I even enjoyed spending time with her at the bookstore. At first, I didn’t like the way her former manager held her close to him for a lingering hug, but when he let her go, it was obvious she wasn’t into him.
Building the display with them had been interesting. Fun, even. Especially since I got to see how Stephanie spent her days before she spent them in the office next to mine.
All things considered, this afternoon would go down in my memory as one of the best ones in a while. No one was more surprised than I was.
It was nice to feel normal for the day, especially after my dad threw Jack in my face. Not thinking about either of them or the company or any of that shit and just being able to be was refreshing, amazing. I hadn’t felt that way for a long time.
I also discovered that Stephanie and I were compatible in more ways than I realized. Sexually, our chemistry was off the charts. We worked well as a team, and in our free time, we enjoyed each other’s company.
Food for thought, but it would have to wait until later. The server delivered our pizzas, which looked mouthwatering. Steph beamed at me, picking up a slice of hers. “And, what do you think?”
“So far, so good,” I said, though I couldn’t deny it did look amazing. A quick taste made me want to shove the whole thing in my mouth at once. “Okay, I’ll give it to you. That’s a pretty good pizza.”
“Pretty good?” she repeated incredulously, letting the slice sit between her fingers. “I can’t believe you. This isn’t pretty good, it’s heavenly.”
“True, but I’m not convinced about it being the best in the city. We’ll have to see about that.”
After swallowing her bite, she took a sip of water. “If you’re suggesting we try every pizza place in the city, I’m going to need to start working out more.”
“I can help with that,” I said with a smirk on my face.
Stephanie flushed and shook her head, whispering under her breath. “Fiend.”
We stayed at the restaurant for a couple of hours after we finished eating. We talked and drank our beers, but I switched to just water after a while because I still had to drive her home.
When I brought her home and dropped her off, it was late. Stephanie said goodbye but didn’t invite me inside. I held back from inviting myself inside because it’d been a long, emotional day for her and it was, in her words, hours after her bedtime.
“Thanks for today,” she said, leaning over in her seat to brush a kiss onto my cheek. I turned my head at the last moment and captured her lips for a proper goodbye. We were both breathless by the time she pulled back. “Stop that. I need to get upstairs.”
I stole another quick kiss and shrugged when she playfully swatted my bicep. “Don’t blame me. You’re a good kisser.”
“Only with you.” She went beet red as I hopped out to open her door. It didn’t take a mind reader to tell she wanted to take back her words as soon as they were out.
I opened her door and held out my hand for her to take. “I only am with you too,” I assured her, not wanting her to be embarrassed about her slip. Besides, it was probably something we should talk about at some point.
The corners of her lips pulled up into a grateful smile. She started walking to her door and gave me a small wave. “I’ll see you in the morning?”
“I’ll be here at seven,” I said. A pack of wild dogs couldn’t keep me away. I briefly considered inviting myself up again but decided against it. It was late, she was tired, and I needed to think.
Although I was curious about what her apartment looked like, if she wanted me in it she would’ve invited me. And I probably needed to clear my head. The day gave me a lot to think about, that was for sure.
Stephanie waited for me to drive off, waving until I joined in the late night traffic. Drumming my thumbs on my steering wheel, all the things I pushed aside during the day came tumbling back into my mind in Stephanie’s absence.
“Call Tanner,” I said out loud, and his name popped up on my console screen along with the icon showing the call was being made. He answered just before I hung up the phone.
“He calls to invite us over for football Sunday, and now I get a call the very next day. What’s up, Jer? Dad not giving you enough work?”
His tone was teasing, and there was no way he could know what happened this morning. “All he’s giving me is a headache and a metric fuck ton of doubt about whether I should’ve joined Williams Inc. after all.”
“Sounds like you’ve had an interesting day, bud. I was just about to get myself another drink. I can always get two if you want to join me?”
“I’m headed home.” I would never stay at Tanner’s for only one drink. “I wanted to run something by you.”
“Since I’m your voice of reason you say? Why thank you, Jeremiah. I appreciate your honesty.”
I rolled my eyes harder than a teenage girl who got told she had to cover up. “I’m thinking about asking Stephanie to be my girlfriend. Exclusive and stuff.”
“Aw, you’ve grown up so fast. Getting a girlfriend of your very own.” He said it in a sing-song voice, then dropped the mocking tone. “I’m happy for you man, but why are you calling to give me a heads up on this?”