“Same.” His posture was relaxed except for drumming his fingers on his leg.
Damn it. He was being infuriating. The corners of his mouth still pulled up, laughter dancing in his eyes.
They stepped into the parking garage, and she clicked the locks and alarm off on her car.
Zach grabbed her keys. “I'll drive. You navigate.”
“But…” She couldn't even form a rational protest.
He held the front passenger door open for her. “Nice ride.”
“Thanks.” She slid into the seat. “It came with the job.” His every move was too well orchestrated, and she hated it. Even more, she hated the part of her enjoying the mystery and attention.
****
Rae drummed her fingernails on the menu, telling herself for the millionth time she couldn't order wine in the middle of the work day. Or anything stronger. The entire ride, every time she tried to find out what was going on, Zach changed the subject. He kept up a smattering of the most random small talk she'd ever heard, asking her about her apartment, her job, where her favorite coffee place was.
And she’d fallen into all of it, momentarily losing herself in the easy banter rather than thinking about the big picture. Her behavior was as infuriating as his.
After the waiter took their orders, Zach held up a manila folder. “It's driving you nuts, isn't it?”
She resisted the urge to snatch it out of his hands. “You're not endearing yourself to me, if that's what you're asking.” Except despite the words, the longer they chatted, they more she was glad to see him. Damn it. It was going to hurt to send him away again.
For a moment his smile looked genuine. He handed her the folder.
She took it and gave him a suspicious glare before setting it on the table in front of her. She opened it cautiously, almost expecting something to jump out at her. Instead, a simple letterhead sat inside. A single sheet of paper with a logo stenciled in silver across the top.
“Rinslet Enterprises,” she said aloud. That was why the name sounded familiar. It was an old memory. Back in high school when Scott first started talking about starting his own software company, it was the name she had suggested he use. The memory added to the dull ache inside.
She scanned the letter with her name at the top. Her eyes grew wide, and she read it again. It was too familiar. She'd seen it before. Except a year ago, the job offer hadn't had the new logo on it, and there had been a salary attached to it. This time it just said to be negotiated.
“Well?” Zach asked.
“You're joking.”
“Kind of a costly way to get a laugh at your expense, don't you think? I told you I had a proposal.”
No. She refused to accept it. It beat back the screaming part of her that wanted to say yes. “This isn't a proposal. It's a job offer.”
“Now you're just trying to tie me up on a technicality.” His mask slipped, worry creasing his brow. It was gone again as soon as it had appeared.
She beat back the desire to fall into comfortable conversation. He wanted business, she could do all business. “So, tell me how things are going with the company. Where it's at, what you've been up to. What your plans are for the future?”
“Chloe hasn't told you any of that?”
“Chloe and I don't talk about work.”
Lunch came and went, and Rae continued to ask as many random questions as she could think of. They had taken her advice to hire a lawyer. He'd helped them find the loopholes they needed to continue development until the intellectual property legal battle was over. Now that it was out of the way, they were getting ready to announce their upcoming game at E3.
The check arrived, and Zach grabbed it away before she could. “So, that's my spiel. What do you think?”
She hated the part of herself objecting to what she was about to say, but it needed to be done. The fact that he still had this impact on her—that her guard was dropping even as she tried to keep him at a distance—was proof her reasons for leaving a year ago were still valid. Even if he had gone out of his way to find her. Even though it was amazing to see him again, regardless of the formal walls. “It sounds like you're doing fantastic. I'm flattered, really, but I'm going to have to say no.”
His smug smile slipped away, eyes softening, and a pleading edge leaked into his voice. “You’re the only person who knows how to do this. Things are falling apart without you. We need your mind and ideas.”
He didn’t want her back in his life because of what they had been. That was only fair, right? She hadn’t been any nicer to him. It hurt, no matter how she tried to spin it in her head. “There are a lot of other people who can do what I do. Some of them probably even live closer than three states away.”
His face hardened again. He stood and shook her hand. “I understand. Thank you for your time.”
“Of course.” She ignored the sparks flowing between them and let go as soon as was polite. “Do you need a ride back to your hotel or the airport?”