Page 23 of Not the Plan

“And more important, you like him.” He raised a hand to her protest. “You don’t want to, but you do. You got all giggly the second you saw his name.”

“I did n—” His glare silenced her denial. She considered tossing the rest of her tea in his face to rinse away the smug.

“Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that perhaps,maybeI do find him attractive,” she said.

“And you have a crush on him.”

“I do not! I barely even know him.”

“So. Get to know him. In the biblical sense.”

“RJ! He works forJulian.We’ve watched Julian step on anyone he can, because he can. His last mistress decides it’s over, and before you know it, she’s let go from her lobbying firm and can’t get picked up by anyone else. How many bills has he voted againstjust to spite the sponsor? You’re right. Karim is sexy as hell and in any other situation, I would love to find out more about him. Especially in the biblical sense. But I don’t know a damn thing about his character. Idoknow a lot about the character of the guy who has power over him.”

RJ sighed, shoulders slumping.

“Such a shame. Cause you are so much easier to deal with when you’re getting some on the regular,” he said.

She balled up her napkin and threw it in his face.

—

Dropping her off at home, RJ made her promise not to do any work. She relented and chose to pamper herself before going to bed. Hair reconstructor under a hot towel, purifying mask in place, she flipped through the TV channels. Her work phone was on the valet table beside the door. She glanced at the TV, then back at her phone.

She found a historical documentary.

Why would Karim send me such bizarre emails? Either Julian has him up to something or RJ’s right.She wouldn’t allow herself to recognize how much she hoped RJ was right. The phone beckoned again. She hadn’t answered his last two emails.

No reason to be rude.

She was back on the couch with her phone in a flash.

Hi Karim,she wrote.Sorry for the delay in responding. To be honest, I’m a bit lost. We spent a lot of time on both issues during our meeting. Christina and I already established the order of the cities, and you and I double-checked the projected dates together. For such a massive project, I’m sure you can understand that multiple rounds of appropriations will be needed over several years. But perhaps appropriations work differently in Virginia and Pennsylvania? It’s easy to get tripped up, especially being thrown into things so quickly. I’m happy to help you if I can. I’d have just guessed that Christina would be a more confidential resource for you.Best regards,Isadora.

She hesitated to click “send.” Although she’d struck the appropriate tone between helpful and professional, the contactitself made her pause. Shedidwant a connection with him, an excuse to talk to him. She had since their flight. But Julian excelled at setting traps. And giving in to her attraction to Karim was a bad idea. As she put the phone down on the coffee table, her finger slipped and off the email went.

Can’t take it back now.

His reply was waiting when she returned to the living room after rinsing her hair and washing her face.

Hello again, Isadora,

I am sorry, you’re right. Christina is the best person for me to turn to, but she’s become so ill that I hesitate to contact her at all. I appreciate your patience with a new guy who is probably making mistakes left, right, and sideways. I hope I haven’t offended you.

Have a good evening,

Karim

His email reminded her of his shyness with a tug at her heart. It must have been difficult for him to reach out at all.

Dear Karim,

Don’t worry, and please don’t apologize. You haven’t offended me in any way. Why don’t we take it down to brass tacks on Tuesday? We’ll take our time and I’ll answer any questions you have—please don’t hesitate, even if it’s minor. There are no stupid questions! I’ll be happy to help you.

Best,

Isadora

She smiled as she hit Send, imagining him at that moment, perhaps lounging at home as well. Prickles shot through her as she caught the first word of her reply. She’d called him “Dear.” Hand clamped over her mouth, she recoiled from the phone. She never used “Dear” with anyone at work. Sure, it was acceptable. She knew that. But it was the way she’d opened the letters her mother had forced her to write to her grandmother when she wasa child. It was the way she’d addressed notes to her first crush when she was in middle school, so for her the familial or romantic tinge was still there. Maybe those sorts of connotations existed for Karim, and he’d think she was a weirdo or inappropriate for using it with him.

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