Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
I laughed. “You know that’s a bad idea.”
“No,” he said a little more firmly that I would have expected. “It’s not a bad idea. You’re a great person and fun to be around.”
I groaned. “You’re meant to be helping me. That’s the point of being here. I’m not going to learn anything if you just tell me I’m great.” That was the thing about Joshua; when I was with him, he acted like I was the most interesting and funny person he’d ever met. All part of his charm I supposed.
He held my gaze as if he were about to say something, but before he could, a waiter interrupted and Joshua ordered us cocktails. I stayed silent, wanting to hear what he was about to say, but the moment had passed.
“Will a man normally do that? You didn’t ask me what I wanted, but you chose the one on the list I would have picked for myself.”
“That’s because I know you. You can’t expect your dates to be mind-readers. But if you like when I order for you, you can make a point of telling your date what you’d like to have. See what he does when the waitress comes by.”
“True. Brian is going to have a lot to live up to.”
He smiled like I’d just given him the biggest compliment.
“Are you okay?” I asked. He seemed sort of different. Still the same Joshua I felt comfortable with and loved hanging out with, but somehow a concentrated version. I wondered if this is what it felt like to be taken out by Joshua—to be his girlfriend. The dress, the flowers, the compliments—Joshua wasn’t one of those boys who peaked in high school. He got better with age. Damn him.
“Having the time of my life. You?”
The time of his life? He was being sarcastic, right? The fact was, if he asked me the same question, I could answer honestly the exact same way. Being with Joshua had become my new favorite thing to do.
“I got an email from Thea today,” I said. “Are we allowed to be talking like we know each other?”
“You want full-on role play mode?” he asked. “If so, Doctor, I’ve got a terrible ache that needs kissing away. It’s right—”
I put a hand over his mouth, barely containing my laughter. “I think I’d prefer it if we were just us. But . . .” I glanced down at my dress. “I have a spare white coat back at the apartment.” If he was going to do the sexy-flirty thing, I was going to try to give it back.
“Noted—and maybe one of these days, I’ll have you dress up and do me a full body check, but tonight I’d prefer it if we were just us too. What did Thea have to say?”
“Just telling me about the classroom politics at the school she’s working in. And moaning about mum’s interfering. You know, nothing dramatic.”
“I guess interfering is part of the job of being a mother.”
“My mother thinks so. Obviously, I don’t hear from Patrick unless it’s my birthday or Christmas. He’s off doing whatever it is he’s doing in Singapore. How come you two never stayed in touch?”
“No particular reason. University overtook things. We’d both made new friends, and I didn’t go home much so I didn’t see him. I suppose I was lazy.” There was no doubt that Joshua was charming, but he was also honest. He never tried to pretend he was someone he wasn’t and he always underplayed his skills and achievements. Even if I did say so myself, I had pretty good taste as a teenager. I didn’t waste an obsession on some badly behaved pop star or over-hyped actor. Joshua was a really good man. Then. Now.
“I guess that’s what happens,” I replied. “Unless someone’s important and you make an effort to keep them in your orbit, they float away.” It had only been a couple of months, but I was so used to spending time with Joshua, telling him about my day or hearing about his latest demanding client, that it was going to be a real shift when I moved.
“Are you going to float away, Hartford?” Joshua asked, as if he’d read my mind. He fixed me with a stare that told me he wasn’t making a joke. “I want you in my orbit.”
My stomach dipped. He sounded so serious, so unusually earnest. If it hadn’t been Joshua in front of me, it would have felt almost romantic. Like we were two people who really liked each other on a real date. A man coughing three or four tables away caught my attention. I tried to dismiss the thought that he needed a good slap on the back—I wanted to give Joshua my full attention. I wanted to know why he’d sounded almost pleading.