She smiled. “I’ve never been out of the country. I got my passport when I came to New York, but I’ve never gotten the chance to use it.”
“Then this will be a good opportunity for you, too. After all, now that you’re working for me, you’ll need to adjust yourself to my lifestyle.”
“Like jetting across the world at a moment’s notice?”
I grinned. “Exactly. You might even find it a little exciting.”
There was a pause, and I could tell something was on her mind. “That’s…definitely one of the words I’d use to describe it.”
“Then let Willa know.”
“You don’t think this is going to be too disruptive for her?’
“Nah. She’ll probably be happy she gets to come with me instead of staying here.”
April nodded, glancing away for a moment. “All right, then I’ll get ready.” Her eyes flashed, as if something had occurred to her. “And one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“If you and I are going to be taking a trip together, spending time together like this…”
She trailed off. But I could tell what was on her mind.
“What happened before—that can’t happen again.”
I decided to cut to the heart of the matter. No sense in speaking euphemistically. “You mean us sleeping together.”
But she didn’t flinch. “That’s exactly what I mean. ”
“We let our guard down. And as a result, we both gave in to something we shouldn’t have.”
“It was a mistake,” she went on. “About the dumbest thing an employee and employer can do.”
“Totally unprofessional, something that could both get us in a lot of trouble if it were to get out. Not to mention what Willa might think.”
“She can’t find out.” It was like the two of us were of the same mind. No arguing, only agreement. “And she won’t.”
“That’s right. I don’t like to lie to the kid, but…”
“Sometimes you have to bend the truth here and there just to keep things copacetic.”
Another nod of agreement. “We have to be mature about all this.”
“About all what?” I knew it was a mistake right away, but I couldn’t help myself.
“About the fact that you and I are attracted to each other. I’m working for you, and that’s something we’ll have to move past.”
“You’re right. This trip will be a good opportunity for that. We’ll be spending the next couple of days together, and it’ll give us the chance to get used to being around one another without…indulging.”
“That’s one way to put it.” She offered me an easy smile. “Then it’s settled. I know it’s not an easy thing to talk about, but we couldn’t keep dancing around it, right?”
“Right.”
Silence fell. And as it did, I got the distinct impression that, despite the open nature of the conversation, there was still much we weren’t discussing.
“Then go ahead and pack some things,” I said. “And help Willa do the same. We’ll be leaving in a few hours.”
“You need any help getting the plane tickets or anything like that?”