Jason was smiling as her nervous rambling finally ended. As he reached over to pick her cases up, he opened the door and Claire locked up and followed him to his car.
Billy was walking to his car as Jason was storing her luggage. Claire was surprised to see him walk over to Jason and extend his hand. “Hey man, good to see you again. You guys going somewhere?”
“Yes, Claire is going to be away for a few days. I would really appreciate it if you’d keep an eye on her place,” said Jason.
“Oh sure man, Billy will make sure no one bothers anything, don’t worry.”
“Thanks,” replied Jason.
Billy turned and said a quick hello to her, and was on his way. Claire said, “That was weird. I’ve never known Billy to miss an opportunity to talk; he seemed almost normal.”
“Yes, well maybe he has finally figured out that people don’t like being accosted on their way in and out of their home,” replied Jason.
“Maybe,” replied Claire doubtfully.
Claire asked Jason where they’d be staying in Charleston. Jason then asked, “I thought you’d enjoy the historic district, have you been there?”
“No, I haven’t but I’ve always wanted to.”
“There’s a great hotel there that I’ve stayed in before, their service is excellent and the privacy is unsurpassed,” said Jason.
Claire had to wonder how many other women had benefited from the privacy offered at this hotel. As if sensing her thoughts, he added, “I’ve only stayed there when in town on business so it will be nice to enjoy it on a personal level as well.”
With a bright smile of relief, Claire said, “It sounds perfect; I can’t wait. Will you be working at Mericom each day?”
“I’ll go in for meetings but won’t spend a full day there. I would love for you to come along as well to give me your opinion of their operation,” added Jason.
“I’d like that,” said Claire shyly.
“Grayson will be spending quite a lot of time at Danvers as the merger nears and even afterwards. Charleston will remain his base at least for a while but he’ll have an expanded role within Danvers as well. I look forward to having a strong person to shoulder some of the day to day load that the merger will create.”
Claire was surprised that Jason would admit to needing assistance, much less be willing to relinquish some of his control at Danvers to Grayson. “Grayson also has a brother Nicholas that you will meet while we’re there. He primarily does the traveling for Mericom, so he isn’t in the office as much as Grayson. He’ll also assume a big role in daily operations when the merger is complete and travel considerably less.”
“I’d no idea Mericom was going to change Danvers this much. I guess I assumed it would be the other way around,” said Claire.
“It will be too big to manage without some changes. They’ll all be for the better though, we will hire more staff for our office, and some will also transfer between the two companies when the merger is complete. We will dine tomorrow night at Grayson’s home. I want you to be comfortable with him and, of course, Nicholas since you will communicate with them both a great deal in the future.” Claire would like to think Jason meant that as his companion she would see them more. Somehow, she knew he meant it strictly in the professional sense. Did you think he was going to ask you to go steady a day after sleeping with him, silly?
She was startled but pleased when she felt Jason lay his hand over her hand and link his fingers with hers. “I’m glad you came; I would have never been able to concentrate with you so far away,” admitted Jason. Claire had no words for the way his statement made her feel, so she squeezed his hand instead, letting him know that she felt the same way. He said, “I thought we could have a late dinner when we arrive. How does seafood sound to you?”
“Mmm, that sounds great, I love seafood, and I bet it’s wonderful there.” The rest of the drive passed quickly with conversation flowing as if they’d been together for years which, in fact, in some capacity, they were.
~~~
The restaurant that Jason had selected was in the battery district of Charleston on the waterfront. As they pulled to the entrance a valet carefully opened her door and assisted her out. Jason handed the keys to another valet as they walked towards the entrance of the restaurant. Jason had obviously planned ahead and made a reservation as they were quickly escorted to a table overlooking the water. “This is lovely Jason; I’d no idea Charleston was so beautiful.”
“This is only a small part of the appeal of Charleston; I look forward to showing you the city before we leave. Perhaps tonight, if you feel up to it, we will take a stroll on the waterfront before we go to the hotel.”