Page 9 of Forever Mine
I looked him in the eyes. “Actually, I know what you mean. You're saying a whole lot of nothing, but I get it.”
“I'm insulted,” he said, but his grin belied his words. He scanned the others at the table, then let his gaze rest on me. “To go back to what I was trying to tell you … I'll fill you in later.”
“That assumes we'll have time and opportunity to talk.”
“It does.”
“So, tell me,” I said, “how did you get into this line of business?”
A micro-frown crossed his face, and he shrugged. “I’ve always liked drawing and over the years, my interest turned to technical drawing and then to graphics.”
“And teaching?”
“I guess I’m a natural at what I do, so the next step was sharing some of what seems like magic with others.” His grin was infectious, and he looked like a little boy who’d been up to mischief when he asked, “What d’you do at your company?”
“I’m the office manager.”
Before he asked, I added, “Those two are travelling overseas for the first time. My boss thought I should come with them. Plus, there are meetings to attend, so … ”
“I get it.” Our eyes met as he raised his glass. When he sipped and put it down, he asked, “When d’you get time for yourself?”
Laughing, I said, “The same time as you.”
“Funny, you should say that.” His lips curved a little, then he added, “Maybe we could—”
Before he got any ideas, I shut him down. “I don’t think so.”
Scott splayed a hand on his chest. “I’m wounded. You didn’t even give me a chance to finish.”
I hooked my thumb in the direction of the ballroom we’d been in earlier. “You’ve got that right. Why would I give you the time of day after what I heard back there?”
His mouth opened and he squinted. “Did you not hear me say to believe nothing—”
Raising a hand, I stopped him in mid-sentence. “Sure, I’m gonna believe everything you tell me after your business was announced in front of a roomful of people.”
He shook his head. “Diana doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
When I didn’t take my eyes off him, he added, “Well, not everything.”
“Hmm.” I popped a baby carrot into my mouth without breaking eye contact.
Scott’s eyes darkened as he said, “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“As if you don’t believe what I’m trying to say.”
“Frankly, I don’t. Men like you—”
Hands in the air, and too loud for my liking, Scott protested. “Whoa, whoa. Men like me?”
He looked around as if he’d forgotten where we were, then gulped from his glass.
“Don’t get your briefs in a bunch.”
His wide eyes and slightly open mouth made my lips twitch, but I bit back my amusement.
Scott looked sideways at me. “That’s not something you say to a stranger.”
“Don’t I know it.” I dropped the napkin next to my plate and gave him a polite smile. “All I’m saying is that you don’t need to explain anything to me. It doesn’t matter.”
“But—”
We stared at each other for a moment, then he said, “I suppose you’re right.”
“I know I’m right.”
His brows almost met as he frowned. Then his face cleared, but his stormy eyes told me he wanted to say more.
These last few minutes felt weird and stupid. Almost as if I’d had an out-of-body experience watching myself going back and forth with Scott. I didn’t understand how, or why, this man I’d just met had engaged me in a silly argument that had no relevance to my life.