“Would you like to step up to the front, out of this crowd? Our table should be ready shortly.”
Nodding quickly, Natalie took a hesitant step forward. It was enough to tell Vance she was at least willing to follow him. Vance led her through the most open areas so she didn’t have to try so hard not to touch anyone. When Pierce spotted them, he immediately left the host stand and walked in their direction. Natalie must have noticed his approach, because she scurried behind Vance just enough that she wasn’t immediately within reach.
Pierce was all too familiar with the date shark business, and immediately slowed. He stopped several feet short of the pair and said, “If you’ll both follow me, I’ll show you to your table.”
Vance heard Natalie sigh behind him and his concern grew. There was definitely a reason she refused to touch anyone, and it had nothing to do with germs. Something, or someone, had scared Natalie badly enough that she wasn’t willing to let anyone get near enough to do it again. Pierce led them to a table at the back of the restaurant, away from the other diners. Guy had requested the table specifically, and Vance was glad to see some of the tension drop away from Natalie when she saw it.
Sensing she would want the chair farthest from the other diners, Vance pulled the chair out for her and then stepped away from it. The gesture helped her relax a little more and she sat down with a quiet word of thanks. After Vance took his seat, Pierce ran through the specials being offered that night and promised their server would be with them promptly. Natalie kept her eyes down and arms folded tightly against her body the entire time.
The table was almost solemn for the first several minutes. Vance didn’t want to intrude while she composed herself, so he looked at the wine list, even though he knew it by heart. When Natalie was ready, she said, “Did Dr. Guy’s flight get situated so he could get home?”
“He texted me a while ago and said his flight would be in later tonight,” Vance said.
“Oh good.” Natalie smiled hesitantly, but it seemed less forced than he expected. “How did you end up covering for him?”
Vance stifled a smile. “Guy and I went to school together, and I occasionally help him out when he needs it.”
“That’s nice of you,” Natalie said. She moved her fork nervously, then put her hands in her lap. “I just want you to know, I’m not like, crazy, or anything. I’ve heard a lot of the women Guy sees have some serious problems, but I’m not like that.”
Leaning back in his chair, Vance looked at her with a polite interest he had perfected over the years. “I never thought you were crazy.” He smiled when she sighed in relief and he found himself feeling profoundly glad he’d been able to relieve some of her anxiety. “I am curious, though, why you came to Guy for help.”
Natalie’s eyebrows rose. “It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?” When Vance didn’t say anything right away, her shoulders dropped. “I’m afraid of…well, people.”
“What…?”
Before he could finish asking her about that statement, Megan approached the table and Natalie went very still. Vance refocused on watching Natalie’s reactions to Megan. She was just as leery of her as she had been when Pierce first approached them, but an edge of some kind seemed to have been taken off her nerves. She didn’t scurry away as she had with Pierce, but she held so still, like prey trying to avoid a predator’s eye.
Megan disappeared after taking their drink order and Natalie visibly relaxed. Vance intended to finish his question, but something unusual happened before he could. An elderly couple, who had just stood up from the table nearest them, stopped when the woman tugged on her companion’s arm. Her eyes were fixed on Natalie, a warm smile on her face. Startled as he was by the attention, Vance was still acutely aware of the way Natalie’s breathing picked up. Vance wasn’t sure what to do when the couple shuffled over to their table.
“Your hair is so lovely,” the woman said in a soft voice. “My daughter’s hair had the same lovely bronze color, though her hair was so curly you could barely brush it.” She turned and looked up at the man. “Doesn’t she look just like Alice did when she was young?”
The man smiled and nodded. “You’re a very lovely young lady.”
They seemed to expect Natalie to say something in response, but judging by the way her hands were gripping the edge of the table, Vance guessed he needed to step in. “Thank you,” he said politely. “That’s very kind of you to say.”
“Yes,” Natalie finally managed to squeak. “Thank you.”
Seeming pleased by her words, they excused themselves and continued their slow walk to the front of the restaurant. Vance couldn’t even guess at why Natalie would be afraid of a cute elderly couple. It was time to start asking questions.
He waited until Natalie had calmed herself back down before taking the first step. “Can you tell me about how you function at work?”
Startled by his voice as much as his question, Natalie curled her arms around her body. “I have an understanding with my boss. I get to work early, leave late, and stay in my office all day. If there’s a meeting, I conference call in. Only when I really, really need to be there in person does he insist I show up, but he makes sure I’m as far away from other people as possible.”
Captivated that her boss would be so accommodating, Vance considered his next comment. “You must be very good at your job for your boss to be willing to make so many concessions.”
“I am,” Natalie said. That was her entire response, no explanation or detail, but Vance pushed a little more.
“You’re an internal auditor, right?” When she nodded, he asked, “What all does that involve?”
Natalie settled back in her chair, giving up her tense posture but not completely relaxing. “The company where I work analyzes projects from other companies that want an outside review of what they’re planning to implement before it actually goes live. Everyone has an area they like to specialize in.”
“What’s your specialty?”
“Risk management, especially for new projects that will involve significant amounts of money.”
Vance nodded, finding her line of work quite appropriate given what he had observed already. “What made you interested in auditing?”
Shrugging, Natalie didn’t answer right away. She fiddled with a few items on the table before giving in. “I guess I just think people should know what risks they’re facing.”
“That’s important in business and life, don’t you agree?”
Her eyes popped up to his. They narrowed, scrutinizing him before dropping again. “It’s only fair, right?”
“Fair,” Vance said slowly. “That’s a tricky concept.”
Natalie ventured looking up at him again. Her lips pressed together, though he couldn’t tell if it was in fear or annoyance. “Some things are always unfair,” she said.
The sudden heaviness surrounding them was broken up by Megan approaching with their drinks. She took their entrée order and disappeared again, but Vance decided not to press Natalie any further. Guy had explained how one of his coaching dates usually went, but he had suspected working with Natalie would be different, and he was right. This woman didn’t need dating advice, she needed someone to talk to, someone to trust.
Vance didn’t return to any topics that might upset Natalie for the rest of the meal. Instead, they simply talked. She told him about her little pug, Gypsy, and how she had rescued her three years ago when she moved to Chicago after graduation. He couldn’t help but be interested in hearing her talk about enjoying the peace of living on her own. As much as she seemed to enjoy being by herself, the quiet of being in an apartment alone at night had prompted her to seek out her furry friend.
From what Vance could gather from the discussion, Natalie had little to no social life. She did her best to avoid her neighbors at all costs and had as little interaction with her coworkers as she could manage. Which was too bad, because Vance actually found her to be delightful and rather engaging once she started to feel m
ore comfortable with him. Questions about family were skirted, and anything having to do with her life before coming to Chicago got a vague answer. A few theories were starting to unfold for Vance, but he risked one more question as they finished their desserts.
“Natalie, what prompted you to call Guy?”
Everything she had said during the evening pointed to her being perfectly happy staying away from, well, everyone. Vance wasn’t sure why she suddenly wanted to start dating. So far, he was the only person she hadn’t had a straight up aversion to. He imagined that if some poor man did try to ask her out, she’d faint or run away to hide in her apartment with Gypsy.
Natalie was clearly uncomfortable with the question, yet she surprised him by answering. “I know Guy isn’t just a dating coach. He’s a psychiatrist.”
“And that made you feel more comfortable working with him?” Vance asked, though it didn’t sound right even to him.
Confirming his suspicions, she shook her head. “I don’t really care about dating. I want to be alone. I just…” She glanced down at her hands twisting around each other. “I just don’t want to be afraid all the time.”
“You thought Guy could give you tips on overcoming your fears.” Vance nodded, seeing how her thought process had brought her to this meeting. He still didn’t fully understand her choice, though. “Why not just go to a psychiatrist from the beginning?”
Natalie took in a deep breath. She tried to hide it, but Vance could hear the way it quavered. Keeping her eyes down, she said, “This was less risky.”
His next question should have been why talking to a psychiatrist was a risk for her, but he didn’t ask. He had no idea what this woman had been through before moving to Chicago, but it had affected her deeply. For whatever reason, revealing her experiences was terrifying. Knowing that didn’t stop him from saying what he needed to say.
“Natalie, the reason I’m here tonight isn’t just because Guy’s flight was delayed.” He paused when she looked up at him, clearly startled. “Guy asked me to come to this meeting last week after your initial interview.”
“Why?” she asked. The fear in her eyes pulled at him, but he couldn’t back down.
“Guy calls me in when he thinks one of his clients needs more counseling than what he can provide to overcome an event or experience that’s keeping them from having a normal relationship.” He paused again, taking in her panicked expression. “I know that idea scares you, but I want to make you a deal.”
Her breathing was escalating, but she was still keeping it under control for the moment. He didn’t push her, and after a few minutes, she asked, “What kind of deal?”
The breath he had been holding since voicing the offer slipped out of him slowly. “The deal is, you don’t have to tell me anything about your past that you don’t want to, but you would come to see me at my practice twice a week.”
“Why would I come see you if we’re not going to discuss my past?” She seemed genuinely confused by the offer.
“Because we’re not going to work on your past until you’re ready. In the meantime, we’ll work on trust instead.”
Natalie pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean by that.”
Resting his elbows on the table, Vance leaned toward her. “I won’t question you about what made you scared of other people and unable to trust them, but learning how to trust people around you is a good first step. At my office, you’ll be in a safe environment, and you’ll be in control.”
“How will I be in control?” she asked.
Vance held back a smile, glad she was at least considering it. “You’ll be the one to choose the topics.”
“What if I don’t want to talk about anything?”
“Then we’ll eat lunch, I suppose,” he said with a shrug. “I’m assuming you’ll need to come during your lunch break since you’re not going to ask for time off, because that would require speaking to someone at work and explaining the reason, right?”
She nodded slowly. “I’m still…I can’t…” She bit her bottom lip again. “I can’t be alone in a room with you.” Her fingers began trembling as she said it, and Vance knew there was no way he was going to get her to change her mind.
Sitting back, Vance took a moment to consider his options. He wanted to help Natalie. She seemed like a lovely woman, but she had zero chance of ever having a normal relationship at this point. She needed help, and he felt like he was up to the task, but this was going to have to be done on her terms. An idea occurred to him after a while, but he sighed as he contemplated it. Stephanie was not going to be happy at all.
Chapter 3
The Way
Staring at her computer screen, Natalie couldn’t even force herself to focus on her work. She’d been staring at the clock in the bottom right corner of her screen for the past hour. If she was going to leave, she had to do it soon, or she’d never make it in time. Getting up and walking out should have been a simple thing, but it was far from it.
Natalie survived her work day by being invisible. She came in early, snuck into her office before anyone else arrived, and stayed there until the end of the day when everyone else had gone home. Only the occasional, unavoidable meeting pulled her out of her safe haven. Others left for lunch, or at least went to the break room. Natalie brought her lunch every day, and even had a small microwave tucked away on top of a filing cabinet so she never had to venture into the kitchen. Leaving her office during lunch meant having to make it all the way downstairs without talking to or touching anyone. Natalie felt sick to her stomach just thinking about it.
Jumping when the alarm on her phone went off, she could only stare at it as her heart raced. She had to leave. Now. Fighting back her fears, Natalie pushed her chair back. It rolled smoothly across the carpet, unfortunately. Standing took even more effort. When she finally made it to the door of her office, she couldn’t bring herself to touch the handle.
The alarm sounded a second time. Her hand leapt forward, almost of its own free will, and grasped the handle. Turn it. Just turn it, she pleaded with herself. Taking in a steadying breath, Natalie finally managed to twist the handle enough that it slid away from the doorframe. Just that few inches of separation spiked her anxiety.
Scouring the aisles and cubicles outside her office for anyone, Natalie sighed when she found only one man walking away. She knew that wouldn’t last long, though. The lunch hour was just about to hit, and as soon as it did, there would be too many people for her to navigate. Then just go. Go now, she told herself. She was almost out of time.
Finally convincing herself to step out, she felt like she couldn’t breathe. So Natalie did what she did best. Run away. She felt like she was being chased as she slipped into the nearby stairwell and escaped into its emptiness. Once there, the echoing taps of her heels on the steps was oddly comforting. Mainly because they were the only ones she could hear.
Being on the third floor of a rather large office building made the daily trek up and down the stairs feel like torture, but there was no chance of her stepping inside an elevator. Even if she managed to snag one that wasn’t carrying any other passengers, she had no control over who got in and out once it started moving.
Natalie’s calves and thighs were burning from her hurried escape by the time she reached the ground floor, but she kept moving quickly until she reached the relative safety of her car. When she locked the doors, she felt like she hadn’t taken a single breath since leaving her office. A few minutes later, she was relaxed enough to start the car and drive. When she pulled up to the café where Vance had agreed to meet her, she waited for the rush of anxiety to start again. Surprisingly…it didn’t.
Meeting Guy for the initial interview was terrifying. She wasn’t even sure why. Natalie didn’t really have friends, but the coworker who had hastily recommended Guy after sitting through an awkward work meeting with her had assured her that he was very professional and worked around his clients’ issues. Still,
sitting through that first meeting with Guy had been torturous. For some reason, Vance didn’t instill that same sense of panic. She wasn’t sure why, but Natalie was almost sure he understood more about her than he should.
That strange sense of comfort she felt around Vance was the only thing that convinced her to get out of her car and walk to the café entrance. When she approached the door, Vance was there waiting. He opened it for her, stepping back so she could walk in without risking contact. Once she did, she wasn’t sure where to go.
“Good afternoon, Natalie. How are you doing so far?” Vance asked.
“Uh, okay, I guess.”
Vance didn’t comment on her tone. It was easy to tell she was anything but fine, yet he only smiled and gestured for her to follow him. She appreciated that he gave her space, and he even seemed to have made sure the way was clear of people for her. They made it to a table in the back corner where a lovely blonde woman sat. Natalie was actually relieved to see her.
“You must be Stephanie,” she said.
“And you must be Natalie.” Stephanie smiled, but it seemed strained, which wasn’t all that surprising.
Natalie slid into her seat, well away from Vance and Stephanie. Anxiety had her hands twisting together the moment she set her purse down. She focused on Stephanie, hoping to alleviate some of the awkwardness. “Thank you so much for doing this. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”
Looking down at her hands briefly, it took Stephanie a moment to respond. “It’s no problem, really. It gives me an excuse to have lunch with Vance twice a week.”
When Vance had first suggested having Stephanie join them during their sessions, Natalie hadn’t been keen on the idea at all. Talking to Vance would be hard enough. Adding in his girlfriend? It wasn’t until Vance explained that Stephanie’s presence would act as a buffer so she didn’t feel threatened by being alone with him, that it started to make sense. Even still, he had to work at convincing her. What had finally pushed her to give in was the realization that with Stephanie there, Vance would be forced to stick to his agreement not to ask her about her past.
The Only Shark In The Sea (The Date Shark Series Book 3) Page 2