I ran to the bathroom the first chance I got and stared at my reflection in the mirror. I was glad I had opted for the white blouse today, but I still looked like someone’s secretary.
“Stop it,” I told myself. “Who cares what you’re wearing; this is not a date. It’s just an apology dinner.”
It was hard to calm down, however, and I found myself reaching into my purse and refreshing my lipstick and straightening out my hair as though I was getting ready for the date. When seven o’clock came around, I found myself checking the time every five seconds. Finally, Jake emerged at seven-ten.
“Are you ready to head out?” he asked casually.
“Yes,” I nodded.
We walked together towards the company parking lot where Jake had a special parking spot cordoned off especially for him. To my utter surprise, he held the passenger side door open for me. I slipped into the seat and tried to remember the take deep breaths. A moment later, Jake slid into place beside me, and we headed off. His car was a fancy sports model, but I was more impressed with his driving. He was sensible on the roads and didn’t drive like he had an ego.
When we got to the restaurant, it was unbelievably crowded. I looked awkwardly at Jake. “Um, I think we might need a reservation to get in here.”
“Don’t worry,” he replied. “We have one.”
I was oddly flattered that he had called earlier in the evening to book a table. We were led to the back of the restaurant that featured little alcoves partially cut off from the rest of the space and offering up a little privacy. I slipped into the booth and reminded myself to breathe again. We ordered our food immediately, and Jake took the liberty of ordering drinks, too. Then the waiter disappeared, and it was just Jake and me, sitting across the table from one another.
“You must be relieved that Hatanaka and Company agreed to the deal,” I said, blurting out the one safe thing I had thought about on the way here because I was too afraid of the silence.
“I am,” Jake nodded. “It’ll ease up things considerably for the company, and it means we can expand our budgets in a few places.”
“That’s great,” I said. “How was Mr. Hatanaka?”
Jake raised his eyebrows. “Do you really care?”
I snorted with laughter. “Not really.”
“I didn’t think so.”
“I just…”
“Talking about work is safe,” he said, finishing my sentence much more eloquently than I would have. “I get it.”
He was different tonight, and I could see the change in his face. He was smiling with his eyes, not just with his mouth. His dark blue eyes were clearer and more open, and he seemed more relaxed, too, as though talking to me earlier had released all the frustration he had pent up over the course of the last few weeks.
“Did I mention how sorry I am for what happened the night you babysat Noah?” he said.
I smiled. “You’ve already apologized, Jake.”
“I know, but given how late it was, I think I need to reiterate,” he said. “And, as you mentioned yourself…you could have been raped or murdered. And if your dismembered corpse had been found in some alleyway, I would have been devastated.”
I blushed scarlet. “Oh God,” I said, putting my head in my hands. “I wrote that, didn’t I?”
“You did,” he replied, and he sounded intensely amused.
“Is there any way you could delete that email?” I groaned.
“Not a chance,” he said, shaking his head. “I quite liked that email, once I got over all the insults; it was actually quite interesting to read.”
“You’re making fun of me now, aren’t you?”
“Only in the best possible way.”
I laughed. “Is there such a thing?”
“Of course,” Jake nodded.
The waiter brought over our drinks, and I took a sip and allowed myself to relax a little. Now that we were out of the stifling air of the office, I found that I was a little more at ease.