Weekends Required (Danvers #1)(37)
“Ugh… Really? That stuffed shirt thinks he’s going to get his groove on with me? I mean he’s good- looking and all, but it’s a damn shame he’s such a tight ass. He probably thinks I’m some call girl he can buy for the weekend to rock his little uptight world. Nope, I don’t see it happening for him; tell Jason I’d rather pick lint out of my belly button.” Suzy seemed to protest a little too much every time the subject of Grayson was brought up.
Although maybe someone like Grayson was exactly what Suzy needed for her ego after the heartache that Jeff had caused, Claire put on a really brave face, but knew Suzy was still hurting inside and the front that she presented was really to protect her heart. “I might not be interested in going, but I’m really interested in what you plan to do there,” said Suzy.
“I’m going there to work, nothing more,” defended Claire.
“Umm Hmmm, is that what they call it these days?”
“It’s not like that, and we won’t be alone; Grayson will be there and probably others as well. It’s strictly professional so get your mind out of the gutter,” said Claire.
With a sly look, Suzy said, “We will see girly. You forget I saw you two at dinner last week and the looks between you were actually making my underwear melt. I can’t imagine you being under the same roof and being able to control yourself. Just rip each other’s clothes off and see where it goes from there.
“I do insist on details though as soon as you get home, call me, text me, email me, just get me the 411 on exactly what happened.” With a laugh, Claire moved on to safer subjects and thoroughly enjoyed her lunch.
~~~
The next day Claire was in the office before Jason had arrived and used the extra time to arrange for the repairs to her mother’s home. She picked up the check from the credit union yesterday and was still overjoyed at how simple the process had been.
When Jason arrived a short time later Claire greeted him with a smile and a cheerful good morning. As if almost surprised, Jason returned the greeting and stopped in front of her desk.
He looked at her warmly and asked, “How are you today?”
“Very good, thanks.”
“I’m going to be out of the office for most of today, but I wondered if you were free for dinner tonight?” asked Jason.
Surprised, Claire replied, “Dinner?”
At her obvious confusion, Jason quickly added, “It’s really a business dinner. I’ll be out of the office for the rest of the week at Mericom in Charleston, and I want to go over a few things with you before I leave. Since we both have to eat, I thought dinner would work out well.”
“I can just stay late, and we could go over everything here when you get back if you’d prefer.” said Claire.
“That’s not necessary; we will eat somewhere close to your apartment if it’s more convenient,” added Jason. “How about the Italian place down the street from you, Villa Risso?” asked Jason.
“They have great food,” said Claire, “it’s very casual though if that’s a problem.”
“No, I like casual. Let’s say around seven, does that give you enough time?” asked Jason. Claire agreed and after picking up some files from his office, Jason left with a quick goodbye.
The afternoon passed quickly in nervous anticipation. Claire kept trying to remind herself that this was a business dinner and not a date. There was no reason to be nervous. She left promptly at five so that she would have time to go home and freshen up before meeting Jason. Luckily, she didn’t run into Suzy on her way out. She could just imagine what type of graphic comments she would have made.
Chapter Fifteen
Claire went straight to the shower when she arrived home. After getting out, she threw on her robe and walked over to the vanity to touch up on her make-up. As she was leaning over the vanity to apply her blusher, the sleeve of her robe caught the small wooden box that she used to store her toiletries and it came crashing off and landed painfully hard on her right foot. Shit! Owwww God that hurts!
She hobbled to her bed to assess the damage. Her big toe was now bleeding profusely. She grabbed some tissue and held it against her toe until it looked as if the blood flow was slowing. Upon inspection, she was dismayed to see that her toenail had been cut. She hobbled back to the bathroom for her trusty first aid box and located a band-aid and antiseptic spray. Soon, she had an ugly but functional white bandage around her toe. With a sigh, she thought she should really start avoiding the bathroom since most of her accidents seemed to occur there.
Claire planned to wear a long blue sundress she’d purchased on a whim several years ago and a pair of flat, white sandals. The dress might still be possible; the shoes, however, weren’t since the toe openings were too small for the bandage. Almost ready to admit defeat, Claire spotted a pair of flip flops she kept to wear on the beach. After sliding on her dress, Claire then gingerly tried on the flip flops. It wasn’t as bad as she feared.
The shoes gave the dress a more casual appearance and of course there was no missing the huge bandage on her toe but from the ankles up she looked fine. If she could arrive at the restaurant first and be seated before Jason he might never notice her toe. After quickly finishing her makeup and locking up her apartment, Claire made her way to her car. Oh great, instead of looking sexy, I’m waddling like a duck.
~~~