“For dinner?” I whispered. I wasn’t sure what I wanted him to say.
“Not just dinner.” He pulled back a notch, staring me straight in the eyes. “I’ve got some skills to prove to you.”
“Fine. In the spirit of neighborly relationships, you can test your methods on me.”
“You’ll love them.”
“Hey, don’t go raising expectations.”
“I promise I can fulfill every single one of them.”
I had no doubt. I tried very hard not to imagine every other expectation he could fulfill.
“Let’s go, then,” I said. Grabbing the keys and my handbag, I led the way out of the store. Rob was on my heels, almost literally. I could feel the heat of his body behind me as I locked the door.
It was a beautiful evening for a stroll. I looked around with a huge smile, enjoying that Rob was here with me.
“You really love it here.”
“I do. But I just love the city in general more than any place I’ve visited.”
“Do you travel a lot?”
“I used to. Back in college, I traveled the US with some backpacker friends during vacations. Once I was more senior at my workplace, I was paid very well, and Tess and I went to Europe twice and went on a lot of tours. Once we started from Ireland, went to the UK and then France. The second time we started with Italy and then flew to Spain. I loved it.”
“I can see that. You’re lighting up.”
“I’d actually thought about working abroad for a while, but Tess and I decided we wanted to give this business a try. So we saved and worked insane hours.”
“Tell me about the investor you almost signed with.”
I waved my hand. “It just didn’t work out. He said he’d found a more profitable option.”
“Are you searching for another one?”
“No, Tess and I decided that for now, we’ll focus on what we have.”
“Why did you want one in the first place?”
“More cash never hurts, and our initial plan was to expand rapidly, open a few more stores. But right now, our numbers tell us that we should focus our efforts on the online store. It’s where 70 percent of our profit comes from. Another physical store would just be a drain.”
“Personally, I think that working with investors is overrated. One gets caught up in the rush of expansion and investment, but the risk increases too, and the overall structure becomes tied to investors. It can tumble down like a house of cards.”
“Exactly. We got a taste of that when we had to call the suppliers and tell them we wouldn’t be sending more business their way after all. We’re happy with our decision for now. We’ll see if things change in the future.”
When we descended the stairs to the subway, Rob put his hand on my lower back. I loved it.
It was very hot in the station and then extremely cold in the car itself. The AC was freezing. I shuddered, and Rob gallantly took off his suit jacket, draping it around my shoulders. I grinned at him. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
He still had one hand on my back. The other was on the railing, which put his mouthwatering bicep at my eye level. Oh, what a view. I typically read on the train—I had a Kindle app on my phone loaded with my favorite books—but there was no way I was missing out on the view this evening.
Every time our gazes crossed, I felt as if we were back in Tris’s shop. Especially because the more time passed, the closer he leaned in and the harder he pressed his hand on my lower back.
“Should’ve taken an Uber. Then I would’ve had you all to myself,” he said in a low voice. Something in his tone made me think he was considering getting off at the next station and climbing into a car for the rest of the way. A shiver ran through me at the thought.
“You’re forgetting the driver,” I whispered.