Trading Christmas - Debbie Macomber [116]
The numb feeling returned as Cait returned to her office. She didn’t know what to think. She’d believed…she’d hoped that she and Joe shared a very special feeling. Clearly their times together meant something entirely different to him than they had to her. Otherwise he wouldn’t behave so casually about her going out with Paul. And he certainly wouldn’t seem so pleased about it!
That was what hurt Cait the most, and yes, she was hurt. It had taken her several minutes to identify her feelings, but now she knew…..
More by accident than design, Cait walked into Lindy’s office. Her friend had already put on her coat and was closing her briefcase, ready to leave the office.
“Paul asked me to dinner,” Cait blurted out.
“He did?” Lindy’s eyes widened with astonishment. But she didn’t turn it into a joke, the way Joe had.
Cait nodded. “He just strolled in as if it was nothing out of the ordinary and asked me to have dinner with him.”
“Are you happy about it?”
“I don’t know,” Cait answered honestly. “I suppose I should be pleased. It’s what I’d prayed would happen for months.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Lindy asked.
“Joe doesn’t seem to care. He said he hopes everything works out the way I want it to.”
“Which is?” Lindy pressed.
Cait had to think about that a moment, her heart in her throat. “Honest to heaven, Lindy, I don’t know anymore.”
“I understand the salmon here is superb,” Paul was saying, reading over the Boathouse menu. It was a well-known restaurant on Lake Union.
Cait scanned the list of entrées, which featured fresh seafood, then chose the grilled salmon—the same dish she’d ordered that night with Joe. Tonight, though, she wasn’t sure why she was even bothering. She wasn’t hungry, and Paul was going to be wasting good money while she made a pretense of enjoying her meal.
“I understand you’ve been seeing a lot of Joe Rockwell,” he said conversationally.
That Paul should mention Joe’s name right now was ironic. Cait hadn’t stopped thinking about him from the moment he’d dropped into her office earlier that afternoon. Their conversation had left a bitter taste in her mouth. She’d sincerely believed their relationship was developing into something…special. Yet Joe had gone out of his way to give her the opposite impression.
“Cait?” Paul stared at her.
“I’m sorry, what were you saying?”
“Simply that you and Joe Rockwell have been seeing a lot of each other recently.”
“Uh, yes. As you know, we were childhood friends,” she murmured. “Actually Joe and my older brother were best friends. Then Joe’s family moved to the suburbs and our families lost contact.”
“Yes, I remember you mentioned that.”
The waitress came for their order, and Paul requested a bottle of white wine. Then he chatted amicably for several minutes, bringing up subjects of shared interest from the office.
Cait listened attentively, nodding from time to time or adding the occasional comment. Now that she had his undivided attention, Cait wondered what it was about Paul that she’d found so extraordinary. He was attractive, but not nearly as dynamic or exciting as she found Joe. True, Paul possessed a certain charm, but compared to Joe, he was subdued and perhaps even a little dull. Cait couldn’t imagine her stalwart boss carrying her piggyback out the back door because her high heels were too tight. Nor could she see Paul bantering with her the way Joe did.
The waitress delivered the wine, opened the bottle and poured them each a glass, once Paul had given his approval. Their dinners followed shortly afterward. After taking a bite or two of her delicious salmon, Cait noticed that Paul hadn’t touched his meal. If anything, he seemed restless.
He rolled the stem of the wineglass between his fingers, watching the wine swirl inside. Then he suddenly blurted out, “What do you think of Lindy’s leaving the firm?”
Cait was taken aback by the fervor in his voice when he mentioned Lindy’s name. “Frankly I was shocked,” Cait said. “Lindy and I have been good friends for a couple of years now.” There’d