”
“It’s not great, either.” He buckled up, grabbed a to-go cup from the cup holder, and handed it to me. “This is better.”
I grabbed his hand, leaned my head back against the headrest, and took a sip of coffee. “You’re right. This is better. Much better.”
He’d gotten me my favorite.
I smiled at him as he pulled away from the curb into traffic. He squeezed my hand. “Damn, I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” I squeezed his hand back. “Thanks for understanding.”
He gave me a surprised look. “No problem. Why wouldn’t I? You told me you were double-booked and might not be able to squeeze me in. Important clients come first.”
I hesitated. I didn’t know why I didn’t tell him about Miles. I just wasn’t ready to let my past and all its tragedy spill into my happy present. “You should always come first.”
“Good to hear, but not always practical, I know.” He headed for the freeway. “How were your meetings?”
“Good,” I said, intentionally not sharing more. Yeah, keep some of the mystery alive. Sure, that was as good a rationale as any.
Cam glanced at me. “From your expression, you look like they were more than just good.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I feel very good about them.” Extremely good about the direction Miles was heading with his life, at least.
Cam and I held hands as he drove and I drank my coffee.
“How are things on your end?” I asked him.
“Fantastic. I’m enjoying my side project, some community outreach stuff I’m proud of. And my new venture is perking along.”
How could holding his hand be so intoxicating? Just the simple human touch. I’d missed the intimacy of handholding for too long. Even the way we laced fingers was intimate.
“That’s good to hear.” I relaxed, happily content. He was such a great guy, a perfect guy, a catch. I turned to him suddenly, blurting out what came to mind: “Why are you still single?”
“What?” He looked startled by the question. And pleased.
“I mean it—the women in this city are idiots. Someone should have snapped you up years ago. I mean, I’m glad they didn’t, for my sake. Their loss is my gain. But still.”
His whole face lit up. “I’m glad you think so. You’d have a different opinion if you’d seen the geeky me of a few years ago before Lazer and Ashley fixed me up.”
I shook my head and laughed. “I doubt it. I’m not afraid of a fixer-upper. And I recognize good bones when I see them.” I motioned toward my chest with my cup of coffee. “It’s what’s inside that matters. The rest is just a window dressing.”
Now he shook his head. “All right. I’ll talk to my trainer and tell him he can ease off on me now.”
I squeezed his hand. “Well, eye candy isn’t bad, either.”
He focused on the road. “I could say the same about you—what’s wrong with the guys in this town? Why hasn’t someone put a ring on your finger?”
I hesitated, heart thumping wildly. Should I tell the truth? I wasn’t ready to go there.
Cam frowned and glanced at me with concern.
“Someone did.” My coffee shook in my hand. I set it in the cup holder and grabbed the door rest to steady myself.
“Sorry.” His furrow deepened.
I shook my head. “No. My fault. I’m sorry. I gave you the wrong impression. I was engaged. Years ago. We were both very young. Long story—the wedding never happened. I’ll tell you about it someday, but not now. It was…traumatic. And set me back in the dating sphere for quite a while.”
Until you. But I wasn’t ready to say that aloud just yet.
He’d been holding my hand tightly, but managed to give it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry for whatever happened. But not for me. My gain. Is that selfish?”
“No. It’s adorable.” On impulse, I leaned over and kissed his cheek.
He pulled our clenched hands to his lip and kissed my hand as he signaled his turn into the airport. I leaned my head on his shoulder. How had the trip flown by so quickly?
He pulled up in front of departures. “We’re here in record time. The traffic was unusually light.” He sounded as regretful as I felt.
“Damn traffic.” I rubbed his arm and sat up straight. “I was hoping for more time with you.”
His looked adorably flattered. “And here I thought you’d compliment my superior car service.” He put the car in park.
I kissed him quickly. Just a peck on the lips, but it conveyed the message. “Great job picking the fastest route, buster. Next time, maybe take the slow lane.”
“I can’t take the credit. Blame Google for the route.”
“I will,” I said. “I would, but I think the old ‘time flies’ saying applies here.”
“Okay.” He nodded, looking surprisingly serious. “I’ll keep that in mind. Next time I’ll bore you with something technical and dry, so the time will drag on and seem longer.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” I laughed.
He raised his eyebrows. “It’s either that or try to travel at the speed of light where time stands still. And we don’t have the technology for that yet.”
“Too bad. I’d like to stand still in ti
me with you.”
“The feeling’s mutual.” He kissed me and jumped out to retrieve my bag from the trunk.
I slid out of the car and waited for him to join me.
With my bag over his shoulder, he pulled me into an embrace and slid his hand behind my neck. “Our Saturday date is still in the planning stages. I have a lot of ideas and fun in mind.”
“Fun sounds good. I like fun. What do you have in mind?”
“It’s a surprise. Anything you really won’t do?”
“I’m not fond of heights.”
“Duly noted.”
“How about a tiny hint?”
He shook his head. “Nope. I want you thinking about it. And me. Plan on giving me the whole day, starting with breakfast.”
“Eating again, are we? That’s dangerous business.”
“A man’s gotta eat.” He cupped my head. “See you at eight? Too early?”
“No. Perfect.”
“Dress for adventure.” He leaned down to kiss me.
I tilted my head to his, anticipating the sweet pressure of his lips on mine and the thrill of his body pressing me tightly to him. I’d missed that feeling of possession, too. It was a romantic notion, but sweet.
I closed my eyes and kissed him back, wrapping my arms around him. He smelled good. He tasted good. I didn’t want to leave him. I almost begged him to come with me to Portland. That’s how in love I was.
Once again, honking broke us apart.
He looked over his shoulder at the busy departure lanes. An airport cop cruised slowly by. “Keep this up and I’m going to exceed my five-minute limit.” He ran his fingers through my hair. “Until Saturday?”
“I can’t wait.”
“Me either.” He kissed me quickly again. “Safe travels.” He handed me my bag and then stood on the sidewalk, watching me enter the building.
Inside, I watched him get in the car and drive away before heading to the security checkpoint.
Goodbyes are always hard. But ever since saying goodbye to Adam when he was heading off to his last deployment, they’d gotten brutal. Rationally, I knew the chances of an accident happening were small, and most of the time I’d see the other person again and everything would be just fine. But…
I still remembered how Adam’s arms felt around me that last time, the intensity of my emotions. How much I loved him. How much he felt like he was my every breath. How certain I was that our future was together and bright and happy. Once life shows you you’re at its whim, you lose a certain amount of confidence. If tragedy can strike once, it can strike again. It’s a feeling that’s hard to fight and even harder to conquer. I was still trying. The more you risk your heart, the harder it is.
I never thought I’d find what I had with Adam again. But now I found myself just as breathless every time I thought of Cam. And so much more vulnerable. Leaving him was just as hard, however temporary it was. And never mind it had been less than a week since we met. If this wasn’t love, I didn’t know what was. When you meet your soul mate, you know, right?
*
Cam
As I pulled away from the airport, wearing an ear-to-ear grin, I felt like a kid again. I was as eager for Saturday as a kid is for his birthday. I’d lied. I’d planned our Saturday and had the most adventurous, romantic date I could imagine on tap for us. Fortunately, nothing involving heights. Ashley had already warned me to avoid skydiving. Matchmaking profiles had their advantages. Toria was going to love this date. I’d made sure of that.
The only thing that could make my life more perfect was securing that office space for my kids. I had the new kid in the group particularly on my mind. Miles was more eager than most. So eager that he reminded me of myself at that age.
Poor kid. His older brother was a vet who’d been wounded in the line of duty and hadn’t come home in his right mind. Head injury. Miles seemed devastated by it. I thought the group and the opportunities were having a positive impact on him. I did my best to engage him.
He and the others had given me a nickname—CTO. I was really more like chief listener and bottle washer. These kids really impressed me.
I was meeting with them this afternoon. I promised them I’d drop by after my date with Toria and see how their projects were coming along. They’d be eager and press me again about my progress in renting a more permanent location. They were so damned eager to get their new equipment and lab so they could get out of the planning phase and get to work on their projects. We had competitions coming up in the summer. There was no time to spare.
I frowned as I drove. I passed a playground. Some kids were out playing on the big toys. Too bad no one had swings anymore. Too dangerous. Everything fun was deemed dangerous these days. If only I could swing getting that office space…
I stopped short at my own mental turn of a phrase. Swing. That’s it.
That fun, quirky swing in the office. Too dangerous. A liability. An uninsurable one, I bet.
My heart raced. Yeah. I think I have you.
I felt vaguely guilty about using a swing against the current tenant. But I’d ruthlessly take whatever leverage I could get. For the kids. Unless I missed my guess, she was in violation of the terms of her lease agreement and insurance. This would mean no swing for my kids, either. Such was life.
I used my Bluetooth and called Dave, my real estate agent. “I think I have something we can use to get that space.”
12
Toria
After a successful round of meetings in Portland on Friday, I was at the airport waiting for my flight home when I got an email from the property manager I’d been haggling with over extending my lease. I was excited, hoping they’d finally come to their senses and accepted my very generous offer. Until I opened the email.
Dear Ms. Williams,
We’ve been informed that you’re in violation of the terms of our occupancy contract. Acting on this tip, and in accordance with our rights as landlords and managers of the property, we made a surprise inspection to the premises this morning. According to paragraph 10.2.8 of our contract, Insurance and Liability, you’re out of compliance with our agreement to carry adequate liability insurance.
You have a piece of dangerous, out-of-code play equipment in your office space that is uninsurable and a liability issue for both you and us—a bright pink swing suspended from the ceiling in your lobby area. (See attached photo of violation.)
Swings violate the safe workplace standards according to OSHA guidelines. (They linked to the guidelines in question.)
We respectfully request that you remove the offending piece of nonstandard office equipment immediately. And, because of your violation, we are terminating your lease at the natural end of your lease at the end of the month. In addition, we’re rescinding our offer of first right of extension of the lease to you.
Thank you for your prompt compliance. Failure to comply may result in additional fines and penalties.
Best regards,
*
By the time I finished reading the email, I was furious and shaking with indignation. My first inclination was to call them and give them a piece of my mind. My second inclination was to call Cam and cry on his shoulder.
Fortunately, my saner head prevailed. I did neither. I forwarded the email to my lawyer and turned the matter over to him.
My flight began boarding. I still really wanted to call Cam and get his support, but there wasn’t time before I boarded and had to put my phone in airplane mode. That was a good thing, too. Maybe if we’d been dating longer, I could have done it. As it was, I still wanted to make a good impression before he saw me angry and upset. My lawyer would have to handle it. I wasn’t going to mention it until well after our fifth date tomorrow.
The fifth date was a big event for us. If it went well, we could be in an official relationship. I’d let business interfere, interrupt, and disrupt my personal life too often. In fact, it had been my personal life since Adam’s tragedy. For once, just this big, important
once, I was going to push business to the back of my mind.
*
Toria
I met Cam at eight in the morning at the appointed destination—an alley behind Fifth Avenue some distance away from the back of the Lipstick Spy School.
As always, a smile broke out on my face the moment I spotted him. He was wearing nothing special, really—jeans, a logoed T-shirt, and a jacket. But wow, nothing special looked hot on him. Imagine what he’d look like with nothing at all. I had to push that tantalizing image away or blush. The morning was chilly, but the day was mostly clear. Only a few clouds floated across the sky. There was the promise of heat later. So much promise.
He pulled me into his arms and kissed me thoroughly and passionately. We both knew what this day was about. We were already eager and needy. Neither of us wanted to part.
I was all too aware of the heat of his hand at my back and the way my body reacted to him. My heart beat happily. I was fevered, but if the way we felt for each other was a disease, I hoped our joy was wildly contagious. I wanted everybody to experience this kind of delirium at least once.
“So we’re lurking in alleys now?” I said when we let go of the kiss, side-eyeing our surroundings.
He grinned and hitched his thumb at an old-fashioned London-style phone booth.
I’d been so preoccupied with him that I hadn’t even noticed it. “That’s some phone booth. Is 1950 calling?”
His eyes lit up. He opened his hand and jangled a key then whispered in my ear, “Secret underground entrance to the spy school. For high-level VIP guests only.” He took my arm and led me to it. “Let the adventure begin!”
He unlocked the booth, pushed the door open, and stepped aside to let me pass. “After you.”
“What do you have planned?” I walked in only slightly leery. Already my adrenaline was kicking in.
“A very important mission.” He stepped in after me and closed the door. “You said you were up for adventure.”
Mr. Accidental Rival_Jet City Matchmaker Series_Cam Page 10