“Damn it,” I cursed. “Is there a problem? Is she thinking of leaving?”
He laughed. “No. She’s good. We’re good,” he emphasized.
He and Liv were in a relationship that worked well for them. They were a great couple and were getting married soon. Van adored her daughter, and together, they fit. I relaxed. “Okay. So, what is this news?”
He inhaled. “I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest.”
I frowned. “Always.”
“Sandy,” he said flatly. “You like her.”
“Doesn’t everyone?” I asked, unsure where this was leading.
“Yes. But you like her as more than a coworker.”
I blew out a long breath. “That obvious, am I?”
He shook his head. “No. But you forget how well I know you.” He lifted an eyebrow in a silent question, still waiting for my answer.
“Yes, I like her. Very much so.”
“I thought so.”
“So your news has to do with Sandy?” A flash of panic hit me. “Oh god. Is she seeing someone?”
Had I waited too long?
“Not yet,” he said slowly.
“Not yet? What does that mean?” I asked, confused.
Van leaned forward. “It means, if you truly have feelings for her, now is the time for you to speak up.”
Van’s words replayed in my head. Over and again.
Sandy had signed up on a dating site.
Sandy.
Dating site.
Somehow the words did not compute.
Sandy was too elegant. Too amazing to put herself out there that way. My son used dating apps a lot. Some of his stories made me shudder. The thought of Sandy being subjected to strange men didn’t sit well with me.
The thought of her liking someone else besides me in that fashion didn’t sit well either.
I sat at my desk long after Van had left. He didn’t have a lot to tell me except the name of the dating site and the amusing reaction the partners had when they discovered that their Sandy was putting herself out there.
“It was as if she was a child.” He chuckled. “They surrounded her, lecturing and pointing out every bad thing they could think of when it came to dating sites. All of them—even Bentley—were freaked out.”
“I don’t imagine that went over well with Sandy.”
Van shook his head, his eyes crinkling in laughter. “She told them all off in perfect Sandy fashion. One second they were all talking, the next they were all shuffling their feet and looking embarrassed. She put them in their place fast.” He paused. “But you could feel her love for them. She knew they were doing this out of concern. But she pointed out it was her life and she had to choose how to live it. She also reminded them they all had spouses or girlfriends to go home to each night.” He fell silent. “Even I heard the pain in her voice then. They backed off but made her promise to be very careful.”
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I could see Sandy, drawing herself up, straightening her shoulders as she faced off with “her boys.” She loved them all fiercely, and they returned that love. They were very good to her, and she was much more than an assistant to them. But she never hesitated to call them out when she felt they were wrong, and I knew she wouldn’t be happy being told what to do.
But I agreed with them.
I turned to the computer and downloaded the app Van told me she had joined. I checked the rules, figured out how it worked, and created an account. A picture was optional—you could have a description only if you preferred, then choose to share a picture with any matches if you decided you wanted to connect. I chose that option, adding a fast bio and a password.
Then I scanned the pages, looking over the profiles.
I stopped scrolling when I came to Sandy’s picture. I glanced at the stats, my eyebrows shooting up in shock when I saw how many stars she had beside her profile. There was a tremendous amount of interest in her.
Not that I could blame them. The picture of her was taken at a BAM function. Her hair was down, the bright white gleaming under the lights. Her lovely hazel eyes twinkled in the photo, her full mouth smiling as she looked toward something past the lens that had caught her attention. She was a striking woman. Her confidence and friendly disposition only added to her attractiveness. She had a lot to offer the right man—but the simple fact was, the right man wasn’t on this site.
Even though there were a lot of men wanting to get to know her better, I smiled in grim satisfaction that Sandy had yet to return any interest stars.
I sat in front of my laptop, thinking. I had two choices. Reach out via this dating app and see what happened, or simply present myself to her exactly the way her profile requested—as a fellow human feeling lonely and wanting some companionship. Maybe if she spent some time with me, things could develop between us. We were already friends with a lot in common—surely the next step wouldn’t be that difficult to work toward?
If she was ready. I had the feeling that would be the largest hurdle to overcome. I had reached a point in my life where I felt I would like to share my time with someone again. The question was—had Sandy?
I shut down the laptop, not bothering with anything else to do with the app.
I knew what I had to do.
A couple of days later, I gathered some files and headed upstairs to meet with Bentley. I straightened my tie, brushed the sleeves of my suit jacket, and checked the mirror to make sure my hair was in place.
Van chuckled from his desk, not even looking up. “You look great. Go get her, tiger.”
I didn’t bother denying my task. “I’m asking her to lunch after my meeting.”
“Good.”
“I’m hoping she’ll say yes.”
“I imagine you are.”
“It’s just lunch. We’ve had lunch together many times.”
“Yes, you have.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
Van’s amusement was obvious. “If you’re trying to convince me, I’m good. I think it’s Sandy you need to save the arguments for.”
I sighed. “I’m so rusty at this.”
He sat back, looking at me. “Be her friend, Jordan. You two have so much in common, and you’ve always gotten on well. Just be Jordan and see what happens. I think you’ll be surprised.”
“Okay.”
“She told Liv she planned on deleting the app. She said it wasn’t for her. So, this is a good time.”
The news buoyed my spirit. “Good. Thanks.”
I tucked the files under my arm and headed upstairs.
Sandy was at her desk, busy with one of the many tasks she took care of. But she looked up as I stepped off the elevator, her smile warm. I noticed she looked a little tired, although she was still lovely. Her hair was swept up in its usual chignon, and her outfit was impeccable, the deep blue of the suit setting off her white hair and coloring to perfection. She looked younger than her fifty-seven years, her face unlined, and her figure tight and pleasing to my eyes. She was young at heart, her smiles easy and her attitude positive. She was also incredibly organized and ran the office brilliantly. The boys would be lost without her. I enjoyed watching her run circles around them.