I couldn’t help but laugh. “That sounds very very sweet of you, but I...Actually, I’m kind of—”
“Are you—” Jonathan walked into my office and stopped. He looked back and forth between me and Michael and his lips curved into a forced smile. “Good afternoon, Miss Gracen. And you are?” He looked at Michael.
“I’m Dr. Michael Clarkson,” he said, reaching out to shake his hand. “And yourself?”
“I’m Jonathan Statham.”
His eyes widened. “The Jonathan Statham? Of Statham Industries? The CEO?”
“The one and only.”
“Oh. Well, I’m sorry if I was intruding on a meeting or something, Claire.” Michael smiled. “I just wanted to stop by and see you.” He looked me up and down. “You look stunning by the way...I don’t think there’s a dress that wouldn’t look good on you.”
“You’re not interrupting anything.” Jonathan shook his head. “It’s perfectly fine, Dr. Clarkson. I take a different director out for lunch every day and it’s a completely laid back affair. We were about to eat at Water Bistro Café. Its two blocks down. Would you like to join us? Everything is on me.”
WHAT?
“Sure, I’d love to. I have to make one more home visit, but it’s relatively close. Will you still be there in about twenty minutes or so?”
“Definitely.” Jonathan smiled.
“Great.” Michael stepped forward and planted a kiss on my lips. “I’ll see you there, Claire.”
Out the corner of my eye I saw Jonathan’s jaw clench as Michael placed two more kisses against my cheek.
“It’s not what you think.” I looked up at him once Michael left the room. “I swear, it’s not.”
“Oh really? What am I thinking?”
“Whatever it is, it’s not as bad as it looks.”
“Are you going to put your pretty new roses in some water?” He looked at my flowers. “The good doctor went through a lot of trouble to bring them so you should probably try to keep them alive.”
“I’ll do it when I get back...”
“Okay.” He unclenched his jaw. “Are you ready to go?”
Jonathan and I took the employee shuttle down to the Water Bistro Café. Most of the employees who were on board seemed excited to see him, and just like he’d mentioned earlier, they seemed to think it was only a business lunch; they even joked about needing his help in their own departments.
Once the bus stopped, he allowed me to step off before him, and linked my arm in his.
We didn’t stop by the hostess stand; we simply made a left and walked upstairs, to a large private room with a view of the ocean.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Statham.” A waitress showed us to the only table in the room—a high table with tall silver chairs that sat next to the window. “Are there any other persons joining your party today?”
“Yes, a Dr. Clarkson.” He ushered for me to sit down. “Could you make sure his valet parking is made complimentary when he arrives?”
“Yes sir. Shall I wait until he arrives to take your order?”
“That’d be fine. Could you bring us the chef’s suggested wine while we wait?”
“Right away.” She placed three menus on the table and disappeared.
“So,” Jonathan said as he sat down next to me, “how are the ideas coming for the sTablet?”
“Cut the crap, Jonathan. I know you’re upset about Michael dropping by my office today. Aren’t you?”
“Why would I be upset?”
I don’t know...“Never mind...” I shook my head. “I just thought you were the jealous type...I apologize for thinking that... I think the sTablet is going to be even harder than the sPhone.
“Why is that?”
“Because ‘sTablet’ doesn’t rhyme with anything.”
He laughed. “I’m sure you’ll come up with something amazing.”
The waiter returned with a tray of wine glasses and Michael was a few steps behind her.
“This is a really nice restaurant.” He sat down across from us. “Is there a reason why the tables are so high?”
“It’s a water bistro.” The waitress smiled and passed him a glass of wine. “All of our food is steamed and served on floating plates of hot water. The height of the table and the grooves on the edges prevent our guests from burning themselves.” She blushed.
“Oh...What do you suggest I try first, Mr. Statham?”
“Please, call me Jonathan.” He smiled and turned his head towards the waitress. “How about giving us all a sample of everything?”
“As you wish sir.” She collected our menus and stole one more glance of Michael before walking away.
The three of us took short sips of our wine and sat in complete silence before Jonathan cleared his throat. “So Michael, what hospital do you work for?”
“None. I have my own practice downtown. It’s relatively small though, only three doctors and five nurses.”
“What’s your specialty?”
Michael’s eyes met mine. “Women.”