I just had to give it some time.
* * *
For the next three weeks, Stephanie and I did a very good job at avoiding any awkward interactions. We were pros at it, but apparently my skills had made me a little cocky, so that I was caught off guard when one morning I was once again feeling something for her. It had been nice, up until that moment. I was actually beginning to think that the remaining awkwardness had finally melted away, but then I overheard her on the phone with her friend Gina.
She was sitting on the back patio. It was a gorgeous late summer day, one of the last ones before Will was scheduled to go back to school, and she was sitting with a cup of coffee just watching the birds as Will was upstairs with one of his friends. I stood in the kitchen, watching her, when I realized the window was open.
“Gina, you are relentless,” she said into the phone. I walked closer, first with the intention of closing the window to protect her privacy, but then I hesitated and listened in when I heard what Stephanie said next. “I don’t know if going on a date with him is such a good idea.”
For a single, self-indulgent moment, I thought maybe she was talking about me.
But of course, she wasn’t.
She laughed. “I’m serious!” she said. “I know you think he’s a nice guy, but also… I don’t know… we have different definitions of nice guys. I’m just not sure we would even get along that well. Where did you say you met him again?”
That’s when I understood that she was talking about someone else. A man that it would seem her friend was trying to set her up on a date with. I promptly closed the window and went to pour myself a second cup of coffee before I had to gather my things and head into the office. Stephanie came inside the kitchen a minute or two later, putting her phone in her pocket and going for the coffee machine.
“Good morning, Matt,” she said with a smile. “I thought you had left for work already.”
“Not yet,” I said. “But soon.”
She poured a second cup and then looked over at me. “So, listen, I’m going out Friday night. I know Will has gotten in the habit of asking me to stick around for movie night, so how do you think I should break the news that I won’t be able to make it?”
“I’ll tell him,” I told her. I was hoping my voice sounded casual. Unassuming. “What do you have going on Friday?”
“I’m just going to get drinks with my friend Gina,” she said. “She’ll be in town for a bit. She has some friends she wants me to meet.”
“That’s good.” I cleared my throat and took a sip of my coffee. “It’ll be good for you to meet some more people in the city.”
“I agree. Especially since Will is starting school soon. I’m going to have a lot more time on my hands.”
I frowned. “I guess I hadn’t thought about that. But it’s a good point. You’ll have to find a way to fill your afternoons.”
“Luckily there’s still so much of the city I haven’t had a chance to explore,” she said. “And if I like Gina’s friend then I might have someone to explore with. Which would be nice.”
“Friend singular?” I said. “I thought you said you were meeting a group of her friends?”
She shook her head. “Did I say that? That’s not what I meant. I’m just meeting one of her friends actually.” She laughed awkwardly. “His name is Eric Windsley. I think I’m saying his last name right. Do you know him by chance?”
“Can’t say I do.”
She laughed again. “I suppose that was a stupid thing for me to ask. It’s not like you know every single person who lives in San Francisco. But Gina did mention that he works in tech as well. I thought maybe your paths might have crossed.”
“I meet a lot of people,” I said. “So it’s possible I have met him and just forgot who he was.” I laughed. “I guess that would mean he’s not very memorable. Maybe he’s really boring.”
She didn’t laugh along with me, just offered me a slight smile and then drank her coffee. “Yeah maybe. But maybe not.”
“Right. Yeah. Maybe not. But what do you really know about him?”
“Not much,” she admitted. “But Gina said he’s a nice guy. They met in Spain of all places. He’s half Spanish.”
Half Spanish?I nearly scoffed, as if that didn’t impress me. But I knew women liked men who could speak a foreign language, and who were worldly, so the fact that he was from Spain actually did make me feel a little threatened.
“Well, I hope you have a nice time with this guy,” I said. “I better get going. I don’t want to be late for work. I’ll see you later this afternoon.”
“Sure,” she said. “Have a good day at the office.”
I nodded and headed for the door, gripping my briefcase with the force of someone who was either really worried he was going to lose it, or someone who was really worried he was going to lose something else that was important to him.