A Guide to Being Just Friends(34)

“My grandmother’s taste. She gave each of us a set of two. They were her mother’s.”

Hailey set the glass down then pushed it farther from the edge. “You might want to give me a plastic cup next time. I can be clumsy.”

“I haven’t seen much evidence of that.”

All it takes is a high-value family heirloom to bring it out in me. She remembered meeting Dorian’s parents. A nervous swing of her jacket had nicked one of his mother’s sculptures in the entry hall. She’d never lived it down.

“Why don’t you get the water going for the pasta.” Changing the topic felt easier than addressing it. “I start with a drizzle of balsamic, a tablespoon of brown sugar. I add all the regular spices you do to any other Italian dish and then adjust to taste.”

She held up a spoonful for him, her hand underneath it. When he bent his knees to accept, she got caught in his gaze for a second again. It was like looking at the sky on a perfectly clear day.

“Holy shit that’s good.” He licked his lips.

Hailey grinned. “It takes less than twenty minutes to whip it up. Next time one of your dates works out, you could make this.”

He gave her a one-sided smile. “Or, since we’re becoming good friends, you can make it for me in exchange for me helping you master the art of video games.”

She turned the burner down to simmer, laughing. “You’re a full-on gaming nerd, aren’t you? You love all this tech stuff; have you designed your own?”

When he didn’t answer her, she turned to look at him. He was giving her such a funny look that she asked, “What?”

Had she missed something? Was he a renowned gaming designer and she was clueless for not knowing? Was he the Nora Roberts of tech? The Nora Ephron of action-packed games?

“I’m a businessman, not a college kid. I was a corporate executive.” He turned away, busied himself with the pasta.

She didn’t mean to but she laughed. “What the hell does that even mean? Isn’t gaming, like, a billion-dollar industry?”

“It is. I haven’t designed my own. Well, I haven’t designed a fully functioning game.”

Hailey felt like he’d shared something special, something private, but didn’t know why. He was great at what he did. What was stopping him from making this another part of his empire?

Friends or not, she didn’t feel ready to ask. Or, more accurately, she didn’t feel he was ready to answer.

They let the conversation drift while she made the pasta, drained it, and covered it with marinara. She’d brought a loaf of French bread and gently toasted it. They took their plates to the living room with their wine. He had the movie ready to stream.

Setting his plate down, he gestured with his wine. “We’ll watch this first, I’ll show you the pleasure of video games after?”

“Just saying … this wouldn’t be the first time a guy has promised pleasure and I’ve left disappointed.”

Wes’s mouth did a fishlike thing but he smiled when she laughed. “Jesus. I’m glad you’re on a hiatus if that’s true.”

She grinned. “Let’s watch one of the best movies ever.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He pressed play while they dug into their food. Two bites in, he paused the screen.

Hailey turned to meet his gaze.

“First, this is delicious. Seriously good. Thank you. Second, I have a favor.”

Her heart fluttered like it had taped on a set of wings. “Okay.”

“You can say no, I will completely understand. But I know you like trades so you could also say yes and have this in your back pocket for a future favor.”

“Lay it on me.” She actually felt herself brace for impact. Was even friendship with a guy too good to be true?

“I have a business dinner late next week. I don’t like these sorts of things at this point in the negotiation. Some people use them as a friendly-handshake sort of thing—‘okay, the deal is done.’ But others use them as a last-minute squeeze. I never know which it’s going to be. I’d like to not go alone and I definitely don’t want to bring a date. Would you come with me? I mean, that’s another benefit of friends, right? You could join me, there’d be no pressure personally but professionally it would loosen the noose, so to speak.” His words tumbled out like he was afraid this was his last chance to speak. He actually sounded out of breath when he finished.

That didn’t sound so bad. “That’s it? A dinner?” She’d been to more than a few networking dinners. She knew how to play the quiet, nonintrusive plus-one.

His posture deflated. “Yes. But no. Not just a dinner. I’d really like to close this account. I want to focus on that but it’ll set a different tone, I think, if I bring a date. Or a friend as my date.”

Wes was really sewing that label on tightly. Which was fine with her. Still, she felt a weird stitch in her side. “What tone?”

“More of a ‘this deal is done’ tone. A ‘we’re all here to celebrate.’ More casual.” He hesitated and she could see his posture stiffen again. “Sorry. I was nervous to ask.”

She smiled at him. Of all the favors, this was an easy one. For a man she assumed was used to getting what he wanted, she was surprised by his reluctance to ask. “It’s just a dinner. I don’t mind. Honestly. I’d be happy to.”