“Ha!” Greg picked up his menu. “Yeah, so crazy.”
In his silence, she realized he must’ve thought her “Tell me about it” was a cliché phrase, not that she actually wanted to know what had been keeping him so busy.
That was okay. She could steer the conversation. “I’m loving my job at SerenadeMe.”
“Oh yeah.” He looked up. “Have you gotten to work much with Barnabas? I hear he’s a genius.”
“Barney?” She combed her mind. “Hm, not so much. I mostly work with Craig Mitchell. Do you know him?”
Greg’s eyes didn’t leave the menu. “Haven’t heard of him.”
“Oh.”
He didn’t say anything else, so she took the chance to glance at the menu. Her appetite had washed away in the flood of her sweaty hands, so she decided to order the first thing that caught her eye.
The waiter returned with their drinks. “Are you ready to order?”
“I think so,” Greg said. “I’ll get the ribeye, rare, with broccolini and a side of sweet potato.”
“And for you, miss?”
She looked up. “The Caesar salad, please.”
He wrote this down, took their menus, and left.
“Looks like working in tech has you eating healthier.” He laughed. “You’ve changed!”
Rose shifted in her seat. “Not really. I still love pizza.”
His lips twisted into disgust. “How can you eat that garbage, Rose? It’s so many carbs. I’ve been keto for a year and I’m loving it.”
“You don’t eat carbs now?” She sat back and crossed her arms. “This place is famous for their honey oat bread. It comes hot out of the oven with a blob of cinnamon butter.”
He shook his head. “Don’t need it.”
“Guess it’s all for me, then.”
He set his menu down. “So, how did you end up at SerenadeMe? I never saw you working at a startup. It’s kind of funny.”
She frowned. “What’s funny about it?”
“Oh, you know. You just…you’re not one to take risks.”
That was true of theoldher, but Rose Woodson, PhD was a new woman.
She wanted him to see that. “I was offered an opportunity and I took it.”
The waiter dropped off a basket of still-warm bread and she thanked him, immediately reaching for a slice. She slathered it with butter, and it glistened under the soft lighting.
“I hope they’re not taking advantage of you,” Greg said. “You’re inexperienced and–”
“They’re not taking advantage of me,” Rose said, her mouth full of bread. “Why would you say that?”
He sighed. “I just know how things are. It’s a tough business out there.”
“Yeah, well, I’m doing fine.” She buttered another slice of bread and took a bite. “Maybe you should worry about yourself.”
He put his hands up. “Hey, I’m just trying to be helpful.”
