Page 107 of Ten Years and Then…
But what if there was more to it? What if Valerie had set it up? She could easily have contacts with a company like that, and all she needed to do was give them his name and let them do the rest. And then, when she checked with them a week later and learned he’d ignored them, she’d thrown subtlety out the window and called him directly.
It was possible. And if it was true, that meant the job was real, and Daniel needed to call back today, while he still could. And he needed to let Red know what was going on, so she could make her own plans, too.
Nora, January 25
It wasn’t a usual practice for a reporter to buy her source a thank-you lunch, but Nora thought it was appropriate in this case.
Greg Sanders—Dr. Greg Sanders, as of three weeks ago, she really should remember to call him that—had spent hours with her, trying to explain the finer points of Quantum Theory. Not really succeeding, if she was being honest, but she at least understood some of the terminology now. The least she could do was treat him to Thai food.
He was waiting for her at the restaurant. “I took a chance and ordered you a milk tea,” he said when she sat down.
“That’s exactly what I would have ordered,” she said. It wasn’t, but she appreciated the gesture. “I’m glad you could meet me. Starting this week, I’ll be at a different publication—BioCurrent Monthly. I’m stepping in as interim editor.”
“Congratulations!” He seemed to genuinely mean it. “So what is the Livingston Physics Review going to do without you?” There was something more than just congratulations in his voice, but she couldn’t put her finger on what she was hearing.
“We’ve got a meeting this afternoon to figure that out. If it’s okay, I’ll put whoever takes over for me in touch with you.”
He gave her a look that, again, she couldn’t quite interpret. “Sure. That’s fine.” He hesitated. Was he annoyed? Sad? Supportive? Something else? “I’m happy for you, but—I’m also glad you won’t be working on physics stories anymore. I haven’t said anything, but I’ve been thinking about something for a while now …”
It clicked for Nora then. She knew exactly what he couldn’t quite bring himself to say. He’d never expressed any interest in her before, because he knew she couldn’t date a source. But if she wasn’t going to be writing for the Physics Review, then he wasn’t a source anymore. And that meant …
“Greg, are you asking me out on a date?”
She probably shouldn’t have just blurted it out like that, but better to just rip the band-aid off.
To his credit, he didn’t look away from her; he met her eyes and steadied himself. “Yes.”
Did she want to date him, though? He was—well, not precisely handsome but close enough to it. He had piercing brown eyes that lit up when he got deep into the weeds on a physics problem. Just like—no, this was not the time to think about Daniel. She owed Greg her full attention; it wasn’t fair to him to be thinking about her past. Whether she said yes or no, he deserved that much.
But would it be yes or no?
He was close to handsome. And obviously very smart. And funny, when he let down his guard and forgot to be self-conscious. And, anyway, it was only a first date he was asking her on. She didn’t need to make a lifelong decision or anything.
“Then I’m saying yes.”
Daniel, January 30
The headhunter had been for real, and the job they wanted him for was a perfect fit. The initial conversations had gone very well, and their client—Piedmont Integrated Systems, in Charlotte, North Carolina—wanted to meet him in person.
Just like QNS had in his senior year of college, they were going to fly him out for the interview. This time, he wouldn’t need Valerie’s help to prepare. He knew exactly what they were looking for—and he even knew some of the people already. They’d been a vendor for a few months last year, until Mike McGee took over as the division Vice President and cancelled all the contracts.
If all went well, though—and there was no reason why it shouldn’t—he’d still owe Valerie the job.
“I’m going to go broke thanking her,” he muttered to himself as he dialed the phone. There was another reason he believed—knew—this job would work out. It was fate.
“Danny? What’s going on? You never call in the middle of the day.”
It was fate that the job was in Charlotte because Bianca just moved there herself two months ago.
“You’re not going to believe this, Bee, but I’m going to be in your neighborhood on Friday. I’ve got a job interview.”
“What?”
He told her the whole story.
“You’re going to buy that lawyer another expensive gift, aren’t you?”
He laughed. Of course she knew what he’d been thinking. “I tell you I’m probably going to be your next door neighbor in a few weeks, and that’s all you have to say?”
