“About the same as always.” I shrugged. “Nothing exciting happens at the Pembroke —except for my first day—that was kind of crazy.”
“Oh?” He tilted his head inquisitively. “What happened?”
“Someone got stabbed in the stairwell…” My eyes opened wide as I said it.
“Seriously?” His head snapped back slightly. “I didn’t hear anything ab
out that…”
“I don’t think it made the news.” I shrugged. “I kept checking because I was curious to know who he was, but I never saw anything.”
“That’s crazy…” He blinked in surprise. “None of your coworkers knew him? Was he not a guest at the hotel?”
“I’m not sure.” I shrugged again. “It was very hush-hush. The maid that found him started right before I did, so she didn’t know if he was a regular or not. My boss wouldn’t let anyone else near the stairs, and she had everyone leave the lobby when the paramedics arrived…”
“It must have been someone important—especially if they were able to bury the story before the news got a chance to report it.” Damien shook his head with a bewildered stare on his face.
Damien seemed as stunned to hear about the stabbing as I was the day it happened. He thought it was definitely odd that it didn’t make the news—especially in a town like Carson Cove where crime was rare except for the white-collar variety. The waiter brought my wine, and we ordered our meals. I decided to play it safe and ordered spaghetti—I had never been to Moretti’s, but someone told me once that it was the only place you could get authentic Italian spaghetti in Carson Cove. I also assumed it wasn’t that expensive. Damien ordered something called Chicken Saltimbocca, which sounded pretty fancy—and probably a lot more expensive than what I chose from the menu. I tried the wine once the waiter left the table with our orders, and it was a lot sweeter than the one I had at the Pembroke, but it was really good.
“So, you know where I work—where I go to school—and the most traumatic event that has happened to me lately.” I tilted my head to the side. “I think it’s time you told me something about yourself.”
“What do you want to know?” He leaned back and narrowed his eyes.
Why did you ask me out? Do you feel—anything right now, or am I the only one with a flutter in my stomach when our eyes meet?
“What do you do for work? I assume you work at your family’s company…” I titled my head inquisitively.
Safe topics… That’s easier than trying to make sense of everything else.
“No.” The emotion faded from his face. “I don’t work at Sinn Technology.”
Okay, maybe that wasn’t a safe topic…
“Oh, I’m sorry.” I winced when I saw how my question changed his demeanor immediately.
“Nothing to apologize for.” He shook his head back and forth. “I had a falling out with my grandfather. I work at Alcott Inc. now.”
“I’ve heard that is a good company…” I nodded aimlessly and felt guilty for bringing up a subject that seemed to upset him.
“It is.” He reached for his whiskey. “I like working there.”
The waiter brought our food, and I was happy to have the interruption. I had hoped that talking about Sinn Technology would be a good segue into the fact that I was working on a Computer Science degree and would possibly be working at a company like the one his family-owned after I graduated. That way I could feel like we at least had something in common. Instead, it seemed to be a total fail on my part. I assumed that I shouldn’t bring up anything else about his family if he had a falling out with his grandfather. I didn’t know enough about Alcott Inc. to have a discussion about it.
“This is really good…” I took a bite of my spaghetti and nodded.
Talking about the food must be a safe topic—hopefully.
“Yeah.” He nodded aimlessly. “So, what are you going to school for?”
“Computer Science…” I hesitated after I said it because I was terrified that it was going to lead right back to the topic I already regretted bringing up.
“Ah.” He picked up his knife and started cutting his chicken. “That’s why you know about Sinn Technology…”
Here we are again…
“Well, it is the only tech company in Carson Cove.” I reached for my wine and took a quick sip.
“There are plenty of other places to work.” He shrugged. “Every company needs someone who knows how to keep its systems online.”