He wore his usual khaki pants and collared shirt, a briefcase in his hand. He was polite when I opened the door, and he spoke in curt phrases as I ushered him to the backyard. I had worn my hair down today and it swished down my back. Since I had washed it earlier, it smelled like apples. Not that he seemed to notice at all. He hardly looked at me as we sat down in the chairs on the back patio. When he pulled a notebook and pen out of his briefcase I sighed. “So I guess it’s all business today, huh?” He lifted his head to look at me. His eyes held a pained look. “I’m sorry about what happened the other day. This is a professional relationship. I don’t know what came over me. I’ve never done that before.” My heart leapt at his words. “Then why now?” I had to know. What made me different? I perched on the edge of my chair, waiting for him to say something incredibly romantic. Something I would read in a romance novel, like how he’s so drawn to me that he couldn’t stay away, no matter the consequence.
