Page 116 of Romance and Peppermint Lattes
“Cait?” Paul stared at her.
“I’m sorry, what were you saying?”
“Simply that you and Joe Rockwell have been seeing a lot of each other recently.”
“Uh, yes. As you know, we were childhood friends,” she murmured. “Actually Joe and my older brother were best friends. Then Joe’s family moved to the suburbs and our families lost contact.”
“Yes, I remember you mentioned that.”
The waitress came for their order, and Paul requested a bottle of white wine. Then he chatted amicably for several minutes, bringing up subjects of shared interest from the office.
Cait listened attentively, nodding from time to time or adding the occasional comment. Now that she had his undivided attention, Cait wondered what it was about Paul that she’d found so extraordinary. He was attractive, but not nearly as dynamic or exciting as she found Joe. True, Paul possessed a certain charm, but compared to Joe, he was subdued and perhaps even a little dull. Cait couldn’t imagine her stalwart boss carrying her piggyback out the back door because her high heels were too tight. Nor could she see Paul bantering with her the way Joe did.
The waitress delivered the wine, opened the bottle and poured them each a glass, once Paul had given his approval. Their dinners followed shortly afterward. After taking a bite or two of her delicious salmon, Cait noticed that Paul hadn’t touched his meal. If anything, he seemed restless.
He rolled the stem of the wineglass between his fingers, watching the wine swirl inside. Then he suddenly blurted out, “What do you think of Lindy’s leaving the firm?”
Cait was taken aback by the fervor in his voice when he mentioned Lindy’s name. “Frankly I was shocked,” Cait said. “Lindy and I have been good friends for a couple of years now.” There’d been a time when the two had done nearly everything together. The summer before, they’d vacationed in Mexico and returned to Seattle with enough handwoven baskets and bulky blankets to set up shop themselves.
“Lindy’s resigning came as a surprise to you, then?”
“Yes, this whole thing caught me completely unawares. Lindy didn’t even mention the other job offer to me. I always thought we were good friends.”
“Lindyisyour friend,” Paul said with enough conviction to persuade the patrons at the nearby tables. “You wouldn’t believe what a good friend she is.”
“I... know that.” But friends sometimes had surprises up their sleeves. Lindy was a good example of that, and apparently so was Joe.
“I find Lindy an exceptional woman,” Paul commented, watching Cait closely.
“She’s probably one of the best stockbrokers in the business,” Cait said, taking a sip of her wine.
“My... admiration for her goes beyond her keen business mind.”
“Oh, mine, too,” Cait was quick to agree. Lindy was the kind of friend who would trudge through the blazing sun of Mexico looking for a conch shell because she knew Cait really wanted to take one home. And Lindy had listened to countless hours of Cait’s bemoaning her sorry fate of unrequited love for Paul.
“She’s a wonderful woman.”
Joe was wonderful, too, Cait thought. So wonderful her heart ached at his indifference when she’d announced she would be dining with Paul.
“Lindy’s the kind of woman a man could treasure all his life,” Paul went on.
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Cait said. Now, if only Joe would realize what a treasureshewas. He’d married her once—well, sort of—and surely the possibility of spending their lives together had crossed his mind in the past few weeks.
Paul hesitated as though at a loss for words. “I don’t suppose you’ve given any thought to the reason Lindy made this unexpected decision to resign?”
Frankly Cait hadn’t. Her mind and her heart had been so full of Joe that deciphering her friend’s actions had somehow escaped her. “She received a better offer, didn’t she?” Which was understandable. Lindy would be an asset to any firm.
It was then that Cait understood. Paul hadn’t asked her to dinner out of any desire to develop a romantic relationship with her. He saw her as a means of discovering what had prompted Lindy to resign. This new awareness came as a relief, a burden lifted from her shoulders. Paul wasn’t interested in her. He never had been and probably never would be. A few weeks ago, that realization would have been a crushing defeat, but all Cait experienced now was an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
“I’m sure if you talk to Lindy, she might reconsider,” Cait suggested.
“I’ve tried, trust me. But there’s a problem.”
“Oh?” Now that Cait had sampled the salmon, she discovered it to be truly delicious. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was.
“Cait, look at me,” Paul said, raising his voice slightly. His face was pinched, his eyes intense. “Damn, but you’ve made this nearly impossible.”
She looked up at him, her face puzzled. “What is it, Paul?”
