“It’s sweet. I saw the way you two were with each other. You guys care about each other. Why is she with Mr. Grumpy?” Steph wondered out loud.
“Rico is a decent guy who isn’t in the industry so he has very low patience for everything. I’m sure she’s had him running around with her all day and he isn’t comfortable with her um,” John struggled a bit searching for the right words.
“Her inappropriate humor with you,” Steph filled in the blank.
“Exactly,” John chuckled. “It takes a lot to deal with Addy. A man needs some stamina for her, along with an appreciation for her choosing to be exactly who she is all of the time.”
“You sound like the perfect candidate,” Steph threw out wondering just how he felt about his client.
“Ha ha!” John blurted. “Not at all. I love her immensely, but like a sister. We’ve been helping each other out of jams for longer than I can remember. She’s not my type either nor am I hers. You’ve seen Rico.”
“So what’s your type?” Steph peered up, her eyes wide, and heart racing, from the chair. The silence was daunting as it lingered between them. It was too long for Steph, “You know what, forget it. I’m sorry. That’s none of my business. I’m going to get going. It’s really late.”
Steph was blushing as she gathered her belongings, moving as fast as she could to get the hell out of there. She couldn’t believe she uttered those words. She had gotten too comfortable. She searched for her shoes which were next to his and slipped them on her feet. She nearly tripped as she stood up and John was there to catch her.
“It’s okay, Steph,” he assured her. He had watched her cool, calm and collected demeanor unravel in a matter of seconds and he didn’t know how to respond or how to stop her. She had made up her mind to go and he wasn’t going to stand in her way, even though he wanted to. Steph tossed her jacket on, but John stopped her so he could help straighten her out.
“I’ll have my driver take you home,” he told her fixing her collar.
“Thank you, Mr. Pike,” Steph whispered in a rushed tone. She wanted to stay but was too embarrassed and wasn’t sure she could recover.
“John, please,” he called out to her as she hurried to the elevator. Just as the doors opened he called out to her once more, “You’re my type.”
Steph stepped onto the elevator and let the doors close before she smiled her biggest smile.