decent person, I think.” Alright, this was not the direction she had expected the conversation to go. Far from it, but it was nice to discuss something a little less charged than the Clarion partnership proposal.
“What about the girl at the Hyatt?” she asked. He shrugged.
“Girls like that aren’t the marrying kind,” he said. “And if they are, they’re not overly concerned with decency.”
She wanted to ask what the whole point was of being with those kinds of girls, but she could well imagine the look he would give her. He thought she was naïve and silly, she expected.
The waiter returned and Jane ordered pasta. She didn’t think she could manage anything heavier. He didn’t seem to have any such qualms as he ordered a steak with a rich béarnaise sauce. She wondered if the heat affected him at all. He’d spent a bit of time here; maybe he acclimatized easier because of it.
“Are you planning on staying in your role for long?” she asked after a few moments of silence.
“I have no plans to leave,” he said. “I am often approached, but have found no reason to move on. I’ve always worked on the kind of projects I wanted to at Symax.”
“You seem to get the most distinguished ones.”
“You have done well in Contil,” he said. “What do you think your next step is?”
“I haven’t really planned a next step,” Jane admitted.
“So you’re not one of those girls who ruthlessly climbs the corporate ladder, looking for the next opportunity.”
“I suppose I take it one opportunity at a time.”
“What do you like to do outside of work?” he asked. She felt a little like she was being interrogated.
“Normal stuff, I guess.” Actually she couldn’t think of an answer. She loved pottering around the house, reading, normal kind of things, but they sounded boring in her head.
“A very evasive answer,” he said with a smile. She couldn’t help but be impressed with his smile; it had a charm that she suspected every girl noticed. Combined with his eyes, which seemed to pick up on the tiniest detail. She felt like she was being scrutinized, which might have been the purpose of this dinner. She wondered if she was actually here for some reason. Maybe he was having a ‘quiet’ word with her, like he had in the pool. So far he hadn’t gotten to the point of the evening, which may be some form of intimidation. She had felt it on more than one occasion.
“I’m just quite normal; I don’t have any extreme hobbies like kite boarding or para-gliding. I like normal things, shopping, lunch with friends.”
“ How positively mediocre.” he said. He was teasing her, but she wondered if underneath the lightness, he was mocking her.
“ Normal things with normal friends. You can call it mediocre if you want. I say if it works, don’t worry about it. Don’t you have friends?”
“Honestly, not really. I have more acquaintances than I can count, they usually serve a purpose or engage in a specific type of activity, but I don’t sit around a yak about my week.”
Jane furrowed her eyebrows; she couldn’t imagine what his life was like. She couldn’t really imagine how he lived. “I would get really lonely.”
“Alone perhaps, I wouldn’t go as far as to say lonely,” he said. “Perhaps more a difference between men and women.”
“I don’t envy you,” she said honestly. Her statement surprised him, she could tell.
“A lot of people do,” he said.
“I’m sure.” The food arrived and she busied herself. Maybe pasta wasn’t the best choice. It was spaghetti and it was messy eating. Utterly delicious though. When they were finished, he ordered another scotch for himself and a gin and tonic for her. He didn’t ask her, he just ordered it. It was the first time someone had ordered something for her without asking, except perhaps Edmund when he ordered in expectation of her
“What about the girl at the Hyatt?” she asked. He shrugged.
“Girls like that aren’t the marrying kind,” he said. “And if they are, they’re not overly concerned with decency.”
She wanted to ask what the whole point was of being with those kinds of girls, but she could well imagine the look he would give her. He thought she was naïve and silly, she expected.
The waiter returned and Jane ordered pasta. She didn’t think she could manage anything heavier. He didn’t seem to have any such qualms as he ordered a steak with a rich béarnaise sauce. She wondered if the heat affected him at all. He’d spent a bit of time here; maybe he acclimatized easier because of it.
“Are you planning on staying in your role for long?” she asked after a few moments of silence.
“I have no plans to leave,” he said. “I am often approached, but have found no reason to move on. I’ve always worked on the kind of projects I wanted to at Symax.”
“You seem to get the most distinguished ones.”
“You have done well in Contil,” he said. “What do you think your next step is?”
“I haven’t really planned a next step,” Jane admitted.
“So you’re not one of those girls who ruthlessly climbs the corporate ladder, looking for the next opportunity.”
“I suppose I take it one opportunity at a time.”
“What do you like to do outside of work?” he asked. She felt a little like she was being interrogated.
“Normal stuff, I guess.” Actually she couldn’t think of an answer. She loved pottering around the house, reading, normal kind of things, but they sounded boring in her head.
“A very evasive answer,” he said with a smile. She couldn’t help but be impressed with his smile; it had a charm that she suspected every girl noticed. Combined with his eyes, which seemed to pick up on the tiniest detail. She felt like she was being scrutinized, which might have been the purpose of this dinner. She wondered if she was actually here for some reason. Maybe he was having a ‘quiet’ word with her, like he had in the pool. So far he hadn’t gotten to the point of the evening, which may be some form of intimidation. She had felt it on more than one occasion.
“I’m just quite normal; I don’t have any extreme hobbies like kite boarding or para-gliding. I like normal things, shopping, lunch with friends.”
“ How positively mediocre.” he said. He was teasing her, but she wondered if underneath the lightness, he was mocking her.
“ Normal things with normal friends. You can call it mediocre if you want. I say if it works, don’t worry about it. Don’t you have friends?”
“Honestly, not really. I have more acquaintances than I can count, they usually serve a purpose or engage in a specific type of activity, but I don’t sit around a yak about my week.”
Jane furrowed her eyebrows; she couldn’t imagine what his life was like. She couldn’t really imagine how he lived. “I would get really lonely.”
“Alone perhaps, I wouldn’t go as far as to say lonely,” he said. “Perhaps more a difference between men and women.”
“I don’t envy you,” she said honestly. Her statement surprised him, she could tell.
“A lot of people do,” he said.
“I’m sure.” The food arrived and she busied herself. Maybe pasta wasn’t the best choice. It was spaghetti and it was messy eating. Utterly delicious though. When they were finished, he ordered another scotch for himself and a gin and tonic for her. He didn’t ask her, he just ordered it. It was the first time someone had ordered something for her without asking, except perhaps Edmund when he ordered in expectation of her
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