“Don’t know. Just thought you were more a steak and potatoes kind of guy.”
“I’m a vegetarian actually.”
I grinned and waited. I didn’t care if other people ate meat. I mostly did it for health reasons, which was only reinforced by my father dying from having heart and cholesterol problems for years. Mentioning being a vegetarian made a lot of people defensive, and I expected Emily to be the same.
“That’s interesting,” she said. “I don’t think I’d have the discipline to pull it off.”
Her lack of defensiveness was refreshing.
“It’s not that hard once you get used to it.”
She sipped her tea, watching me, her expression unreadable. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking.
“It’s weird,” she said.
“What?”
“Oh,” she said, blushing. “I’m sorry. I was thinking about how our mothers are friends and run in the same social circles, and we’re both Nashville born and raised, but we’ve never run into each other before.” She shrugged. “I guess it’s not such a small world.”
I sipped my coffee before responding. “The age difference. I’m guessing that about the time you started really being introduced to society events, I was probably heading off to college, and when I came back, I focused a lot more on business.”
“We’re only eight years apart,” she said. “You make it sound like a huge gap.”
“Just happened to work out that way.”
She glanced at her watch again.
A combination of curiosity and annoyance finally forced a question out. “Have another appointment?”
Emily winced, and I instantly regretted my tone. “A meeting went long earlier, and I have to get some stuff done before I leave work.”
“Oh. Can’t stay late?”
“I have to pick my daughter up from preschool.” She averted her eyes. “I’m sorry. I guess I should have made that clearer. It’s just this will be more a half-hour thing than an hour thing.”
Understanding blossomed in my mind, and I nodded once, feeling bad over my earlier irritation.
I waved a hand dismissively. “We’ve just met, but I’m assuming you want to keep a good relationship with your daughter.” I grinned, hoping she’d like the joke.
A smile spread across her face, and some relief spread through me at the same time.
Emily rubbed the back of her neck. “Actually, if it’s all right with you, I think I’m going to get this to go and eat at my desk. I’m so sorry. I know it’s rude, but the timing today really didn’t work out.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s the curse of working in an office.”
The waitress appeared with her salad and my sandwich.
“Can I get a to-go box?” Emily asked.
The waitressed bobbed her head. “Sure, hon.” She turned to head off before shooting me a
dirty look as if I’d done something to run Emily off. I gave her a slight smile back.
I wasn’t mad. I could see why she might think something like that was going on.
It took less than a minute for the waitress to return with two to-go boxes.
“I don’t need one,” I said. “I’m going to eat here.”