Page 54 of The Protégé

I paused for a moment, inhaling and exhaling, trying to calm my body.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I didn’t want to appear weak and forced myself to put one foot in front of the other. I kept my focus on his face as I did so, not looking anywhere else. He was the goal. I envisioned him embracing me as I made it to the balcony to safety.

I gripped my hand on the cushioned chair and exhaled. “Yeah. I guess I’m hungrier than I thought.” I didn’t want to lie, but I didn’t want him to think I was a weakling.

He retrieved some plates from inside this office, brought them out to the balcony and sorted the food. He placed his steak and cheese sub and my turkey club on the plates. “What would you like to drink?”

“Just water is fine, thanks.”

I was still standing beside the chair when he put down the bottle of water. He walked to the railing and leaned against it.

I gasped and held up my hands. “That’s dangerous.”

“What?” he asked.

“You leaning against the railing.”

He considered me. “Are you afraid of heights?”

“Yup. We’re not friends.” I sat down on the chair and picked at my fries.

He smiled. “I learned something interesting about you. This lunch was worth it. I’ll add another thousand dollars to your paycheck this week.”

I gaped at him in disbelief. Guilt gnawed at me. I shouldn’t make him pay me to have lunch with him. Taking a break from work to recharge was necessary.

“It’s okay. You don’t need to pay. The free lunch is good enough.”

“I gave you my word, so I’m keeping it.” He unwrapped his sub and bit into it.

I wagged a fry at him. “It must be nice to toss money around like that.”

“I don’ttossmoney. I use it wisely.” His eyes gleamed. “It’s an investment.”

He considered me an investment?

“So you view things as business projects that garner profits.”

“I didn’t say that, Elena. Just eat. Enjoy the food and the view.”

He sat next to me instead of across from me. Our elbows touched slightly. It was so strange sitting here with him, given what had just occurred this morning. I felt like I was in a different movie. How could he completely ignore what happened in the Cosmic Lounge?

I still replayed the scene in my mind over and over again.

We ate in silence, and I admitted it was nice. Simple and casual. No expectations. A much-needed pause. I realized I hadn’t sat down to turn off my brain like this in a while. Evenwhen I was home, I was always rushing to get things done. Sometimes I ate while I worked.

“Thank you.” I sipped my bottle of water.

“Thankyoufor having lunch with me.”

I wanted to ask what was bothering him, but I was afraid he’d say it was none of my business.

“So when are you going to tell me the secrets to dandelions?” he asked.

He remembered that? I remembered asking him to teach me how to use a slingshot, but I didn’t want to bring that up. It was best to keep our distance from now on.

“I guess we’ll have to see how the rest of the day plays out. You haven’t earned it yet.”

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