by Lisa Dyson
“Yeah, real funny.” Allie wasn’t laughing, though.
CHAPTER FIVE
JACK LEFT HIS suit jacket and tie in his office and walked the two blocks to the coffee shop to meet Allie. He’d unbuttoned his top shirt button and rolled up his sleeves on the warm, sunny day. He hoped the weather was a favorable forecast of his time with Allie.
Meeting for coffee wasn’t his usual go-to for a first date, if that’s what this could be called. Drinks were more his style, followed by a nice dinner or maybe a club with a great band playing. For some reason, he didn’t quite feel like himself when he was around Allie. Not that it was a bad thing. In fact, he felt pretty good when she was close by.
He reached the large front door of Café Lisbon with its thick glass panel surrounded by a wooden frame with years of worn paint. A bell tinkled as he opened the door and stepped inside.
“Hey, Jack.” The barista greeted him from the cappuccino machine. “What can I get you?” She added a plastic lid to the drink she’d just created and handed it to her customer. Coffee was the main event here, but they also served a small selection of breakfast and lunch items.
“The usual,” Jack answered. “Medium black coffee, dark roast if it’s already made.” He looked over the room of small, round tables with assorted styles of well-worn wooden chairs. There were several people sitting alone at tables either with a laptop or electronic device that they were concentrating on, or they had their noses buried in a newspaper or book. Two women sat chatting quietly at the table by the window, but he didn’t see Allie anywhere.
“Here you go,” the barista answered with the confident smile of a woman who knew she was attractive.
He pulled out his wallet and paid for his coffee. “This is for you.” He gave her a large tip. “And this money is to pay for whatever a certain woman with chin-length, dark hair and piercing blue eyes wants.” He glanced at the front door. “She should be here any minute.” He didn’t know Allie that well, but he had a hunch that she wouldn’t allow him to pay for her coffee unless he caught her off guard.
He took his coffee and chose a seat at a table where he could watch for her. He didn’t have long to wait. Even through the glass, she sucked him in completely. She wore a black blazer and matching skirt with a red blouse that buttoned down the front. Her red high heels were what made her outfit go from office attire to downright sexy.
She went straight to the counter to order without even acknowledging him. Jack couldn’t hear the conversation between her and the barista, but Allie didn’t have a pleased look on her face when she looked over in his direction. Her lips were pinched and her eyes narrowed.
Was she upset that he’d paid for her coffee? It wasn’t that big a deal, was it?
She turned her back to him, dug in her purse and removed her wallet. She gave the barista money and must have told her to keep the change, because the barista dropped money from the cash register into the tip jar. Allie didn’t turn around again until her drink was ready.
She was a vision as she came toward Jack, drink in hand. He stood as she came closer and was about to offer her a friendly hug when he saw the expression on her face go from ticked off to full-blown angry.
“Did you think you could make everything better by paying for my coffee?” She carefully placed her cup on the table and then yanked the chair from under the table before he could pull it out for her. She sat down across from him.
What was she talking about? Make everything better?
“I need more information to go on here,” he said calmly while he lowered himself into his chair. “Why would I need to make things better? Did I do something to offend you?”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Did you do something?” She removed the lid from her coffee. “It’s not what you did, it’s what you didn’t do.”
He did a quick scan of his memory to figure out what she was talking about. “I’ve got nothing,” he said. “What didn’t I do?”
“You’re serious?” She obviously didn’t believe him.
“Absolutely.”
“So you thought it was okay to keep your occupation a secret?”
A secret? “I didn’t do it on purpose,” he said slowly. “The subject never came up.” What was the big deal?
“You’re right, the subject never came up. Probably because you already knew what I do for a living.”
“Actually, I don’t. What is it you do?”
She cocked her head and smirked suspiciously. “I’m in advertising.”
He relaxed. “Oh, that’s great. Then we do have a lot in common.” Why would that anger her?
Allie rolled her eyes. “A lot in common? We both had presentations this morning, right? Well, after learning you’re in advertising, it didn’t take me long to figure out that we’re both competing for the Naturally Healthy Animal Food account.”
“Ah!” Now he understood. “I had no idea we were rivals. Honest.”
“I’m supposed to believe that?” She spoke loudly and looked around to see if anyone overheard.
“Why would I keep that information from you on purpose?” he asked.
She leaned in and lowered her voice. “To sabotage me. You knew I was going after the account, so you thought you’d blindside me with your charm and good looks. You must think I’m a sucker for a free cup of coffee.”
He blinked. “You really think I’d do that?” Although he did kind of like that she admitted he could throw her off her game. “Charm and good looks, eh?” He couldn’t hide his grin.
“I’ve been through worse.” She blatantly ignored his last comment. “But I just met you. Who knows what you’re capable of?”
A thought came to him. “How do I know you aren’t the one trying to sabotage me? You obviously know more about me than I do about you.”
Her jaw dropped, and she gaped at him. It took her a few seconds to respond. “How could you think I knew we were both competing for the same account?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Although he was pretty sure from her surprised expression that she had no prior knowledge of their rivalry.
She held her hands up in surrender. “Okay, neither of us was aware that we’re competitors. Fine.”
He sighed in relief. “I’m glad you finally believe me. How did you find out what I do, anyway?”
“From Charlotte. She mentioned it when we were talking earlier today.”
He nodded. “Right. Well, I’m at Empire Advertising. My grandfather’s company.”
“How long have you worked there?”
He explained that he’d gone first to New York City and then come back when Empire was in financial trouble. “It didn’t help that the CFO had been embezzling money.”
“Was he or she caught?”
“He,” Jack clarified. “He was caught and brought to justice, but he died before we could get much of our money back.”
“What about his estate?” Allie blew softly on her hot coffee. “Can’t you collect from that?”
“We probably could if there had been anything left to collect. He used the stolen money to pay his wife’s medical bills after he was able to get her into a new cancer program. He saw no other way out of his financial debt. Unfortunately, his wife died anyway.
“The thing is, if he’d come to my grandfather, Granddad would have loaned him the money—no questions asked. They’d been friends since college.”
Allie shook her head. “That’s so sad. For both the CFO and your grandfather.”
Jack nodded. “Now that you know about me, tell me about you. Who do you work for?”
“Myself.”
“Your own company? I’m impressed.” That was the truth. Start-ups had little chance of surviving.
“Thanks,” she said. “It’s a long story, but I was kind of forced into it.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’d love to hear details sometime.”
She cleared her throat. “That’s actually why I said I’d meet you today.”
“To tell me why you started your own company?”
She laughed and then sobered. “No. Not really. I agreed to meet you to tell you I can’t see you again.”
* * *
ALLIE WAS MET with stunned silence as she waited for Jack to say something.
“Because we’re rivals?” he asked. “I’m sure we can keep that separate—”
“No, I already decided I couldn’t see you again before I knew what you did for a living.”
“Then what is it? I thought we were getting along well. At least once I realized you weren’t Charlotte and you finally believed I wasn’t using your resemblance to her as a cheap come-on.”
She smiled, trying hard to stick to her mantra. “It’s not you, it’s me.”
His mouth twisted. “Now there’s a cliché if I’ve ever heard one.”
She suddenly wondered what his mouth would feel like, taste like... She wet her lower lip with her tongue. “I meant it has nothing to do with you. I’ve made a decision to not get involved with anyone right now. No commitment.” She swallowed. “I don’t want to repeat past mistakes.”
He pursed his lips, as if considering her explanation. “I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it.”
She sipped her coffee. “Thank you. I’m glad you understand.”
“Now don’t mistake my understanding as agreement,” he told her. “I’m not discarded that easily.”
Her eyes grew wide. What was he talking about?
“You and I hit it off at the wedding and I can’t ignore that, Allie. It’s something that rarely happens to me.” He held up a hand. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not looking for a happily-ever-after, either.”
Allie’s pulse sped up and she spoke through tight lips. “Then what are you looking for?”
“Hey, don’t get mad,” he joked. “I’m not asking for a one-night stand or anything.” He winked salaciously. “Unless you’re into it—”
She smirked.
His sexy smile warmed her inside. “I didn’t think so.” His honesty made her melt. “I’d like us to be friends.”
“Friends?”
His eyes lit up. “Yes, friends. People who hang out together, maybe get some dinner, go to a movie. Do you like baseball?”
She shrugged, and then nodded.
“Good. Maybe we can even go to Fenway for a game sometime.”
She considered his idea. “But what about the fact that we’re rivals for the same account? Who knows, we could be competing for other accounts and not even know it. And if we aren’t yet, we probably will be one day.”
“So we work it out as needed.” He didn’t seem to think it was a big deal. “Friends can compromise, right?”
“Sure, but I’m not sure how that will work with business. There’s no compromise there.”
“Like I said, let’s take the problems as they come.”
She nodded slowly. “So just friends.”
“Right. Just friends.” He paused. “Which means either one of us can invite the other to do something with them, because that’s also what friends do.” He paused again. “What do you say?” He held out a hand for her to shake.
Slowly she reached out and slid hers into his larger, warmer one. Without thinking any more deeply about it, she said, “Deal.”
Was she disappointed that he didn’t push her to have a closer personal relationship?
What a ridiculous idea. She was off men and that’s all there was to it.
* * *
JACK SIPPED HIS COFFEE, barely cool enough to drink. “I’m thinking we need some ground rules.” He liked the idea even more as he said it.
“Ground rules?” Allie asked.
“Sure. Like what we can talk about with each other and what we can’t.”
Allie nibbled at her bottom lip, and Jack’s body reacted. He tamped down his response, reminding himself of their pact. Friends. Just friends.
“First of all, any conversation about our jobs is not allowed,” he suggested.
Allie nodded. “Agreed. And no asking Charlotte questions about each other’s work, either.”
“Absolutely.” He made another suggestion. “Maybe we should choose other occupations for ourselves.”
She tilted her head as if waiting for him to explain his odd idea.
“If we pretend we have different occupations,” he said, “then we’re free to ask each other, ‘How was your day?’ without feeling like the rules are being broken.”
Her lips curled slightly as her understanding became evident. “So if I say I’m a doctor and you ask, ‘How was your day?’ and it wasn’t good, I could say, ‘I lost a patient’ instead of ‘My client didn’t like my presentation.’”
“Exactly!” Jack laughed, enjoying Allie’s creativity and her ability to play along, as well as her enthusiasm for the unusual.
“Okay, then, I’m a doctor. What do you do?”
He didn’t even hesitate. “I’m a garbage collector.”
“Hmm.” Her lips twitched. “Good thing I’m not a snob.” She winked. “After all, I am a highly respected doctor.”
“Highly respected, is it?” He grinned. “And what is your specialty?”
She hesitated, but not for long. “I’m a world-renowned brain surgeon.”
He laughed. “Highly respected, as well as world-renowned. I’m very impressed.”
“And you should be, since you’re a lowly garbage collector.”
“Ah!” He raised a finger to make a point. “Not an ordinary garbage collector. A well-paid and discriminating garbage collector.”
Her eyes widened. “Discriminating? Does that mean you pick up only certain garbage?”
“Absolutely. Nothing ooey or gooey. Everything in bags. Recyclables must be separated from landfill items.”
“You’re pretty strict.”
“You better believe it. Trash is nothing to take lightly.”
They shared easy laughter until Jack realized their coffees were long gone and it was almost three-thirty. “Oh, jeez, I’ve got to get going. I’m expecting a call soon.”
Her eyebrows rose. “A call? A garbage collector gets calls?”
She had him there.
“Of course,” he answered without hesitation. “My stock broker calls every afternoon before the market closes to get my opinion on what to buy and sell.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “Good one.”
He merely smiled, admiring her sense of whimsy.
In fact, there was a lot about her that he admired, both intellectually and physically.
* * *
JACK AND ALLIE walked a block together before stopping at the corner to say goodbye. They were headed in opposite directions from there. Allie was sort of sad to see their time end. She enjoyed his company, especially his sense of humor.
She put a hand out to shake his, and he drew her in for a hug.
“Friends hug, don’t they?” His deep whisper, close to her ear, made her shiver in delight.
She couldn’t form words to answer him. She was too busy enjoying his warmth and solidness, as well as his delicious masculine scent that she couldn’t stop inhaling.
He held her away from him and looked directly into her eyes. “I’m sure we’ll talk soon...pal.”
It took her a moment to figure out what he meant. “I’m sure we will...buddy.” She grinned.
He released her, stepped back and waved. “Have a great rest of the afternoon.” He turned and walked away.
“You, too.” She stood on the corner and watched his body move effortlessly away from her on the sidewalk, wishing he’d suggested more than just a possible phone call in their future.
As if reading her mind, he turned around suddenly, walking backward, and yelled, “Don’t forget. Friends invite friends to do things together.”
Her stomach did a flip. She smiled and waved in reply. He was right. She didn’t need to wait for him to suggest they get together. No silly mind games with friends.
; He yelled again. “And if you ever feel the need to be more than friends, I’m available!”
She was caught by surprise at his statement and knew she was blushing. A few people passing on the sidewalk chuckled and whispered, adding to her embarrassment.
He was already close to half a block away. She couldn’t reply without bringing more attention to herself, so she simply turned and walked away.
She took his interest in her as a compliment. Her step was lively as she returned to her office building, riding the elevator up to her floor. For the first time in months, she felt optimistic about life and her future. At least until she picked up her messages from the receptionist.
The dog!
As soon as she saw the message from Joan Broadwell at the Rescue League, she knew what it was about. She was late picking up the dog. Harvey. She had to be sure to remember the dog’s name. It was bad enough that she’d forgotten she was even picking him up. She quickly dialed Joan and told her she’d gotten hung up, promising to come by within the hour.
Unfortunately, the rest of the messages weren’t from clients. They were all from her mother. Allie refused to worry that her mother might demolish her great mood. She punched in the phone number before her mom could call a fourth time.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Allison, how are you?” Her mother sounded less stressed than in recent weeks, now that Allie’s brother’s wedding was behind them. Maybe Allie could try again soon to get her mom to talk about her adoption details.
“I’m good. Did Scott and Emily take off okay for Aruba this morning?”
“They did.” Her mother caught her up on events, even though it had been only a little over twenty-four hours since Allie had brunched with all of them.
“I should probably get back to work,” Allie said a few minutes later, trying to push her mother to get to the reason why she’d called three times. “Was there anything else you wanted, Mom?”
“Actually, there is.”
She knew it. Allie rolled her eyes and waited for her mother to get to the point.
“I’m wondering why you didn’t tell me about what happened at the wedding.”