Page 49 of The Close-Up
I laugh. “That’s a bold thing to say.”
He shrugs, then moves off to the side, closer to the building, to make room for the people walking past us.
I shove my phone in my purse. “Do you work around here?”
“Yeah, my office is just a couple blocks away.”
I can’t think of anything else to say as Landon smiles down at me looking impossibly handsome, so I just stare at the sidewalk and shuffle my feet.
“Hey,” he finally says. “Sorry if I broke the rules when you were filming my counseling session with Simon. I didn’t think talking to you during the session was a no-no.”
“Oh, it’s fine.”
“It was just a little distracting having you there.”
I let out a confused chuckle. “You knew I would be there. You signed a waiver, remember?”
“Oh, I remember.” There’s a lift to his voice, like he knows something I don’t. “I just didn’t know you’d be so gorgeous.”
Way too smooth for his own good. I’m amused, though. “What a line.”
“Okay yeah, it’s a line. But it’s also true.”
My phone buzzes with a reminder that I’ve got a meeting in half an hour.
“I’d better get going,” I say. “Nice to see you again, Landon.”
He nods at me and I continue walking down the block.
“Hey wait,” he calls behind me after a minute. I spin around. “Will you be at Simon’s seminar tomorrow?”
“Yeah, actually.”
“Maybe afterwards we can go for a drink? You don’t even have to throw it at me.”
I laugh. “Maybe.”
Landon walks backwards in the direction of his office building. “See you then, Naomi.”
I wave, turn around, and practically skip all the way to work.
“Any questions?” Simon asks at the front of the Le Méridien conference room.
A dozen hands fly up in the air. Simon answers each question from the seminar-goers patiently. From the back where I sit, I spot Landon in the back row. He twists his head around and grins at me. Then he turns back around to face the front of the room.
When the questions wrap up, everyone stands up and mills around or starts to file out of the room. Landon makes his way over to me as I pack up my camera equipment.
“I was thinking,” he says, holding the bag open for me. “It might be nice to grab something to eat. It’s almost dinnertime.”
I squint at him. “Are you always so suave?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that you originally asked me yesterday for a drink, but now you’re smoothly turning that into dinner. Is that your usual technique?”
I wouldn’t normally be so forward when talking to a guy. But now that I’ve sworn off relationships and dating, I have no time for second-guessing or wondering. From now on, if I’m going to spend time with someone, I’m going to be as direct as possible. That way there’s no room for confusion or mixed-up feelings.
He holds up a hand, still grinning. “Okay, you busted me. Yeah, I was trying to rope you into dinner too because I want to spend more time with you than just one drink’s worth.”
