Okay, so no high heels and not too elegant.
Another email chimed in.
But definitely dress to impress.
And that prompted the question: did he want me to impress his prospective client or to impresshim?
* * *
Lucky me, I found a parking spot just a two-minute walk from the meeting point. And I was also fifteen minutes early. Not a common occurrence.
Good thing I went against my own judgement and still wore the pretty high heels. And good thing I was eager to leave my apartment as soon as possible. I arrived ten minutes early, so now I could afford to walk slowly. No rush at all.
When I reached the town centre, I walked around the circumference of the fountain in search of Sam. Then I scanned the area around. He must be here already for sure. The man was more accurate on timing than a clock itself.
My eyes fell on the man approaching from across the town square. He was looking straight at me too, but I wasn’t sure if it was Sam. I squinted my eyes as if it would heighten my vision in the dim lighting. Sure enough, it was him.
Wearing a pair of skinny blue jeans and a plain white shirt beneath his coat paired with his impeccable dark hair-do and steady, confident stride, Sam Webb looked even more strikingly handsome than in his expensive suits. And holy shit, I couldn’t stop myself from ogling him.
“You’re early.” He noted.
I gulped the saliva that could have drooled if I gawked at him for a second longer. “I’m early,” I repeated in my awestruck.
His smile upturned one-sidedly. That could only mean one thing. He was aware that I didn’t tear my eyes away from him since the second I spotted him. But of course, he’d fricking notice. I was staring at him like a lusty teenager.
No use hiding behind my flushed cheeks now, so I dropped a comment. “Dress down Friday?”
“It’s Wednesday and I wasn’t particularly thrilled at the possibility of getting another suit stained.” He finished with a wicked wink.
“I’m never going to live that one down, am I?”
“Nope, never.” Sam beckoned his head forward. “Come one now. Follow me.”
We walked in silence and somewhat slow, mainly because of my shoes. I hadn’t worn this thin of a heel in ages. I was kind of afraid of tripping and making an absolute fool of myself in front of Sam. One embarrassing episode was more than enough for a lifetime.
I didn’t have to worry about twisting an ankle for too long though. We had only crossed the street when Sam stopped before the entrance to a classic diner.
“Haven’t had a cheat meal in weeks and I’m craving the most bacon-y burger. Do you like burgers?”
“Here?” Couldn’t help by laugh inwardly to myself. And there I was, all the drive over there, thinking about having a nice steak at whichever fancy restaurant Sam had chosen.
“Told you this wasn’t an elegant occasion. It’s just a relaxing evening.”
And then, the brightest spotlight flashed in my head. Sam would never describe a business meeting as relaxing.
“There’s no Zimmerman, is there?” I prompted with a quizzical tone.
Sam winched in hesitation. “There is… Just not tonight.”
My eyebrows shot upwards. “And the other day?”
“Yes, absolutely. Except he didn’t return my call to reschedule yet. To be honest with you, I’m starting to worry that we lost a client before we even met him.”
“So you lied to me tonight.”
“I did.” Sam was not ashamed of his actions. “Figured you deserve to have the night out you crave. And what’s a better way to unwind than someplace low-key.”
Of course Sam figured I hadn’t gone out with Joe yesterday. The evidence of my delusion was etched in the creases of my facial expressions all day at work.