At least that was the theory.
TEN DAYS LATER, Jesse nearly fell off the bench at the Kirkland Olive Garden. She stood and pointed.
“Who are you?” she asked.
Matt grinned as he stopped in front of her. “You told me which clothes to buy. They shouldn’t be a surprise.”
“They look better on than I remember,” she murmured, motioning for him to turn slowly.
It was amazing what a little time and a couple of grand on a credit card could do. He’d been transformed from top to bottom. An eighty-dollar haircut at an upscale Bellevue salon had only been the beginning. Gone were the too-short jeans, the tennis shoes and the geeky shirt with the pocket protector. Instead, Matt wore a pale blue dress shirt, tailored slacks that showed off his slim hips and surprisingly sexy butt. She’d teased him into buying leather loafers that cost nearly four hundred dollars but had been worth every penny.
But the real change was how he looked without glasses.
His face had masculine lines and a chiseled chin she’d never noticed before. His eyes were even better than she’d imagined, and his mouth … had it always been that sexy, with a slightly crooked smile?
“You’re gorgeous,” she told him, actually feeling a slight tingle inside. “Really sexy. Wow.”
He flushed slightly. “You look good, too.”
Jesse dismissed his compliment with a flick of her fingers. Her appearance didn’t matter. This was about him.
The hostess returned and offered to seat them. Jesse noticed her checking Matt out as they were led to a table.
“Did you see that?” she asked in a low voice when they’d slid into their booth. “She was totally into you.”
Matt flushed. “You’re just saying that.”
“I don’t think so. If I were to get up right now and go to the restroom, she would be all over you.”
He looked more nervous than excited. “You’re not leaving, are you?”
She laughed. “Maybe next time. You’ll have to get used to the attention first, then you can start to enjoy it.” She ignored the menu and leaned toward him. “So, tell me. What’s new at work?”
“We’re brainstorming a new game. The theory behind it is really advanced, but there’s a—” He paused as she dropped her head to the table and groaned. “What?”
“Do I look like I care about game theory?”
“No, but you asked.”
“I asked what was new at work. That means with the people.”
“Oh.” He reached toward his face, as if he was going to push up his glasses, then dropped his hand to his lap. “It’s different.”
She straightened. “How?”
“People are talking to me.”
She smiled, knowing he was already getting results. “Women, right? You mean women.”
Matt grinned. “Yeah. A lot of the secretaries are saying hi to me now. And this woman in Finance asked me to help her carry some stuff to her car, only it wasn’t that much and she could have done it herself.”
“Did you ask her out?”
“What? No.” He looked shocked. “I couldn’t do that. She was, you know, older.”
Jesse raised her eyebrows. “How much older?”
“Maybe five or six years. She wouldn’t be interested in me.”
“Oh, honey, you have so much to learn about women. You’re tall, you’re in great shape, you’re good-looking. You have a good job, you’re basically sweet and funny and smart. What’s not to like?”
He flushed. “That’s not me.”
“It’s exactly you. It was all there, all the time, just hiding behind a pocket protector.” She narrowed her gaze. “I told you to throw them all out. Did you?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes. I said I did.”
“Good.”
Her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her purse and looked at the screen.
“Andrew or Zeke?” Matt asked.
“Joe.” She turned off the phone. “Sorry.”
Matt studied her. “How many guys are there?”
Not a question she wanted to answer. “This isn’t a very interesting topic.”
“It’s interesting to me.”
“I date but I don’t get serious. It’s no big deal.”
“You meet a lot of different guys?”
“Sure. It’s easy. They’re everywhere.” And men were not the least bit challenging to attract. Not that she was interested in keeping them around for any length of time.
Their server appeared. Jesse was relieved by the interruption. Talking about her personal life would only depress her and it might make him think she was.
What? Slutty? Isn’t that what her sister called her? Stop thinking about Nicole, she ordered herself and opened her menu.
Matt waited while she placed her order first, then he listed his selection, even including a glass of wine.
“Very smooth,” she said when they were alone. “The glass of wine is a nice touch. You know, we could go to the Chateau St. Michelle winery sometime. They have tastings. You could practice being snobby.”
He laughed. “You want me to be a snob?”
“You never know when it will come in handy.”
The server brought their drinks. Jesse stirred her iced tea. “You’re making some great changes. How do you feel about that?”
“You’re not going to get me to talk about my feelings,” he told her. “It’s a guy thing.”
“Good answer.”
“Are you playing me?”
“Maybe a little.”
“I can handle it.”
There was a quiet confidence in his voice she hadn’t heard before. It matched his straight posture and the way he looked her directly in the eye.
Still looking at her, he asked, “What’s your story? I know you’re not really a lifestyle coach. So who are you and what do you do when you’re not hounding me to go to the mall?”
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