window.
“Thanks. I try not to get distracted by it too much.”
“I can see that. Although a bit too high to do any good people watching.”
“Yeah. So, what are you doing here?” She sat back in her chair, trying to appear calm and relaxed even though excited jitters skipped inside her. She didn’t mean to sound rude or impatient, but she had to know why he’d shown up at her office out of the blue.
“Oh.” Matt turned back and slouched down in the chair comfortably, propping one ankle on his knee. “I’m in town to work out with a buddy of mine, Dusty Reynolds—he’s the catcher for Chicago—and so I thought I’d stop by...” He broke off and gave her another big smile. “I remembered you mentioning that you worked here.” At her continued silence, he cleared his throat. “Anyway, I wanted to see if maybe one night we could do dinner or something while I’m in town. Nothing big or anything…just…hang out.”
“I see,” Shannon murmured, struggling to ignore the disappointment coursing through her that she couldn’t be anything more than a friend to this fine specimen of a man. “Yeah, that’d be fun.”
“Great!” he said with another big smile. “It’s cool to know someone else here in the city to hang with.”
“Just let me know when and where and we’ll go from there. With my schedule, the more advance notice, the better. Where are you staying, by the way?”
“The Waldorf.”
She smiled. “You don’t skimp, huh?”
Matt shrugged. “I like it. It’s nice.”
“Nice? I guess that’s one way to describe it. Expensive is another.”
He lifted his big shoulders again, his gaze lingering on her and her skin prickled in anticipation of something—what, she didn’t know—but soon his eyes broke away and he stood. “I won’t keep you. I’ll call you to schedule something.”
She rose as he walked over to the door. “Sure, sounds good.”
Shannon waited until he disappeared from sight before sinking back down into her chair. She couldn’t believe he’d showed up. In Chicago. At her office. She hadn’t expected to have contact with him again anytime soon, if ever, but now here he was and he wanted to get together with her for dinner. As a friend.
“That’s all you want, Shannon,” she muttered aloud. “All you can have at the moment. A friendly, gorgeous, ridiculously sexy friend .”
But, as she turned to her computer to force herself back to work, she struggled to ignore the voice calling her a liar.
* * *
Matt walked out of the office building and shoved his hands into his coat pockets feeling somewhat successful. His and Shannon’s interaction right off the bat had been stiff and formal, not as smooth as he would have liked, but he could fix that, no problem. Next step, calling her and scheduling dinner.
He’d found his mind wandering back to Shannon as he packed for his trip home to Arizona, unable to forget the taste of her on his lips and the feel of her in his arms, and he’d pondered whether to try something before bolting the door completely on any possibility between them. He hated playing the what-if game, so he decided to at least try, and if she turned him down, then at least he’d made an effort and his mind would be free of second guesses, which he hated.
He’d had to make a call home, informing his mother of his decision not to be home for Thanksgiving, which had upset her as he expected, but he’d promised to be there for Christmas. Then he’d had to come up with a reasonable excuse to be in Chicago since he didn’t think Shannon would react well to learning he’d come to town just to see her. She’d already made it abundantly clear she didn’t have time for anything else in her life outside of her job. Plus, he wanted to gauge her reaction. If she responded positively, happy and interested, and agreed to go out with him a few times as a “friend,” then he’d make a move. If she acted put out and
“Thanks. I try not to get distracted by it too much.”
“I can see that. Although a bit too high to do any good people watching.”
“Yeah. So, what are you doing here?” She sat back in her chair, trying to appear calm and relaxed even though excited jitters skipped inside her. She didn’t mean to sound rude or impatient, but she had to know why he’d shown up at her office out of the blue.
“Oh.” Matt turned back and slouched down in the chair comfortably, propping one ankle on his knee. “I’m in town to work out with a buddy of mine, Dusty Reynolds—he’s the catcher for Chicago—and so I thought I’d stop by...” He broke off and gave her another big smile. “I remembered you mentioning that you worked here.” At her continued silence, he cleared his throat. “Anyway, I wanted to see if maybe one night we could do dinner or something while I’m in town. Nothing big or anything…just…hang out.”
“I see,” Shannon murmured, struggling to ignore the disappointment coursing through her that she couldn’t be anything more than a friend to this fine specimen of a man. “Yeah, that’d be fun.”
“Great!” he said with another big smile. “It’s cool to know someone else here in the city to hang with.”
“Just let me know when and where and we’ll go from there. With my schedule, the more advance notice, the better. Where are you staying, by the way?”
“The Waldorf.”
She smiled. “You don’t skimp, huh?”
Matt shrugged. “I like it. It’s nice.”
“Nice? I guess that’s one way to describe it. Expensive is another.”
He lifted his big shoulders again, his gaze lingering on her and her skin prickled in anticipation of something—what, she didn’t know—but soon his eyes broke away and he stood. “I won’t keep you. I’ll call you to schedule something.”
She rose as he walked over to the door. “Sure, sounds good.”
Shannon waited until he disappeared from sight before sinking back down into her chair. She couldn’t believe he’d showed up. In Chicago. At her office. She hadn’t expected to have contact with him again anytime soon, if ever, but now here he was and he wanted to get together with her for dinner. As a friend.
“That’s all you want, Shannon,” she muttered aloud. “All you can have at the moment. A friendly, gorgeous, ridiculously sexy friend .”
But, as she turned to her computer to force herself back to work, she struggled to ignore the voice calling her a liar.
* * *
Matt walked out of the office building and shoved his hands into his coat pockets feeling somewhat successful. His and Shannon’s interaction right off the bat had been stiff and formal, not as smooth as he would have liked, but he could fix that, no problem. Next step, calling her and scheduling dinner.
He’d found his mind wandering back to Shannon as he packed for his trip home to Arizona, unable to forget the taste of her on his lips and the feel of her in his arms, and he’d pondered whether to try something before bolting the door completely on any possibility between them. He hated playing the what-if game, so he decided to at least try, and if she turned him down, then at least he’d made an effort and his mind would be free of second guesses, which he hated.
He’d had to make a call home, informing his mother of his decision not to be home for Thanksgiving, which had upset her as he expected, but he’d promised to be there for Christmas. Then he’d had to come up with a reasonable excuse to be in Chicago since he didn’t think Shannon would react well to learning he’d come to town just to see her. She’d already made it abundantly clear she didn’t have time for anything else in her life outside of her job. Plus, he wanted to gauge her reaction. If she responded positively, happy and interested, and agreed to go out with him a few times as a “friend,” then he’d make a move. If she acted put out and
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