Page 14 of The Lessons

Brad’s eyes sparkled, and his mouth twitched upwards. “Can’t your boyfriend sign for the delivery?”

I blushed as I shook my head, gazing down at my shoes and taking a breath before looking back at him. “Oh, um, no, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“I see.” He folded his arms in front of his chest and grinned, clearly pleased with himself. “So what part of the city are you living in?”

I closed one eye and tilted my head. “Uh, the Marina. Cow Hollow area. Why?”

“Good. Nice and safe. How do you like it?”

My gaze darted up to his and he caught it. “Uh, it’s good. I like it.”

“You know, we’re neighbors.”

I flushed. “Oh, yeah?”

“Well, sort of. I’m in Russian Hill. A little east of you. We should get coffee sometime. I know a great spot not too far from you. I could show you the neighborhood.”

We exited the conference room, and he started to walk with me to my office.

Triple shit. I was off the hook for drinks, only to be snagged by Mr. Welcome Wagon. What was with guys offering to play tour guide in this city? I could feel my palms begin to sweat as I started to feel overwhelmed by the attention.

“Yeah, maybe some time,” I replied noncommittally. “I’ll let you know once I’m all settled.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed his face, but he kept his eyes bright.

I felt a pang of guilt and embarrassment, for him and for me. I could tell he wasn’t used to rejection.

“Of course. Keep me posted.” He nodded down the hall, presumably toward his office. “You know where to find me.”

“Will—” I coughed, my throat dry. “Will do.” I pressed my lips together and smiled.

“Oh, hang on.” He walked into my office and grabbed a pen off my desk. Then he produced a white business card from his pocket. “Here.” He scribbled something on it. “This is my cell. Give me a call if you need any help setting up your computer or TV or anything at your new place.”

“Oh.” I took the card and looked at the very neat handwriting. Quality penmanship was on a decline these days, and I was always impressed to meet someone who still held those skills. Unexpected to see from an IT person. I thought those guys never touched anything but a keyboard. “Thanks. That is really nice of you.” I slipped the card into my trouser pocket. “I will.”

A blond woman appeared in my doorway. “Hey, Brad, you ready?” She made no effort to downplay the stars in her eyes.

I looked over at him and tried to suppress a grin.

“Yep, go ahead. I’ll meet you at the elevator, Nikki.”

She nodded and headed off down the hall.

Brad crossed his arms again and sighed. “Well, I better get going. It was good to meet you, Natalie. See you tomorrow?”

I nodded, and he disappeared down the hall. As soon as he was out of sight, I shut the door to my office and collapsed onto my chair.

Fuck.

What was wrong with me?

~

Later that evening, I tried to improve my mood by ordering in Chinese and putting on some Motown.

Motown was myjam.

As The Miracles poured out of my iPod dock, I continued to unpack. All my kitchen equipment had arrived today, and I was eager to stock my cupboards. I knew I had packed way more than would fit in the tiny apartment kitchen, so I set about whittling the selection down.

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