They shook hands and Brad sat at the end of the table. “Uh,” Valerie said, “I think you’re going to approve of the designs I implemented into Owen’s plans. Let’s get started.”
Brad let Valerie precede himinto his office area. He noticed Sami’s empty desk and realized that lunchtime had snuck up on them. He reached around her and opened his inner office door for her. As he followed her in, he shut the door behind him.
“I think he’s going to approve the artist that I liked,” she said, setting her tablet on the low coffee table in front of his couch. “I hope I didn’t try too hard to sway him in the meeting.”
He opened the mini fridge and grabbed them each a bottle of water. “It’s your job to sway him to a good design. You’re the one with the talent and training.”
He gestured to the couch and she sat, leaning back against the cushion. He sat in the chair adjacent to her. “When I majored in architecture, I honestly thought I’d be designing buildings. I never had a concept of doing design.”
“What changed?”
She pursed her lips and looked over his shoulder as if seeing a memory. “I took an interior design class in college as an elective, but it still counted toward my major. It was an amazing class, and the teacher clearly had a love for art. It spurred the desire in me, and I started shifting my courses of study into design and colors versus engineering and structure.” She looked at him again, her brown eyes the color of caramel. “I’m still an architect, of course. I could still design that building. I’d just rather color it.”
Her laughter filled his office. Filled his heart. He could not help but smile in response. “At least we know it would be a pretty building.”
“Exactly.”
She looked at her watch. “Thanks for the water. I have to go eat at my desk and get some more work done. Yesterday’s fishing expedition took a couple of hours away from my schedule.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Should I apologize?”
“Absolutely not. It was wonderful. But it is what it is.” As she stood, she took three long gulps of the water. “See you later?”
He stood with her, reached for her hand before he could talk himself out of it. The startled look came into her eyes again, but this time, he paid attention and saw her fight it back, felt her muscles relax. “I’ll never, ever hurt you, Val. Not ever.”
Immediately, tears came to her eyes and he felt the pulse on her wrist skitter. “Do you think I don’t know that?” she whispered.
He stepped closer and put a hand on her cheek. “I just needed you to hear me say it.”
As she nodded, a tear fell out of her eye and burned a path over his hand. “I trust you, Brad. It has nothing to do with you.”
He searched her eyes, seeing nothing but the Valerie he knew. Finally, he nodded and let her go, stepping back and putting his hands into his pockets. “Have dinner with me tonight.”
She picked up her tablet and turned to look at him. “I am not free tonight. I have plans with Sami and Calla. But I’m free tomorrow.”
The initial disappointment he felt at her immediate no dissipated almost as quickly as it appeared. He picked his phone up off his desk and accessed his calendar. “Saturday?”
With a laugh, she walked to the door. “Saturday. Glad we could work that out. Pick me up at six?”
Seeing a meeting with Ken at the apartments for four, he said, “Thirty.”
“Six-thirty. I’ll be ready and waiting.”
She walked out of the office without a backward glance.
Wishing she knew where Bradplanned to take her for dinner, Valerie studied her closet and finally decided on a silver sleeveless dress. She paired it with silver heeled sandals, a blue and silver scarf around the waist like a belt, and a blue necklace and earrings. Part of her worried he planned to take her to a casual restaurant, but she thought he’d probably tell her if he’d made plans in that direction.
When he rang her doorbell, she already had her purse in hand. Relief at seeing him in a suit made her grin. “You look nice,” she observed, stopping to lock the door behind her.
“I would say the same about you, but it would be an understatement. You look stunning.”
She followed him to his truck and stepped back as he opened the door for her. Pleased, she continued to smile as he got into the truck and started driving. “I worried I’d overdressed. I almost talked myself out of it.”
“Oh, man. I’m really glad you didn’t talk yourself out of it. That could have been, um, awkward.” He glanced her direction. “That color looks really good on you. Hard to keep my eyes on the road.”
Heat flushed her face and raced down her neck. “I just don’t even know what to say,” she said softly.
“I’m not saying it to earn a response. Just stating a fact.”
