I tried not to think about other girls. So instead, I focused on the other stuff.
"Are you kidding?" I lifted a hand to encompass his back patio, which was probably nicer than most world-class resorts. "This is like a permanent vacation." As soon as that word – permanent – came out of my mouth, I felt a tinge of embarrassment creep across me.
I forced out a laugh. "Not to say I plan on hanging out here forever. I mean, I know you've got other things going on." I stood. "You know, thinking about it, I really need to get going. I've got to work in just a couple hours."
He remained seated, looking up at me with amused eyes. "That's it," he announced. "Friday night it is."
"What about Friday night?"
"I'm taking you out." He reached up to pull me back down, wrapping his arms around me as he spoke softly into my ear. "You're getting stir-crazy. I can tell."
"I am not," I said.
"Uh-huh," he said. "You still have this Friday off?"
I nodded. Usually, I got one Friday night off a month, and that was it.
"Good," he said. "Seven o'clock. I'm gonna pick you up, just like a real date."
I grinned at him. "Yeah?" Even though it wasn't what I'd been craving, the idea was oddly appealing. For some reason, I never imagined him on a traditional date. This would definitely be interesting. "Do you know," I said, almost as an afterthought, "Saturday's my birthday?"
"It is?" he said. "No kidding?"
"No kidding."
"Then let's make it Saturday instead. We'll celebrate in style."
I sighed. "I wish I could. But I'm scheduled to work."
"So, blow it off," he said.
I gave him a sideways glance. "Easy for you to say."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"As far as I can tell, you don't do any work at all."
At this, he actually laughed in my face. "That's what you think?"
"Isn't it the truth?"
"No," he said. "I probably work about sixty, maybe eighty hours a week."
I rolled my eyes. "You do not."
He shrugged.
"You don't, do you?" I persisted.
He shrugged again.
"Oh c'mon," I said. "Tell me."
"Alright," he said. "Yeah, it's the truth. But it's not like I put on a suit and tie and go into the office or anything."
"Do you evenhavean office?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said. "In downtown Detroit."
