Jared just sat down and took my spot at the table, but he didn’t come after me.
The place wasn’t all that big, but it was famous for its dishes. The restaurant had three floors, and one had to take the stairs; no elevator anywhere.
Outside, there was this charming garden done up in a classic style. A tiny stream tinkled by, and there were even some decorative fishing boats set up for atmosphere. I picked a chair and sat down.
Suddenly, the garden gate swung open, and a group of people walked in, chatting excitedly.
The guy leading the pack was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and he had this lean, athletic build. He was dressed in jeans and a gray T-shirt. It was Nathan.
Nathan was listening intently to the person next to him, clearly not expecting to run into me here. But when his eyes landed on me sitting by the stream, they lit up behind his glasses.
I was a little surprised, too. It was quite coincidental. Out of all the places in this huge city, here we were, running into each other in this quiet corner.
“Ms. Murphy, are you here alone?” Nathan asked as he walked over.
He always switched up what he called me, sometimes Mrs. Holcomb when he was annoyed, Ms. Murphy when he was in a good mood, and sometimes just my name when he acted all innocent and wronged. He really was a strange one.
“No, I’m here with my husband. They’re playing cards upstairs,” I said with a smile.
Nathan’s expression shifted a bit, then he nodded. “Got it. I’m here with some friends, too. I’ll head up now.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding and looking down at my phone.
Nathan and his group headed upstairs.
I stared at my phone screen, not even bothering to scroll. I just couldn’t get Nathan out of my head; his image kept replaying over and over.
Thinking back to that day at Melissa and Zachary’s housewarming, when sparks almost flew between us, my heart was anything but calm.
But I quickly shook those feelings off. It wasn’t a man I was lacking right now. I needed skills, a career, and a whole lot of ambition.
I wasn’t about to chase after some guy just because he was impressive. No, I wanted to go head-to-head with him in business, crush him, and be my own queen.
“What are you doing out here all by yourself? Letting the mosquitoes feast on you?” Jared came downstairs looking for me. Maybe the food was ready.
Right after he said that, I really did feel a few itchy mosquito bites on my legs.
I got up and followed him upstairs, but Jared leaned against the railing and said, “Mr. Hallman came over to say hi earlier.”
My heart skipped a beat. Why would Nathan go out of his way to talk to Jared? I wondered.
Jared continued, “Our company just got a new system, and it was built by his company. We’ll probably be working with them a lot more from now on.”
I wasn’t sure what Jared was getting at. Is he still suspicious about me and Nathan? I thought.
“Oh, that doesn’t really have anything to do with me, right?” I said with a faint smile.
Jared shot me a skeptical look. “Just want you to know. Sometimes, to a man, his career matters more than any woman ever could.”
I arched a brow and gave him a rebellious grin. “Oh yeah? How would you know if you’ve never even put it to the test?”
Jared’s face went stiff in an instant.
“Don’t even try it. I’m worried you couldn’t handle the outcome,” Jared said, turning to head upstairs. After a few steps, he paused, glanced back at me, and added, “You really want to test it?”
I shrugged. “Relax. I was just messing with you. Didn’t think you’d actually take it seriously.”
Jared looked a little flustered, clearly embarrassed that I’d managed to tease him like that. He shot me a half-annoyed, half-amused glare. “Victoria, you’re getting naughty.”
I just waved it off, grinning. “Hey, you know what they say. Men only love a little bad in their women.”
Just as I finished speaking, the door to a private room on the second floor suddenly opened, and Nathan walked out.
Jared and I happened to be standing right in front of him.