Apparently, he was a glutton for punishment.
Mia wiped her mouth with a napkin. “What did she say? Did you get all awkward and quiet?”
“I don’t get awkward and quiet.”
Mia laughed. “You’re joking, right?”
Noah leaned back a little and turned his torso toward her. “No.”
“There’s a picture of your face in the dictionary next to the wordreticent.”
His brow furrowed, but he remained silent.
Her lips quirked in a satisfied grin, probably because he was proving her point this very minute. He didn’t care. He and Mia had been having silences since they were seven years old. Not having to force himself to make conversation was one reason he loved spending time with her.
One of many.
Finally, he wiped his hands and sat back. “She asked if I was single.”
“Straight out? Ballsy for a client.”
“No, she tried to be smooth about it. Said something like ‘I heard architects work long hours, I bet your wife doesn’t like that.’”
Mia laughed, and the sound washed over him. His chest expanded several inches every time she laughed.
“What did you say?” she asked.
Noah rubbed the back of his neck. “You know what a terrible liar I am.”
“You said you didn’t have a wife.”
He nodded.
“Then what?”
“It was almost five by the time we finished up. She asked if I wanted to get a drink.”
Mia smacked his arm. “You should have gone!”
He stared at her. “I had plans.”
“What, with these chicken wings? Plans with me don’t count.”
His frown deepened. “Yes they do.”
“No they don’t. And stop frowning like that. You’re gonna have the worst wrinkles when you’re old.” She took a sip of her beer and faced the television. “Surely you know you can always cancel with me if you have the chance to go on a date.”
He didn’t dignify that with a response.
Like a dog with a bone, she wouldn’t let it go. “You should say yes next time.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not going out with some stranger. And I’m not dating a client.”
“Why not?” she said again. “People do it all the time. The stranger thing, I mean. Aren’t we all strangers these days?” She pointedly glanced at her cell phone. “It sort of feels that way, sometimes.”