She laughed as she walked away. I was serious. I didn’t want to have to put any of the men on the ground, but I would. I watched as she talked with the staff. She was so genuine. Everyone seemed to like her. She was definitely my opposite. We were the proverbial night and day.
“I think I’m ready,” she said after she finished talking to the partner from earlier.
I put my arm around her shoulders and led her away. We made it to the elevator in record time. I could see she was exhausted. She leaned against the wall of the elevator and let out a long sigh. “Are you sure you want to do ice cream?” I asked her. “You look exhausted. We can do it tomorrow if that works better.”
She smiled and slowly shook her head. “No way. I’m okay. I really want ice cream. I want to go for a walk on the beach and enjoy the beautiful night.”
It sounded like the perfect way to end the night to me.
Chapter 16
Evie
We carried our bowls of ice cream to a bench that overlooked the ocean. I sat down first, with Xander sitting down beside me. It was a warm night with no wind. It felt good to get off my feet for a while. I took a bite of the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and let it melt in my mouth. It was my guilty pleasure. One of many. Life was too short and stressful to not indulge in ice cream.
“Tired?” he asked.
I turned to look at him. He had loosened his tie and undone the top button of his shirt. The gel he had put in his hair was slowly failing, allowing the long layers to fall loose around his ears and forehead. The light from a streetlight nearby cast him in a soft, bluish tone. He looked absolutely handsome. “I am tired. I always like this moment.”
“What moment is that?”
“The moment the event—whether it’s a party or a wedding or whatever—it’s the moment I can sit and relax without thinking about what I need to do. It’s a chance to go over the event and identify what went wrong and how I will keep it from going wrong again.”
“Tonight went very well,” he offered.
I smiled and nodded. “It did. It was an easy one really. Tonight was a little different with the twenties theme, although none of them really dressed up.”
“It was cool. It would have been even cooler with some Tommy guns.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course, it would have.”
“It was great, and judging by the smiles and the laughter, they all had a good time. No one was complaining.”
“They were too drunk to complain,” I said with a laugh.
“True.”
“I saw you on the news,” I said.
He groaned. “I don’t know who called the news. It wasn’t exactly exciting stuff.”
“They called you guys heroes.”
He took another bite of his ice cream. “It wasn’t a big deal. Charlie did the work. We happened to be at lunch when he got the call.”
“He works with you?”
“No, he works at a plant that builds the ships I design.”
“Ah, you guys are quite the team.”
He smiled, taking another bite. “We are. We have been for a long time.”
“How long have the two of you been friends?”
“I was a junior in college and he was a freshman. So, ten, eleven years. I’m a little embarrassed to admit he is probably my only friend.”
“Because you don’t like people,” I said.
He chuckled. “It isn’t that I don’t like people as a whole, but in my experience, I have found most people are assholes. Greedy assholes.”
I burst into laughter. “Well, gee, when you put it like that.”
“I don’t mean only greedy with money. I mean in general. Greedy with my time, their time, their needs. All of it. I’m not normal. I’m not like you. I could never talk to everyone in the room and remember their names or treat them like I give a shit about them. You do that and you do it very well.”
I thought about what he said. “I think because I like people in general.”
“Charlie is like that as well.”
“You are naturally drawn to social butterflies, it sounds like,” I told him.
He made a choking sound. “I don’t know why. We are totally incompatible.”
I felt a clenching in my stomach. He was probably right, but there was something between us. I felt like we clicked, like we were drawn together. “I have a proposal for you,” I started.
He groaned. “Are you going to take me to the zoo? A crowded, nasty concert?”
I ignored his questions. “I get these parties, or similar parties, about once a month, sometimes more often,” I said. “How about we do a little trading of services?”
He lips quirked at the corners. “I think that might be illegal in California, but I won’t tell if you don’t tell.”
I softly giggled. “Aren’t you funny?”
“I don’t try to be.”
“You don’t have to be,” I told him. “It comes naturally.”
“Odd. Few people have ever found me to be funny.”
“You are. My proposal is you go to some of the parties, the ones where I am most likely to be relentlessly hit on, and I’ll show you how fun life can be. We’ll go out and explore some of the fun stuff there is to do in San Diego.”
He slowly licked the plastic spoon. “You are a very confident person.”
“I guess,” I said, not sure why that mattered.
“You are so convinced you are going to be hit on,” he said, a little gleam in his eyes.
He was teasing. Oh, the man kept me on my toes. “History predicts the future. Look at me. I’m dressed like a pastor’s wife. I hate that I have to hide my boobs.”
“Why do you? They are nice boobs.”
I almost choked on my ice cream. “Thank you. I hide them because I don’t want to encourage the flirting. I am very professional when I am at work. Sometimes, the guests get confused about who I am. A little harmless flirting, someone offering to get me a drink, that’s okay. It’s the guys that are looking for a hookup that piss me off. They are the ones I want to avoid.”
He slowly nodded. “I see.”
He was suddenly very serious.
“If you truly don’t want to go out in public, that’s okay,” I said. “I don’t want to force you to do stuff you really don’t want to do.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m not a total hermit. I do go out. Just not often.”
“I think me and you will have fun.”
“I think so too. I think you bring the fun.”
I smiled again and leaned against his shoulder. “That’s sweet.”
“It’s true.”
“Will you do it?” I asked. “Will you pretend to be my boyfriend?”
“I will, but I don’t need anything in return.”
“I know how much you hate wearing the suit and mingling. Some of the events might be black tie. Do you have a tuxedo?”
He groaned. “I’m afraid to answer that.”
“You do,” I surmised. “A man like you would have to own one. How often do you get roped into benefits and fancy gatherings?”