Page 17 of Stacked
“Yep,” Anya looked away. “Nobody did anything.”
My jaw slackened.How awful.“Nobody?”
“The train was half full. They had to hear me. See me. But the people around me just let it happen.”
“That’s awful,” I murmured. And it felt like such a meaningless reply. But what was I supposed to say to something like this?She must have been terrified. Why didn’t anyone help her?
She finished her drink. “Anyway, a few months after that, I heard they needed help at The Green Frog and that Gwen wanted to hire a new general manager. Took that as my sign to come home.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“It’s okay,” she replied, waving it away as our plates of hummus and potstickers arrived. “This looks delicious.”
“Very Instagrammable.”
“All that matters these days.” She tossed me a half smile as she reached for her purse. While the food cooled, she went through the motions, taking out her phone, arranging her wine glass, and snapping a photo she proclaimed was perfect. After she uploaded the photo, she slung her purse back across her seat. “Let’s dig in.”
I agreed and ate for a few minutes, savoring the flavors of the hummus, the crispness of the potstickers, and the way the food was arranged on the plate. Wave certainly deserved all the accolades it was getting, and I was glad she’d suggested we meet here. It was a great place for a date.
But this wasn’t one.
I knew that. I’d known that. I wasn’t on a date with Anya. I was simply one local businessman having dinner with a local counterpart. I even planned to pay for the food on my business credit card so I could write it off on taxes. But there was a definite pull between us.
There was something different about her.And I am keen to explore this more.
“Incredible,” I murmured after taking a bite of my third pork potsticker. Eight came as part of the order, and only three remained.
“The food?”
“Yes, that.”But notjustthe food...
“It’s really good.” She placed her fork on her plate. “I’m glad we came here.”
“Me too.”
“Great place for a business meeting.”
Her comment caught in my throat. “Yes. A great place.”
She cocked her head. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” I wiped my mouth and pushed away my plate. “I’m full, that’s all.”
“Well, good.” She glanced at her watch. “I hate to cut this short, but I need to head out.” She put her napkin on the table. “It’s almost seven forty-five.”
“Is that a problem?”
She signaled for the waitress. “I’ve got a thing at eight-thirty, and I don’t want to be late for it. Sorry, I hadn’t realized how much time had passed.”
“Oh.” I felt like I was just getting beneath the surface and finding the genuine Anya, so I was disappointed she had to leave. “I didn’t know you were—”
“I have to go.” She stood, her attention on the server at a table a few feet away. “If you don’t mind, I’ll pay my part—”
“I’ve got it.” I stood too, caught the server’s eye, and pointed to my chest. “Please give it to me.”
The server handed over the bill, and Anya turned her attention back to me. “I’m sorry, I really am. I had a great time.”
“I did too.”
