Page 32 of Ask Me Something

“I don’t get to chance to spoil her now that she’s on the West Coast. How was your visit with Juliette by the way?”

“Good.” I wasn’t sure how to vocalize a worry about her figuring out we were starting a relationship without sounding like I was backpedaling.

He sat back in his chair, regarding me. “You do realize that her comments about us are nothing new. She’s been doing it for years.”

I bit my lip. “Right, but now that we’re entertaining the idea—aren’t you worried at all about what others will think?” A few years after I’d started working in Charlotte, Juliette had told me about a bet that some of the assholes in the office had made to see who I’d sleep with first. That information had served as a reminder that sometimes it didn’t matter how well you did your job. There would always be people who would seek to bring you down.

He met my eyes and spoke calmly. “We don’t work in the same office any longer. Juliette won’t know anything. Neither will anyone else unless we choose to tell them.”

I swallowed hard.

“And nothing has happened yet, so if you’re having second thoughts, then we can go slower or not at all. The last thing you need is more pressure from me, either,” he offered.

The thought of moving any slower or not at all left me unsettled. “Is Juliette as unhappy as I think she is?” I questioned, concerned for our mutual friend and desperately needing a change in subject.

Luckily, he shrugged, taking it in stride. “You know her. One minute she looks sad and the next she pulls it together and is her bubbly self again. I think she wants to make her marriage work.”

“Well that makes one of them,” I retorted.

“I don’t disagree. Did you tell her that?”

“What do you think?” I was mildly offended.

“I think that sometimes your well-intended advice may be a little harsher than you realize.”

I tried not to let his words sting. “Duly noted.”

“I’ll call McKenzie. You all right with heading out in an hour?”

“Sure. Send me that file on the pharmaceutical company, and I should be.” I was anxious to get some information about this potentially lucrative client.

He hesitated, knowing that once I got the file I’d want more time. “Okay, I’ll tell her ninety minutes,” he resigned, and left me to my work.

* * *

The late lunchwith Brian and McKenzie had been fun. They had an easy affection between them and made sure I was part of the conversation whether I wanted to be or not. Sometimes the people who put me most at ease were the ones not waiting on my cues but who instead charged forward with exuberance. McKenzie reminded me of Juliette in that way. Spending time with her was easy and found myself getting comfortable with her a lot more quickly than I normally would with someone new.

It was in the first dressing room, however, that McKenzie dropped a bombshell on me.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” I inquired, thinking I must have misunderstood her.

“I asked if you could teach me how to seduce a man,” she repeated.

Uh oh, it was what I’d thought. I hesitated, handing her the next dress to try on. After taking a seat on the stool in the corner of the large dressing room, I finally found my voice again. “I need a little background information first, McKenzie.” Watching her sigh, I shook my head at the first dress she’d tried on. “Not that one. Try the pink and white one.”

“I have a crush on someone and I’m tired of only being friends.”

“Someone at school?” Before I gave advice, I needed to find out who she was trying to seduce. The last thing I needed was for Brian to discover I’d given his baby sister advice on how to blow her professor.

“No, someone from home. I’ve known him a long time, but he still sees me as a kid.”

I arched a brow and looked at the flattering dress she was modelling. “Turn around let me see.”

She was such a naturally pretty girl with her long, sandy blonde hair and puppy-dog eyes like her brother’s. She wore no makeup, and yet her face was flawless. She only needed to learn to flatter her lean body better.

“I like this dress on you.”

Kenzie looked in the mirror and frowned. “I want something a little more sexy.”

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