“I apologize,” I say, gesturing towards the screen. “I have been listening. I think the magenta will work well in that spot.”
“That was three slides ago!” Robiye gets up from his chair with a violent motion, sending it clattering to the ground behind him. He grabs his laptop and slams the lid shut, shoving it under his arm before he lifts his nose into the air at me. “I’m going to go find a gallery that will respect my time. You can consider our relationship severed!”
And with those words, before I even have the chance to get up out of my chair and say something, he storms his way out of my office and onto the street.
I know I should care, but I just can’t bring myself to. Robiye is annoying and shrill, and melodramatic. He’ll be back sooner or later. But the important thing right now, the thing that means I can’t keep a smile off my face, is that I’ll be meeting her tonight.
And now I know her name. Candy. Fitting, for someone so sweet.
I think about tonight, and I know I’m not going to be able to focus on a single thing on my schedule for today – let alone going after Robiye and apologizing. I’ll let him stew on it, maybe calm down a little. I reach for the phone and dial the number of a restaurant downtown instead.
Tonight is going to be amazing – I have to make sure of that.
Chapter Nine
Candy
I barely know what to wear for a date, but thankfully I have Alex on my side. After several hours of primping and preening, getting me to try on all the clothes that fit from her closet and everything in mine, and a near-torturous process that involves the careful tidying of my eyebrows and application of an eye makeup tutorial she found online, I think I’m ready.
In the end, I settled on a sleek black dress – one of hers – that flatters my cleavage and hips without clinging too tightly.
“Holy crap,” Alex said when she saw me in it. “This thing hangs off me like a sack. But on you…”
“Is it too much?” I questioned.
“Hell, no!” Alex grinned. “It makes me wish I was into girls, so I could take you on a date tonight.”
And with that piece of reassurance, here I am, standing at the entrance to the campus parking lot and wondering if I have time to go back and change my mind again.
Of course, I can’t even think of anything that I would change into that would be better, but that’s why they call it panic. It doesn’t usually make a lot of sense.
A car cruises up slowly towards me against the sidewalk, and for a moment I worry that it might be some creep looking to hit on me or try to pick me up, and not in a good way. More like the way of those two guys from last night.
But then the window rolls down and I see Finn sitting in the driver’s seat, and I grin and step forward to get inside.
“Hey,” he says, as I sit down and close the passenger side door behind me. “I’m not late, am I?”
“No, you’re right on time,” I say, checking my phone for the time. It’s not even a lie. He really is here on the dot. I make a mental note of that. Not only is he gorgeous and thoughtful and caring, but he’s also punctual. Could Finn get any better? What’s the catch?
“That’s good.” Finn shifts the car into drive and moves out, keeping an eye on his mirrors. “I booked us a table at one of my favorite restaurants, Gino’s. Have you been there before?”
“No,” I say, trying to think if I’ve even heard the name before. “Is it downtown?”
“Yeah, it’s right by the row of designer boutiques,” he says, and I’m glad he’s driving and paying attention to the road. Because now I know where he’s talking about – and it’s the kind of place I would never normally dream of going.
I fidget in my borrowed dress, glad that Alex has more expensive taste than mine, or, at least, the ability to actually purchase expensive things. Otherwise, I would be feeling completely out of place when we arrived, not just a little bit.
It’s not far from the campus to downtown, and all too soon, Finn is pulling up outside and getting out. I think about some kind of delaying tactic, but I don’t know why I’m feeling so nervous. So, it’s not the kind of place I would usually go to. So what? There’s no law against me going inside, is there?
Telling myself this over and over in my head like a mantra, I get out, reaching for the door only to find Finn already opening it for me. I step out with the help of his offered hand and right myself, trying not to clomp around too ungracefully in the kitten heels I decided to wear today.