Page 14 of Heartstrings & Hijinks

“You’re here because you want to be, right? Because you’re genuinely interested? Not because I’m a VP at the company you work for?”

He shot me an incredulous look. “That’s a bit of an ego-based question, don’t you think? You’re not that important. You’re one of, what, seven VPs?”

“Twelve.”

“Even less rare then.”

I laughed. “Except I’m one of the founding members.”

“You’re not scary, Gregory. It’s just that we’ve never socialized, just the two of us. Usually, Greg is there as a buffer, or we encounter each other at work and make small talk.”

“Indeed,” he said. “Let’s make medium-sized talk, then.”

“Medium-sized talk?”

“Yes. We’ll skip over the weather—that’s boring. We don’t need to talk about work; we both know what’s going on there. But we don’t want to get into the hard conversations just yet. That can wait for dinner. Tell me what books you’re reading.”

“How do you know I like to read?”

“When you were visiting my apartment—”

“You mean crashing there because I was incapacitated enough that I couldn’t make it home?”

“Yes, that time. You looked over my bookshelf with actual interest. You even grabbed a few books and read the blurbs on the back. Plus, you frequently have a Kindle on your desk, which makes me think that perhaps you read on your breaks or whenever you need to unwind.” And just like that I gave away how much I notice about Evan and the fact that I go by his desk quite often.

“Your assumptions are correct. I do enjoy reading. I’m currently rereading most of Stephen King’s books from his early years.”

“Early years? So, likeCujo,Carrie, andThe Shining?”

Evan nodded. “I like to read the books, then watch the movies—make note of the differences.” There went the pink flush to his cheeks again. Fuck, we weren’t going to make it long through this date if he kept looking so delectable.

“That’s always fun.”

“Do you read much horror?”

I shook my head. “Horror is not my favorite. I don’t enjoy paranormals. I can appreciate the talent it takes, but I actually enjoy biographies the most. I’m in the middle of a Civil War diary, actually. It’s the second time I’ve read it.”

“I kind of assumed you liked that kind of thing based on your bookshelf.”

“Yes. I’m afraid my television is also full of documentaries—cliché for a man my age, but it passes the time. Last night, I stayed up too late watching a documentary on World War I.”

“Interesting. Did you learn anything new?”

“Not so much.”

We discussed books for a while longer, Evan giving me details about the things he liked most about Stephen King, while I jumped in with a few history-related topics that I enjoyed.

Then we were pulling into the lot for the Federal Reserve Bank Money Museum. His jaw dropped when he saw the sign, and he looked at me with wide eyes.

“I’ve always wanted to come here. I just never got around to it.”

“Good. I had hoped you hadn’t had the chance to visit.”

“How did you know I wanted to come here?”

I put the car in park, got out, and opened the door for him. “You mentioned it when your brother and I took you to lunch your first week at the firm. You had only been in the city for a few months, and he asked you what sort of sights you wanted to see. This was one of them.”

“That was two years ago, Gregory.”

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