Sara asked, “So. Can I get a hint about what we might be doing on Friday? So I can dress appropriately?”
Deacon said, “You should dress casually and warmly.”
He could practically hear the wheels turning in her mind.
“You’re not giving me any hint as to what we’re doing at all?” she asked.
“I hadn’t intended that it be a secret, but your desire to know makes me wanna not tell you now,” Deacon said, a smile playing on his lips.
Hearing her say, “Mmhmm,” dryly made him laugh softly.
He said, “Oh. Lunch was amazing today, by the way. The one guy who talked to you, Chuck, couldn’t stop
raving about it. It went over really well.”
“Awesome. It’s always good to hear positive feedback. How did the meeting go?”
“Pretty well. I feel like we accomplished all the things we were supposed to. I ended up going out to happy hour with them after the meeting. I kinda felt obligated, since they asked me. Those people can freaking drink. It was ridiculous. Remember the amazon woman? Brown hair?”
“Yeah? I think so. Why?”
“She was clingy and obnoxious the whole night. I didn’t get out of there ’til after 7:00 p.m. I wish you would’ve been there with me. I could have used you as my human shield.”
Laughing, Sara asked, “Drunk Amazons don’t do it for you, then?”
Smirking, Deacon said, “Not a chance. Lately I find myself into one sassy redhead in particular.”
After a short pause, Sara asked softly, “Oh really?”
Deacon could hear the smile in her voice. He replied, “Yeah really.”
After chatting for a few more minutes, Sara said she had to get back to the ham mousse. After getting her promise to text her address to him, they agreed he’d come pick her up at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Hanging up the phone, he smiled.
Sara was interesting. She was usually confident, but she had these moments of shyness and insecurity that cropped up every so often. It baffled him, because she was kind of amazing. But the other night she seemed baffled that he’d want to have dinner with her at JDC.
The more he thought about it, the more he wondered whether she was holding the past against him still or whether she just truly didn’t understand how into her he was. This definitely warranted further exploration. But not tonight.
Tonight, he was going to bed.
Waking up early the next morning, Deacon hit the gym before work. He was able to get in a half hour of weights and a quick run on the treadmill. Showering and getting dressed, he got to the office at 9:15 a.m.
The receptionist, Heather, handed him his messages from yesterday afternoon. Thanking her, he grabbed a cup of coffee, walked into his office and scanned through his inbox. Seeing an e-mail from his contact at Cynertex, he scanned through it and replied quickly.
Apparently, the meeting had gone really well. With a fist pump, Deacon forwarded the e-mail to Jim and Chris. This particular deal was his baby, so to speak. Right now JDC was working primarily with sports teams and athletes. Diversifying their client base to serve other corporations could be very lucrative. This deal was a very good thing.
Feeling energized by this development, he was able to dive into the day with a new level of satisfaction. By noon, he had popped into the accounting department to check on the restructuring progress, met with Jim to go over the outcome of the Cynertex meeting, and worked up an appetite.
Having no desire to grab a sandwich at the commissary, he grabbed his wallet and phone, and asked Heather to hold his calls ’til 1:00 p.m. Going downstairs, he decided to walk down to the food truck on the corner and get some tacos.
On his way there, he checked his messages on his phone. Seeing he had a text from Sara he opened it. Hope your day is going well!
Responding he said, Going really well, actually. Cynertex signed with us this morning.
A moment later, she texted back. Awesome!! i know how great it is when someone finally signs a contract after a long negotiation.
Laughing, Deacon answered, i bet you do…how’s your day going?