Page 61 of Love Me In Color

“I’m trying something new,” he smiled. “A pretty girl once told me to try it.”

His dark eyes were peaceful around the water, but his nervous smile reminded me that this wasn’t his idea of a good time. I appreciated his willingness to try but felt bad for forcing him into it.

After maneuvering ourselves into the water without getting wet, we moved around in a comforting silence. The water rippled every time we took the paddle out. I stared at the ripples as they got further and further from the center. He splashed me lightly in a moment of childishness, making me believe he was enjoying this as much as I was.

It wasn’t particularly crowded today, which was odd for a Friday night. There were a few other people in the water and some walking around. The restaurants were the only places full of life. Laughter and the faint clinking of silverware crowded the air.

I turned to Richard. The light from one of the restaurants behind him gave him a glow. We returned to the shore and returned the kayak to the bored teenager.

“That wasn’t nearly as unpleasant as I thought it would be,” Richard admitted.

“We don’t have to do things you don’t enjoy,” I laughed, swinging our joint hands.

“I wanted to try something new. You were right. I did have fun.”

“I appreciate the creativity, for sure. I’ve always loved the water. Growing up, I probably spent half of my time in it.”

“The only water I grew up around was a river. I always hated being wet. But I admit, I’m not giving it a fair chance now. Maybe it’s time to try it again.”

Richard stopped walking in front of my building. I was pulled back by his hand, firmly grasping mine. He slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me in, dipping me into a kiss. It sent a flutter of feelings through me.

“What was that for?” I smiled.

“Just being grateful for you.”

He rendered me speechless with today’s actions. Something that rarely happened to me. He held the lobby door open, and we got in the elevator. I would have let him into the apartment if it wasn’t because we had work tomorrow.

“Goodnight, Blake,” he leaned in and kissed me. Soft. Kind. Almost loving.

“Goodnight, Richard.”

I returned his kiss, feeling a reinvigorated connection with him. I felt for the first time that maybe we could be more than casual dates and fancy restaurants. He had planned something for us, for me, without any expectation of liking it. We ate subs and moved around in a kayak. I could get used to these nights with him quicker than I cared to admit.

I closed the door behind me, still slightly shocked at the night. I was sure this wouldn’t help my already befuddled feelings.

As I climbed into bed, I got a text. A mug with the words ‘recovering workaholic’ came on my screen.

Parker:Saw this today, and I just had to get it for you! I’ll bring it into the office tomorrow.

Me:You should’ve gotten two, and we’d have matching mugs to remind us to enjoy life.

Parker:I’m definitely enjoying it with you.

I stared at the mug and ran my finger over the screen. A slight guilt crept into my heart. Tears pooled in my eyes.

This would all be over soon.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Wednesday afternoon.

Twenty-four days left.

Unofficially, I was exhausted. Officially, I had to put away my feelings and deal with the countdown in front of me. We were running out of time to select the last portion of phase one of Project Porcelain. A decision had to be made today.

Amelia and her team piled into the conference room at the end of the day. Erik and I were each presenting a final idea that we had brainstormed. I had to pivot my team to work on other projects for which the deadlines were quickly approaching, so I had been on my own for this one. The guilt of presenting something that I wasn’t proud of made me question how I had let myself even put together this presentation. I planned to propose a tried-and-true idea while, from what I understood, Erik was going with a more untested idea.

My presentation was stale. The idea was overused. We all knew the research; we knew that mailed samples worked. They worked well enough, but it was predictable. We all knew it, but I still had to sit there and pretend that I believed in what I was pitching.

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