Page 125 of It's Not PMS, It's You
“I’m stuffed.” Nick pointed to the door. “Okay, I guess we can go now.”
“Behave. Especially since my boss is coming this way.”
Gary approached and held his glass toward me, smiling. “Ruth. Congratulations on the acquisitions. You’re having a banner year.”
“Thank you.”
He turned to Nick. “Gary Stansfeld, managing partner.”
“Nick Morris. A pleasure to meet you.”
“And you as well.” Gary shook hands with Nick and then turned back to me. “You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend.”
I had no idea how to respond to that.
I smiled. “I was planning on sending a company-wide email in the morning to let everyone know I’m dating.”
Gary laughed. “Good one.” He glanced at Nick. “She’s a keeper.”
Nick grinned. “I can’t argue with you there.”
“Speaking of the morning, we have an emergency staff meeting with all partners first thing tomorrow. Eight o’clock. You need to be there, of course.” He glanced at Nick and then got his eyes back on me. “I can fill you in on what’s going on before you leave tonight.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Nothing you can’t handle.” He turned to Nick. “A pleasure meeting you. Enjoy the evening.”
After Gary walked away, Nick turned to me. “He seems like a decent guy.”
“We don’t agree on everything, but Gary is honest and plays by the rules. I can’t ask for much more than that. How are you doing? Are you bored yet?”
“I’m hanging in there, but . . .” Nick placed his beer bottle on the cocktail table next to us. “I need to go find the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
“Sounds good.” I watched Nick head back into the hotel, grateful he’d said yes and came with me to the party.
He didn’t look very happy to be there, and I really couldn’t blame him. If it weren’t for the food, the beer, and Nick’s company, I would have been bored myself. Maybe we could stay just a little bit longer and then sneak out to do something more exciting.
Another partner, Steve, placed his beer on the cocktail table next to me. “Was that Nick Morris you were talking to?”
I was surprised by the question. “Yeah.”
Steve looked impressed. “Wow. He looks good. How do you know him?”
“I hired him to design my new backyard.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yes. In fact, he’s almost done with the project. How do you know him?”
“Well, I don’t know him directly. I knowofhim. He was hired to design the courtyard and employee area for a company I worked for a few years back before I came to Stansfeld.”
“He’s got a great eye for design and detail.”
“That’s an understatement. Nick has been compared to Frederick Law Olmsted.”
“Who?”
“He’s the guy known for helping design Central Park. He also designed Stanford University and the University of Chicago. Nick used to be a big deal.”
