kids. I was in the Peace Corps for two years, in South America.” There was more to her than met the eye. She was just a very open person, and she was clearly very independent, and not afraid to try new things. “I was thinking about working in India for a year, but I came here instead. My sister was nervous about my going to New Delhi. She thought I’d get sick.”
“That makes sense.” And then he asked her an odd question. “Are you always this friendly to strangers?” She laughed and shook her head.
“No. But you seem like an honest person. There are lots of people around. I don’t think you’re going to try and kill me at an open-air café.”
“I could be dangerous,” he said, and they both laughed.
“Are you?”
“No.”
“What do you do?” She was curious about him too. He had looked upset when he sat down, but he seemed more relaxed now, and appeared friendlier. And he was interesting to talk to.
“I work for The Factory,” he said simply. He didn’t say he was the CFO, or that his mother owned it.
“They have great stuff,” she commented. “My sister and brother bought all their furniture there. Do you sell furniture?”
“No, I work in the main office. In finance.”
“That figures. I guessed you were a lawyer or a banker.”
“Do I look that stuffy?”
“No.” She laughed. “But you’re wearing nice shoes and a suit. You probably have a tie in your pocket.” He laughed and pulled it out. It was a dark blue Hermès. Maybe she wasn’t such a bad judge of character after all. And she had traveled the world.
They talked for a while, about her experiences in the Peace Corps, and he admitted that he’d gone to Harvard, when she said she had gone to Duke. She was a bright girl and interesting to talk to, and it sounded crazy, but he wanted to see her again. He didn’t volunteer the fact that he was married and she didn’t ask. She thought maybe he was divorced, and he had admitted he was forty-six when he mentioned business and Harvard. He didn’t want to date her, he just wanted to talk to her again. It was midnight, and he thought he should get home, and he handed her his business card before he stood up.
“This probably sounds silly, and I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but if I can do anything to help you, give me a call.” He handed her the card that said he was the CFO. She didn’t look at it and slipped it into her book, like a bookmark.
“Thank you, that’s very nice of you. I appreciate it,” she said, with her big smile and beautiful teeth.
“Could I call you sometime?” he asked, and couldn’t believe what he had just said. He was a married man. What would he call her about? But she nodded and smiled and wrote her cell number down on a piece of paper and handed it to him. It was as simple as that. For one totally unusual evening, he had felt like a kid again, and a free man. He was acting as though he had no attachments in the world, when in fact he had a wife at home who was about to become a federal judge and thought he had no balls. And then he realized he didn’t know one important detail. “What’s your name?”
They both laughed then. They had been talking so much, they had forgotten to introduce themselves. His name was on his card, but she hadn’t looked at it.
“I’m Taylor Dean,” she said, holding a hand out to him. When he shook it, her grip was firm but not too strong, and he noticed that her hands were beautiful.
“I’m Phillip Grayson.” He hoped she wouldn’t recognize the Grayson name, or Google him. He was sure that knowing who he was would be too overwhelming for her. But there was no reason to suspect she would discover it.
“Thanks, Phillip,” she said, as she signaled for her check, but he had already taken care of it when he went to the men’s room a short time before. It had cost him ten dollars, which was probably a big deal to her. When she realized what he’d done, she thanked him profusely, and they both stood up. She was tall, he realized, and had a beautiful figure. She looked perfect to him.
They left the restaurant together, and she headed in the direction of the