But the hardest part was working with Nicole. And not because she was stubborn and opinionated and used to working on her own, although those things were certainly challenging. The bigger problem was that the more time I spent with her, the more I regretted her refusing my suggestion that we have sex to clear the air.
Sure, it was a terrible idea. But that didn’t keep me from obsessing about it.
I was purposely avoiding seeing her in real life. As much as possible, we communicated through e-mail, text, or Zoom meetings. Whenever we were in the same room, stupid things happened. Like I found myself staring at her. Or we’d sit next to each other and somehow our legs would be pressing against each other. My friends and Theo were all convinced that we were hot for each other, and they weren’t wrong. I didn’t need to be a mind reader to understand that Nicole was as attracted to me as I was to her.
But it was more than lust, at least on my side. I was falling for her, which was totally ridiculous. I didn’t know a damned thing about Nicole, not really. We never talked about anything personal. Our focus was always on the project. For all I knew she had a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend. Just because she kissed me that time didn’t mean that she was single.
“Are you bringing Nicole to Found Family Dinner this weekend?” Ariel asked me one morning when we ran into each other at our private gym.
AGM Tower had one floor that was exclusively for our personal use. Ariel, Maeve, and I shared a swimming pool, a gym, a game room, a sauna, and a hot tub on this floor. It was the best perk of living here.
“Uh. No. I don’t even know if she’s queer.”
Ariel looked at me like I was insane.
“She made out with you,” she reminded me. “And we all see the swoony looks you’re exchanging. You two are putting off so many sparks the rest of us get hot just by being in the same room as you.”
“We are not exchanging swoony looks,” I protested.
Ariel rolled her eyes. “I don’t think she has a big social circle. Invite her.”
“Why would you say that?” I asked.
“Theo’s been doing what he does best – snooping. Your girl has very little social life, and rumor has it, her parents spend a lot of time trying to fix her up with men.”
My curiosity piqued, I sent a text to Nicole.
Grace:Are you free for dinner tonight?
Nicole:Sure, is there a snag with the proposal?
Grace:No, but with us working so closely together, I thought maybe we should try to get to know each other better.
There was a long pause before she responded. No doubt she was wondering why I was suggesting a social engagement after three weeks of us working together and carefully avoiding anything personal. I saw those little dots pop up on my phone screen and disappear several times, making me nervous that I was making a mistake.
Nicole:That sounds good. But can we do something casual, like O’Connors on Michigan? I want to be comfortable and not deal with running into my parents’ friends. Plus I’d love a good cold beer.
Grace:How about seven? Then we can go home and change into casual clothes.
Nicole:Perfect, see you then.
O’Connors was an Irish bar that mostly catered to workers at area businesses and people attending Chicago Bears football games at the nearby stadium. It was a little gritty and not the kind of place I usually hung out. I liked it immediately.
I got there a few minutes before seven. It was hot as balls outside so I’d dressed in linen capris and a flowy tank top, although I’d put a sweater in my bag in case the AC was turned up.
Nicole was in the lobby waiting for me. Like me she’d gone with shorts, a sleeveless shirt, and sandals. She had nice legs, I realized, they looked like they were a mile long in those shorts. Ihad an image of those long legs thrown over my shoulder while I ate her pussy but resolutely pushed it away.
We greeted each other awkwardly, then the hostess led us to a booth in the back. We ordered beer and one of those giant soft pretzels to share, chatting idly.
“I’m glad you suggested this,” Nicole shared once she took her first sip of beer. “It’s kind of strange that we’ve known each other almost our whole lives but we don’t reallyknoweach other, you know? I mean, I don’t usually get to know all my business partners, or any of them really, but given that we kind of grew up together, it’s weird not to know anything about you.”
Her babbling made me realize that she was nervous. It made me feel better.
“Not to make this like a date or something, but how about you tell me about yourself?” I suggested.
To my surprise, conversation flowed easily between us. After we caught each other up on what we’d been doing since we graduated high school, we talked about hobbies and vacations. While we talked, we ate corned beef sandwiches and each had another beer.
“I really admire you starting your own company,” Nicole said. “I would love to do that myself, but I was always groomed to take over for my parents, you know? And since I’m an only child, I can’t even foist it off on a sibling.”
