Page 28 of Falling For Her Boss

Standing outside of Isabella’s apartment in my best shirt and trousers, I feel ready for a night of romance and good food. The table is booked for in half an hour, so we’ll have time for a quick drink inside her apartment if she wishes. But when I text her to let her know I’ve arrived, she surprises me by showing up outside, ready to go.

I guess I should have warned her about the dress code because right now, she is not dressed for a fancy restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, she looks good. She always does. But with her curls scraped back into a high ponytail, no makeup and a crop top on, she’s definitely not looking the part for fine dining. She glances at my shirt and blushes.

“You look so nice…did you have something specific in mind?” she asks shyly. “I wasn’t expecting anything fancy…I thought we could grab a slice of pizza or something? And then maybe take a walk through Central Park?”

I blink in surprise, thinking of my restaurant reservation. I had been so sure that she would want to be wined and dined, but I didn’t even think to ask what she would like to do. She seemed so at home that night we went to dinner with her brother that I guess I had it in my head that she’s hard to please. Clearly, I got it all wrong.

Now that she mentions it, pizza and the park actually sounds great. And with the hotel still booked for us both, there’s no reason why I can’t treat her like a princess once we get there. I smile and nod.

“Pizza sounds great. And don’t worry. I have a tendency to overdress.” I want to take her hand or something, but part of me feels as though it’s too soon. Which is ridiculous, considering what we got up to this morning. Something as innocent as holding her hand shouldn’t be such a big deal.

“Shall we?” I say uncomfortably. Isabella nods nervously and we both set off in the opposite directions. We laugh awkwardly at the mishap and I follow her lead. After all, this is her neighborhood. Plus, it’s her first date, and I’m happy for her to lead the way. She’s already proved me wrong about the fancy restaurant, so maybe it’s best for her to be in charge here.

We walk down the street together in silence. It’s hard to believe that this morning, everything seemed so easy between us. Now that the tiniest bit of pressure has been applied, we suddenly have nothing to say to one another. I clear my throat, ready to ask her something, anything, but nothing comes out.

“Um, I wanted to say thank you for today,” Isabella says after a long pause. “It was really nice of you to let me talk to your team.”

I shrug with a smile. I shove my hands deep into my pockets, feeling like an awkward teenager on a first date. “It was nothing. You really impressed everyone. I meant what I said…you’d make a valuable member of any marketing team. Is it something you might be interested in?”

Isabella shrugs. As she does, her crop top rides up even further, revealing more of her beautiful skin. “Maybe…but I really do have my eyes set on being a makeup artist. I know it might not seem like an ambitious role to some…I know those men were laughing at me…but being self-employed and independent…well to me, that’s an achievement. It takes hard work. Nothing is handed to you. But I’m not afraid of that. It’s just hard knowing where to start.”

I nod in agreement, feeling a little more relaxed now that there’s a conversation flowing. “That’s true. It’s difficult to support yourself financially at the start as well. You’d have to give up a lot to be able to afford it…it kind of sucks when all of your money goes to rent and you can’t afford much else.”

“Well…I’m not a very materialistic person. I think it’s nice to own nice things…but there is more to life, don’t you think? I could handle not buying new clothes for myself if it meant I was chasing my dream job. And it applies to other aspects of life. For example, I would feel happier knowing someone loves me than someone trying to buy my affection with expensive stuff.”

I laugh nervously. She’s totally right, of course, but I’d never viewed things that way before. My family has always had money. I have always seen anything with an expensive price tag as a good gift, because the more you spend, the more you care, in theory. But maybe she’s right. Walking along the street next to her feels just as good as being in a fancy restaurant with a three hundred dollar red wine in front of us. I guess it just goes to show that the company of the right person is priceless.

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