again. To make better choices, if that makes sense.”
“It does.” Vanessa nods and marks something on her notepad.
I take a sip from my water glass, aware that the movement puts my hand that much closer to Vanessa. At some point I need to stop being aware of every molecule of her body and its proximity to every atom of mine.
That kiss was supposed to deflate the tension between us. If anything, it’s grown bigger, floating between us like a bright, hot balloon.
I direct my attention back to Bill. “You mentioned choices,” I say. “Tell me about a particularly good choice you’ve made in your career. Something that produced a positive outcome.”
He beams, relieved at being back on neutral ground. “My decision to intern with Horington National was a big turning point,” he says. “I learned about integrated sales and securities transactions and really the whole banking industry. Also, that’s where I met Lydia.”
“Lydia?” Vanessa glances down at her notes, like the information might be there somewhere. “Was she your mentor?”
“My wife,” he replies, and I can tell from the response that he’s not over her. Not even close. “We were so young and so in love. We used to stand by the water cooler for hours, just talking about what we did over the weekend or what TV shows we’d been watching. It took me months to get up the guts to ask her out.”
I glance at Vanessa, thinking it’s probably not a great sign the guy admitted to hours-long breaks in his workday. But maybe I’m being judgmental. Vanessa’s not meeting my eyes. Hasn’t met them for a while, actually.
She smiles again at Bill. “Let’s stick with that theme about choices, shall we? Can you tell us about a bad choice you might have made, and what you were able to learn from it?”
I notice she didn’t specify it had to be a career choice. Deliberate, or an oversight? Either way, I sense what’s coming.
“That would be marrying Lydia.” Bill leans back in his chair, tugging at his tie. “Not at first. We were so in love. This one time we went to Hawaii, and we made love on the beach beside the—”
“Right,” she says, cutting him off as she scribbles something else in her notepad. I squint to see if the words are “embarrassing oversharer,” but I can’t make them out.
In reality TV performers, oversharing can be a selling point. With bankers, however—
“Let’s stick with workplace details for now,” I tell him. “We can keep the focus on your career trajectory.”
“Oh, yeah, sure.” Bill smiles and plants his palms on the table. “Sorry, I think it’s the table throwing me off.”
“The table?” I glance down at the smooth lacquered surface, not sure I’m following. “What about it?”
“It’s funny, actually.” Bill’s brittle laugh ensures what’s coming next won’t be at all funny. “We picked it out together, Lydia and me. The bank put us in charge of redesigning the conference room, so we got to choose everything. Chairs, table, even the pictures on the wall.”
Vanessa offers an encouraging smile. “That’s great. They must have really trusted your taste.”
“Yeah, I suppose.” Bill’s staring down at the table now, his eyebrows knitting together. “It was juniper, just like this one. Sturdy, too. This one time after hours, Lydia and I were working late. We were the only two people in the office, so I laid her back on the table and she pulled up her skirt and we—”
“Okay.” I rap my palms on the table, the drumbeat cutting off the story. “I think we have all the info we need. Vanessa?”
She nods, jaw twitching as she fights back a smile. “Absolutely. Bill, did you have any questions for us?”
Ugh. I know she has to ask, but—
“Am I understanding right that part of the show’s premise involves putting a bunch of single people together and seeing if they pair off?” Bill is achingly earnest as he looks from Vanessa to me.
I relax a little, grateful the question is an easy one. “More or less,” I say. “We won’t be doing any matchmaking, per se, but if things just happen between two people…” I trail off there, hoping he can put two and two together.
But it’s Vanessa who jumps in to fill in the blank. “Or not,” she says. “If someone’s not looking for a relationship or not interested in being paired up, that’s absolutely not a requirement. Right, Dean?”
“Right.” My answer comes out quick and sharp, making Bill jump in his chair.