She slipped the itinerary under the seat. They could deal with that little problem later.
She studied Craig out of the corner of her eye, trying not to be obvious. He had a good strong jaw and short hair. His hands on the steering wheel looked strong, too, with long fingers and neatly trimmed nails. No ring. Was he divorced? Involved with anyone? Not that she was interested, but shed been playing the dating game so long such assessments were as automatic as locking her door behind her when she entered her house.
How do you know Bryan? she asked.
We met in college. We were suite mates and both studying business and we really hit it off.
Of course. He was obviously the serious, sensible businessman. Not a flighty artist like her. What do you do now?
Im a chef. He glanced at her, as if gauging her response to this revelation. Right now Im in charge of the Senate Dining Room.
Oh-ho! Not a dull businessman. Cooking was creative, wasnt it? She leaned forward, suppressing a buzz of excitement. This trip might prove to be a lot more interesting than shed anticipated. Im impressed. And I have to confess, a little intimidated by a man who can cook better than I can.
His smile was definitely killer. Not to brag, but I can cook better than most people I know. It comes in handy sometimes.
Now there would be a nice twista man who could cook dinner for me, instead of suffering through my own uneven attempts at a meal. And then for dessert She quickly pulled her mind back from the cliff it was about to dive off. Where had this rampant lust come from? Yeah, it had been a while since shed had anything like a steady relationship, but since when did handsome strangers inspire such wild fantasies?
Deep breath, she reminded herself, inhaling slowly. Unfortunately, all she could smell was Craig himself, something herbal and spicy and definitely yummy.
She swallowed hard and leaned back in the seat. Slow down. Make innocuous conversation. Do you enjoy
your work? she asked.
The cooking part, yes. Im thinking of opening my own restaurant soon.
You should do it. She tucked one leg under her and arranged her skirt over her lap. This was more like it. Act casual. Just friends. Im a big believer in doing what makes you happy.
He shook his head. Its not so easy. Opening your own place involves a lot of risk. Restaurants fail in this town every day.
Life is risky, though. Isnt it?
He frowned and she wondered if shed overdone the Miss Mary Sunshine routine. People had accused her before of being too much of an optimist.
What do you do that makes you happy? he asked after a moment.
Im an advertising copywriter for a firm that specializes in non-profits.
I guess you like the work enough to bring your laptop on vacation with you.
Oh, I love the work. But the laptops not for that. Its for my Web diary.
He raised one eyebrow. Web diary?
Yeah, Im a blogger. I have a Web site where I post writings about whats going on in my life.
Things like this trip?
Thats right. I figured I could make notes as ideas strike me during the day, then upload them at the hotel every evening.
And people read this? Strangers?
Yeah, Im made a lot of cool friends that way. Fans.
He shook his head. You dont think its a little odd to have people you dont even know reading about your life?
She shifted in her seat. Im not an idiot. I dont put personal information on there. It just gives me a chance to work on my writing andI dont know. Make a connection. There are hundreds of bloggers. Thousands. Its another kind of Internet community.
He continued to look skeptical. Does this diary of yours have a name?
Its called Travels with Marlee. I write about places I go. Things I see.
Do you see that many interesting things?
She nodded. Theyre out there, if you keep your eyes open. Every trip is a journey of discovery. Thats what the blog is about, reallysharing my discoveries with readers.
You dont think sometimes youre simply moving from point A to point B in the most efficient manner?
This may come as a shock to you, but there are people who think efficiency is overrated.
He glanced at her. You, for instance?
Havent you heard that getting there is half the fun?
He shrugged. And sometimes getting there is merely something you endure to reach your destination.
She leaned toward him. You wouldnt be talking about this particular trip, would you?
Now why would you think that? The corners of his mouth twitched and she relaxed. He was teasing her. She couldnt help but like a man with a sense of humor, even if he kept it under wraps most of the time.
And she did like Craig, in spite of his scarily organized and exacting ways. She supposed there were advantages to having every journeyand the rest of your lifeall laid out neatly. There were probably times when having an idea of what youd be doing next week or next year was useful.
But what if while making all those plans you missed something even better? It seemed an awfully big risk to her.
I take it you plan to write about this trip?
His question interrupted her musings. Well, yeah. Thats what I do.