Page 4 of Almost True
“I’m in tech.”
I waited for more while she studied the contents of her glass—now just ice and a spent slice of lime.
“Tech. Like… computers? Smartphones? Or, uh… self-driving cars?”
She chuckled and bit her lip, grinning back at me. My heart flipped in my chest because that was a very lovely look, and I didn’t mind it directed toward meat all.
But, was it pitying? I shifted in my seat, suddenly realizing maybe I was so wrong she thought I was pathetic for not knowing. “Am I way off?”
Brandon set a new beer down next to me and another drink in front of her, and though I hadn’t ordered it, I reached for my glass gratefully and took a long pull.
“It’s not anything exciting, actually. I just like your list of possible things. Were you one of those kids who always dreamed of traveling in a self-driving car?”
Her smile and the way she tilted her head to one side made any trace of embarrassment evaporate.Crap, I need to work on being more confident.Not an easy ask, but I’d gotten so used to misstepping on dates or saying something that suddenly shifted the conversation into this awkward, saccharine pity-fest, I didn’t know how to just sit here and have a conversation with someone who wasn’t about to bring up my dead wife.
“Of course. Who wasn’t?”
She grinned again. “I wasn’t. But that was only because my big brother told me my self-driving car would get tired of me bossing it around and crash on purpose.”
A laugh shot out of me, and we chuckled together at her statement. “Wow. That’s cold.”
She nodded. “He is the best brother of all time, but he had his moments. I blame him for the fact that my company isn’t the one leading the self-driving car movement.”
“That’s unfortunate. But hey, I’m sure you’ve got some other cool tech thing that’ll blow his mind someday.”
With a smile, she took a sip of her drink again.
“Can I ask about something you said?”
She nodded since she was still swallowing.
“You said work is a ‘huge if not unhealthy’ part of your life. Why do you say that?”
She winced. “Mostly because it’s true.”
“How so?”
“Well, for example, I came here for a week. This is the first time I’ve come to this bar. I have not walked around downtown. I didn’t take the gondola up to the peak. I have done nothing on the list my friend gave me to do.”
Dang, she looked so disappointed with herself. I had to console her. “But here you are, at the bar.”
She gave me a chagrined smile. “Yes. And not a moment too soon.”
“Oh?”
“I leave in a few hours.”
Illogically, disappointment shot through me. I hadn’t thought pastright nowsince the beginning of the conversation, but the thought of her leaving tonight was bad news. “That’s a shame.”
Her eyes met mine, and she set her hand on my wrist. “Well, we’ve got some time before I go.”
CHAPTERTHREE
THEN
18 Months Ago
Maddie
