Read Online Driven to Date by Susan Hatler - Free Book Online Page B

consolation prize.
    Knock! Knock! Knock!
    My head whipped up at the sound of someone rapping on my door. I glanced at the clock, saw that it was after six, and wondered who could still be here.
    “Come in.” I clicked on the appropriate boxes to shut down my computer, before turning to see who’d entered my office.
    Ryan strode in, wearing the same blue polo shirt and khaki pants he’d had on the day Stan handed him my promotion. Had that really only been ten days ago? It seemed like much longer.
    The corner of his mouth lifted. “May I come in?”
    “Nice that you’re asking this time.” I swiveled in his direction, remembering my resolution to take it easy on him and direct my anger toward the partners who’d sold me out. I folded my hands in my lap. “What can I do for you?”
    He stopped by the side of my desk, then hopped up to sit on the surface, and turned to me. Leaning forward, he gazed into my eyes. “What’s wrong?”
    I tilted my head sideways, worried I’d left a streak of mascara. “Nothing.”
    His eyes clouded. “Is this because of the job? Be honest.”
    “No.” I gave him a firm look, then sucked in a deep breath. “My parents are separating. I just got a voicemail from my mother,” I said, because I didn’t want to hound him about the promotion anymore, and also because it was true.
    “Man, that’s rough.” His brows came together. “I’m sorry.”
    “Thanks.” I nodded, then fiddled with a highlighter from my desk. “I didn’t see it coming. They seemed . . . fine. Not really happy, because their relationship’s always seemed lopsided, with my mom doing all the work.” When I got married, it would be an equal partnership. We’d be a team . Wait, since when had I started thinking about marriage? Had I slipped into PML?
    “It was the opposite in my household.” With his legs dangling off the desk, he leaned onto his thighs, and peered over at me. “My mom had stayed at home, and seemed unhappy because she didn’t have any goals. I wish she would’ve had a drive in something she loved. That’s one of the things I admire about you.”
    “What?” My life was in shambles, or hadn’t he noticed?
    He gaped at me, as if I were crazy. “The fiery passion you put into your career. To help people, and make a difference. It’s more than getting by for a paycheck. You’ve invested yourself. Your dedication has impressed me from the start.”
    Embarrassed and shy from his declaration, I twisted the cap on the highlighter pen. “If only my dad had some of that passion in him.”
    He gave a soft chuckle. “Finding balance can be a challenge. It’s good to have goals, but not to the point that you don’t really live.”
    “Anyway . . .” Since he’d just summed up my past five-plus years, I had the sudden revelation I’d been insulted. “You didn’t come to my office to hear about my problems. Which case did you want to talk about?”
    “I didn’t mean anything bad by what I said.” Shaking his head, he slid off the desk, then gestured toward me. “Stand up.”
    My brows came together as I popped to my feet, checking my chair behind me for a spider or creepy insect. “I don’t see anything,” I said, then turned around.
    He stepped forward, pulled me against him, and held me. “I’m really sorry.”
    My first reaction was to pull away, but the feel of his warm (hard) chest against my cheek felt inviting, and I nestled into him. “You don’t have to console me. I’ll be fine.”
    “But I do have to. I want to.” He tightened his arms around me and rested his cheek on top of my temple. “It kills me to see you upset. Is there anything I can do for you?”
    “This is nice.” I breathed him in, then something tingled on the back of my brain, and I stepped back. “Actually, there is something you can do for me.”
    He brushed a piece of hair back from my face. “Name it.”
    Feeling shy, I lifted my lashes. “I need you to be my boyfriend for more than