for goodness’ sake.
“No,” he said as he followed her out the door, “it makes you sound like my kind of woman.”
Forty-five minutes later they were sitting on a bench on the seafront, eating fish and chips with plastic sporks from polystyrene trays wrapped in paper. The multicoloured lights illuminating the promenade sparkled on the waves lapping the beach in front of them.
“And that just about sums up my college experience.” Charlotte’s internal realist was holding its head in its hands, wondering why on earth she was boring Jason with the boring story of her boring life. He seemed to have a knack for making her comfortable enough to talk about herself.
His shoulders were shaking with repressed laughter. “Kippers?”
“I swear I didn’t know they were there. I think they were on the verge of calling the bomb squad before the smell was traced to my bag.”
He erupted into laughter, clutching the paper around his chips so they didn’t spill. “Did you get in trouble?”
“Not really, although the dean did give me a stern talking to before the class left. How about you? Did you go to university?”
He looked down at his food, spearing a chip. “Yeah. Graduated three years ago. No rotting kipper related incidents to tell.” He popped the chip into his mouth and chewed.
Charlotte nodded and looked at her own food. “I get it. I could be some crazy woman stalker. I imagine your profession can be risky sometimes.”
He leaned into her, putting one arm around her and speaking into her hair. “No, that’s not it at all. You’re only crazy in a good way.”
He let go and took a bite of fish. Charlotte willed her heart to stop doing its best impression of a jackhammer.
“And as far as my profession goes, sometimes the women are pleasant and just want the company, sometimes they only want one thing. And once in a while they turn out to be pretty and funny and sweet and it doesn’t feel like working at all because there’s nowhere I’d rather be.”
He looked at her and smiled. Charlotte blushed and focused on playing with her food.
“You’re good,” she said.
“Hey, you have to believe everything I say, remember?”
She looked back up at him. The way he was gazing at her, his expression serious, made her think he might actually be telling the truth.
She nodded, blushed some more, and returned to studying her meal.
They spent the next two hours eating, talking and going for a walk in the warm September night air. Being with Jason had Charlotte cycling between so many thrilling emotions it made her mind spin. If it had been a real date, she would have been doing mental cartwheels. She kept having to remind herself he was just with her for the evening.
One single night with someone who was very close to being the man of her dreams. It wasn’t enough, even if for him it was just business.
“I have an idea,” she said when they returned to the hotel room at close to midnight.
“Oh?” he said, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Have you changed your mind about the last thing I mentioned we could do?” He cleared his throat and waggled his eyebrows.
Charlotte laughed, feeling herself going red, yet again. “No. Well... no. Stop it.” She pushed his shoulder and he grinned.
“Okay, tell me your idea. I am all ears.”
“Well...” She looked down, feeling nervous. “It’s probably against the rules of something, or you won’t be able to, or you won’t like the idea, or...”
She stopped when Jason touched his index finger to her lips.
“Tell me your idea,” he said, smiling.
“Well, what I was thinking was, as Tiffany paid for ten hours and it’s only been two, that maybe we could split the time up? Like have two hours a night for the next four nights? Or whenever you’re free? But you’re probably booked up or you don’t want to, or...”
He placed his finger on her lips again. “I think that is an inspired idea.”
“You do?” she said against
“No,” he said as he followed her out the door, “it makes you sound like my kind of woman.”
Forty-five minutes later they were sitting on a bench on the seafront, eating fish and chips with plastic sporks from polystyrene trays wrapped in paper. The multicoloured lights illuminating the promenade sparkled on the waves lapping the beach in front of them.
“And that just about sums up my college experience.” Charlotte’s internal realist was holding its head in its hands, wondering why on earth she was boring Jason with the boring story of her boring life. He seemed to have a knack for making her comfortable enough to talk about herself.
His shoulders were shaking with repressed laughter. “Kippers?”
“I swear I didn’t know they were there. I think they were on the verge of calling the bomb squad before the smell was traced to my bag.”
He erupted into laughter, clutching the paper around his chips so they didn’t spill. “Did you get in trouble?”
“Not really, although the dean did give me a stern talking to before the class left. How about you? Did you go to university?”
He looked down at his food, spearing a chip. “Yeah. Graduated three years ago. No rotting kipper related incidents to tell.” He popped the chip into his mouth and chewed.
Charlotte nodded and looked at her own food. “I get it. I could be some crazy woman stalker. I imagine your profession can be risky sometimes.”
He leaned into her, putting one arm around her and speaking into her hair. “No, that’s not it at all. You’re only crazy in a good way.”
He let go and took a bite of fish. Charlotte willed her heart to stop doing its best impression of a jackhammer.
“And as far as my profession goes, sometimes the women are pleasant and just want the company, sometimes they only want one thing. And once in a while they turn out to be pretty and funny and sweet and it doesn’t feel like working at all because there’s nowhere I’d rather be.”
He looked at her and smiled. Charlotte blushed and focused on playing with her food.
“You’re good,” she said.
“Hey, you have to believe everything I say, remember?”
She looked back up at him. The way he was gazing at her, his expression serious, made her think he might actually be telling the truth.
She nodded, blushed some more, and returned to studying her meal.
They spent the next two hours eating, talking and going for a walk in the warm September night air. Being with Jason had Charlotte cycling between so many thrilling emotions it made her mind spin. If it had been a real date, she would have been doing mental cartwheels. She kept having to remind herself he was just with her for the evening.
One single night with someone who was very close to being the man of her dreams. It wasn’t enough, even if for him it was just business.
“I have an idea,” she said when they returned to the hotel room at close to midnight.
“Oh?” he said, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Have you changed your mind about the last thing I mentioned we could do?” He cleared his throat and waggled his eyebrows.
Charlotte laughed, feeling herself going red, yet again. “No. Well... no. Stop it.” She pushed his shoulder and he grinned.
“Okay, tell me your idea. I am all ears.”
“Well...” She looked down, feeling nervous. “It’s probably against the rules of something, or you won’t be able to, or you won’t like the idea, or...”
She stopped when Jason touched his index finger to her lips.
“Tell me your idea,” he said, smiling.
“Well, what I was thinking was, as Tiffany paid for ten hours and it’s only been two, that maybe we could split the time up? Like have two hours a night for the next four nights? Or whenever you’re free? But you’re probably booked up or you don’t want to, or...”
He placed his finger on her lips again. “I think that is an inspired idea.”
“You do?” she said against
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