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“Oh boy.”
“But you’ll be happy to know we cleared it all up last night.”
“Oh good,” she says, sarcasm dripping from her tone. “How so?”
I’m not sure what I felt worse about last night. Hayden’s decision to put distance between us or the fact that I wasn’t the one to suggest it first.
“We . . . he . . . acknowledged it was a bad idea. So no more of that.”
Karlene’s only response is to take another sip of coffee.
“Well?” I press. “I have to meet with the pharmacology team in a few minutes.”
Karlene finally clears her throat and lowers her ginormous mug. “I’m not sure what you want me to say.”
“It’s a good thing, right? That we’re putting the kibosh on it.”
I’m aware I’m fishing, but I had a shitty night and right now I need an ally.
“No more illicit lunches that could get you in trouble? Yeah, sure. It’s great.”
I sigh. Loudly. “OK, then tell me what you think. For real.”
“The truth?”
“Yes, please.”
Karlene looks back, I guess to make sure no one is about to burst into my office with a well-meaning whiteboard.
“The truth is you’re probably losing sleep for nothing. You might be attracted to the guy, but you don’t seem to like him much. You said he’s arrogant . . . or was it entitled, I can’t remember. I have to say he’s not your typical type anyway.”
I mean, that’s not entirely true. I’ve just been trying hard lately to avoid the “bad boy” types. They might be great initially, but who wants an actual relationship with someone like that? Been there, done that. I’m going on thirty, not twenty. I’ll take kind and stable over dangerous and edgy any day.
But . . .
There’s more beneath the surface of Hayden Tanner than he shows the world. He may have strolled into my meeting late, as if he didn’t have a care in the world, but that’s clearly not true. The way he talked about his business partner, and his nanny, paints him as the kind of man who cares deeply . . . for people who care about him.
“OK, let’s just pretend heismy type.”
Karlene’s eyes widen, but she gestures for me to go on.
“And since we’re pretending, let’s say he’s not only wildly handsome and rich but also a diamond in the rough capable of deep affection for people other than himself . . .”
Karlene is trying to keep from laughing now, but she manages to say, “Then I still think this is for the best.”
Obviously she’s right.
“Is that not what you were fishing for?” she asks, cocking her head.
I smile for the first time all day. “Leave it to you to call me out.”
“I should have seen this coming the night of the bachelorette party.”
“What?” The indignity. “I totally shot him down that night.”
“Ha!” She says it so sharply my head snaps up.
“Sorry. I mean, ha,” she amends, her voice just slightly less forceful. “Pu-leeze. I could see the pheromones oozing from your body.”
