The Friendship List(75)

“Send her in,” he said, then mentally slapped himself. Really? Send her in? Because that was such a good idea?

His door opened. He rose as she walked into his office.

She looked different and it took him a second to figure out what had changed. Her clothes, he thought. He’d only ever seen her in jeans or cargo pants, with a bare face and straight hair either hanging loose or pulled back in a braid. Today she had on a sleeveless dress that buttoned up the front. Her hair hung in soft curls and he was pretty sure she was wearing makeup.

“Hi,” she said, looking both scared and resolved. “I appreciate you letting me see you. I wasn’t sure you would.”

Looking at her made him weak, and hearing her voice nearly brought him to his knees. Why her? Why not that woman from the political luncheon or any of the other women he’d tried dating recently? Why did it have to be her? Chemistry? Was his mother trying to teach him a lesson from the great beyond? Was he just unlucky in love?

She shifted her small handbag from one hand to the other. “Your office is really nice. I got a bit confused when I got to downtown Bellevue. There are so many high-rises.” She managed a quick smile. “It’s nothing like Willowbrook.”

“That’s true. Where did you park?”

“In the garage.” Her smile turned more genuine. “I’m not totally sure I’ll be able to find my car again.”

“You mean your van?”

She looked away, then back at him. “I have Ellen’s Subaru.”

“Give me the parking ticket. I can validate it for you.”

He swore silently. This was the most inane conversation he’d ever had. Validate her parking? What was that? He should be asking why she was here, or telling her to get out.

Unity opened her mouth, closed it, then half turned away. When she looked back at him, her eyes were filled with tears.

“Do you want to go out with me?”

He literally took a step back. No way he’d seen that question coming. Before he could figure out how to answer, she continued.

“I know I’m a mess,” she said quickly, her fingers clutching her purse so tightly, her knuckles were white. “I’ve been thinking a lot about my life and what I’m doing and not doing. I got thrown out of grief group.” Her mouth twisted. “There has been one hit after the other, lately. People telling me I’m stuck and that I need to move on and I’ve fought them so hard. I’m exhausted by the fight. It’s all of them against just me and for so long, I believed I was right. But what if I’m not?”

She drew in a breath. “I want to change. I don’t know how, exactly, or what is okay and what isn’t, but I want to find out. So I wondered if you still wanted to go out with me because I’d like that very much. You’re easy to be with and I feel safe around you. Plus, I keep thinking about you, so there’s that.” She gave him a faint smile. “And, you know, the skydiving.”

The smile faded and she cleared her throat. “Which is all about me, right? And dating should be about both people. You asked me out before, which makes me think maybe you like me enough to want to try again, because I know I can do better. If you would be willing to give me another chance...”

No. It was the right answer, and an easy word for him to say. He said no all the time. Get involved with Unity? He didn’t need the drama or the pain in his ass. She was trouble and a mistake and the fact that he wanted her in his bed was meaningless because what were the odds of that ever happening?

He looked at her, at her fear-filled eyes and the faint quiver in her lower lip. Coming here had taken a lot of courage, he had to give her that. She’d put herself out there, risking rejection. She probably thought she was braced for it.

If only, he thought grimly. For reasons he couldn’t explain, he didn’t have the power to resist her. If she hadn’t said she couldn’t stop thinking about him, he might have had a chance, but she had and now he was well and truly stuck with his feelings and his wanting and being a damned idiot when it came to this one woman.

“We can go out,” he said, giving in to the inevitable. One day he would be over her, but he wasn’t there yet.

Her eyes brightened, her mouth curved up and her entire body relaxed. “You’re sure?”

He nodded.

“Oh, good. Thank you. That’s so great. Is there something you’d like to do? Set up a date or—” She paused. “I don’t know what you want.”

“How about the next time I kiss you, you kiss me back?”

She flushed, but kept her gaze on him. “I agree. That would be good.” She took a tentative step toward him. “Did you want to kiss me now?”

The offer surprised him. “I think the moment should be a little more spontaneous.”

“Okay.” She looked at her watch. “It’s four o’clock. I should let you get back to work. Did you want to have dinner later?”

He had to give her credit—she’d gone all in. “Unity, did you have a plan for today?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you driving back tonight? Are you staying? Did you just get in the car and drive over to see me?”

“I didn’t really think much of that through,” she admitted. “I told the guys I was going to be gone, packed a bag and came. I probably should have called, but this seemed more like an in-person conversation. Are you busy tonight?”