Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
“Ah.” I nodded and picked up the white napkin on the table, draping it across my lap. “From Daniel, the husband who wouldn’t put up the shower curtain.”
Matthew’s smile widened. “He might’ve mentioned that once or…three hundred times.”
He folded his hands on the table, and I couldn’t help but notice the big, chunky watch on his wrist. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Expensive, but not ostentatious. I also noticed that his hands matched the watch—large and manicured. Matthew was exactly the type of guy I used to go for—before. My heart sank remembering the man who’d changed my type. Though maybe…maybe things with Brock were difficult because I was trying to fit a square peg into a round hole? Matthew was definitely a round peg, and there was something comforting and safe about a man who fits.
Matthew lifted a glass of water. “So Ollie tells me you’re originally from Brooklyn.”
“I am. Park Slope.”
“I grew up in Prospect Heights.”
“Neighbors, huh? Do you still live there?”
He shook his head. “I stupidly sold seven years ago before the prices went berserk. I live on the Upper West Side now. But I do miss it. I don’t get back often enough.”
“I was there recently to meet a client,” I said. “At a place called Weather Up.”
“I know it well. Great place. They make a drink called Robert De Niro’s Waiting that I love.”
“That’s what I had! It was delicious.”
“A successful businesswoman from Brooklyn who drinks scotch? Do I propose now or wait until we get Ollie’s blessing?”
I laughed, and as we ordered lunch, Matthew and I got to know each other a bit. It turned out we had a lot more in common than growing up in nearby neighborhoods. We were both divorced, both our exes had gotten involved with friends of ours after we split up, and we’d even gone to the same undergraduate college, though he was a few years older than me. It made me wonder if Oliver had already given his blessing, and this was a setup disguised as a business meeting. Though, after the food came, we got down to talking actual business, and it seemed Matthew did need some guidance. I was candid about my experiences taking on investors and suggested a few venture capitalists I wished I’d considered originally.
At some point, my phone illuminated, and a message from Oliver flashed on the screen. He wanted to know if he should push back my four o’clock appointment. I thought it was a little premature to start rearranging my schedule, at least until I pressed the button and looked at the time on my phone—three forty-five.
“Oh my gosh,” I said. “Can that time be right? We’ve been sitting here for more than two-and-a-half hours?”
Matthew looked down at his watch. “I guess so.”
“I must’ve lost track of time. I have a four o’clock meeting back at the office.”
Matthew raised his hand to call the waiter. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to take up so much of your afternoon.”
“It’s fine. But I should text Oliver back so he can let my appointment know I’m running a little late. Excuse me a minute.”
After I thumbed off a message, the waiter brought the check. I took cash out of my purse and went to put it on the table.
Matthew shook his head. “Please. Allow me. It’s the least I can do for picking your brain for hours.” He smiled. “Plus, I really enjoyed your company.”
His comment was innocuous enough, but something in the way he looked at me told me it wasn’t as innocent as it seemed. Maybe I should reciprocate and tell him I had a good time too—push myself to keep my options open… I wasn’t sure, though, and I didn’t have time to debate it. I needed to get to my appointment. So I just stood and pulled my purse over my shoulder. “Thank you for lunch.”
Matthew stood, too. “I really appreciate your time. I’m going to contact the VC you suggested as soon as I get back to the office. Would it be okay if I reached out to you with other questions that might come up as I go through the process?”
“Sure. Of course.”
He pulled his cell phone out and handed it to me. “Put your number in, and I’ll shoot you a text so you have mine.”
After, he extended his hand with a smile. When we shook, his eyes dropped to my lips for the briefest of seconds. It was so quick, I thought I might’ve imagined it. Or maybe I’d been the one who’d looked at his mouth. Whatever the case, I suddenly felt the urge to bolt. I lifted my hand in an awkward wave and didn’t even wait to walk out of the restaurant with him.
“Okay, well, bye!”
***
It was almost seven before my afternoon meeting ended, but Oliver marched into the conference room less than ten seconds after the vendor had gone.