International Player(53)

He swept his hand through his hair as the hostess showed me to the table, then pushed his thick-framed glasses back on his nose before greeting me. His glasses were cute on him. Noah didn’t wear glasses but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be cute, right?

“Truly,” he said, awkwardly greeting me with a kiss. “You’re . . . I mean. I like . . .” He cleared his throat. “You look very pretty.”

A blush crept over his cheeks, and he took half a step toward me as if he was going to help me sit.

“Thank you,” I replied, quickly taking a seat so we didn’t have to do the awkward chair thing.

He nodded and took a seat opposite me. “I ordered two glasses of champagne. I hope that’s okay.” He had full lips, and his hair was longer than I’d seen in the photographs, but it didn’t look like a style he’d chosen, more that he hadn’t gotten around to having it cut. He had nice white teeth and kind eyes.

I smiled and began to relax, silently congratulating myself for not deciding he wasn’t right for me in the first ten seconds. I was officially dating. “That sounds wonderful. Have you come straight from work?”

“Well, sort of. I work from home. So yes and no. You?” We’d had a few emails and I remembered he was in IT, but I couldn’t recall him saying exactly what he did.

“Yes. From the office.”

“You said you worked for a charity. That must be rewarding.”

The waitress delivered our menus and talked us through the specials. Throughout, she had James’s full attention. He focused on what she was saying as if he were going to be tested afterward and losing would see him a contestant in the Hunger Games. It was kinda adorable, and I didn’t think about Noah at all for at least a full two minutes.

“That was a lot of information,” he whispered, leaning across the table. “Did you decide? We could do that sharing platter she suggested?”

I shrugged. I hadn’t really been focusing on what she was saying. I was more taking in how James reacted to her. “Sounds great.”

He was considerate and thoughtful and not too passive. So far so good.

He beckoned the waitress back over, ordered for us, then turned his attention back to me. “Sorry, we were talking about your work.”

He seemed genuinely interested, and given the foundation was such a huge part of my life, it was reassuring. Noah had always understood the importance of my work, probably because his own goals and achievements were such a big part of his life.

“It’s rewarding. Tiring sometimes. There’s always more to do, but yes, I get real satisfaction from what I do. What about you? Do you love your job?”

A grin spread across his face. “I really do. Cyber security. It sounds like a nothing job, right? But I do a lot of bespoke systems for high net worth individuals and companies. It means I do a lot of testing and that’s the fun bit. It’s like being a cybercriminal without doing anything wrong. I’m constantly trying to break into my own clients’ networks.” His voice dropped as if he were trying to conceal what he was saying. He was clearly passionate about what he did. That was attractive, I told myself. Something I also found attractive about Noah.

“Sounds like something from a spy film,” I said.

“You know, I shouldn’t say it, but I swear watching those films gave me career advice. It looked so cool when I was twelve or thirteen—outsmarting the CIA or stealing people’s identities. That’s when I found what I wanted to do.”

I laughed. “Are you working for the CIA?”

He grinned. “I wouldn’t tell you if I was, would I?” He glanced up as our drinks were delivered. “But seriously, I do some government work. The pay is terrible and their systems . . .” He shook his head. “I do it because I don’t want national security compromised. Not for the money. Or the challenge.”

“So you’re like a nerdy James Bond.”

“I like that idea,” he said, his smile widening.

I liked a man who owned his geekdom. Noah wasn’t a geek but he didn’t seem to mind my geek-like tendencies. Someone like James, who no doubt had his own stash of comic-book t-shirts, was probably far more suited to me.

“And how are you finding internet dating? Have you been doing it long?” he asked.

I shook my head as our food arrived and the waiter explained what everything was. “No, actually this is my first date.”

“Interesting. I imagine men are hitting on you night and day.”

I grinned. “Not even a little bit. But you’ve been doing the online thing for a while?”

“On and off, you know? Up until last year, I was in a five-year relationship.”

“Five years is a long time.” I was pretty sure that previous relationship talk wasn’t first date conversation material, but five years was more than many marriages.

“It is. And no one believes me but there was no big argument. No major stumbling blocks. Just two people who decided they wanted different things and fell out of love. She gave up her job in HR and is a ski instructor in Verbier now. I went over with a group of friends over New Year. We’re still friends.” He grinned.

“Wow. That seems unnervingly healthy.”

“I know, right? And now I’m sitting here with you.”