Chapter Twelve

BRYAN SHOWED UP at the noodle place at ten minutes to seven, his laptop clutched under his arm, and proceeded to stake out the dining room until the corner booth he wanted was free. The place bustled, but they didn’t seem to mind people camping out there to work; most of the turnover was at the long communal counters, where customers slurped bowls of pho garnished with huge sprigs of Thai basil and bean sprouts, holding conversation above a noise level just short of a roar.

It was the very reason he’d suggested the place. It was about as far from a date location as one could get, and the way Ana had balked at seeing him again made him think she still doubted his intentions in spending time with her.

Maybe there was an element of truth in that, hence the more secluded corner table, but the larger reason was that they’d have to be able to communicate to get this presentation hammered out in time for their meeting.

Finally, the trio sitting in the corner got up, and Bryan hovered just out of range until the busboy came to clear their plates and wipe down the table. Then he descended on the booth and booted up his laptop.

“Hey, thanks for getting a seat. I thought we were going to have to wait.”

Bryan lifted his head from his notes to find Ana standing there in jeans and a casual blazer, a tote bag slung over her shoulder. Tonight, she had her long black hair twisted up on her head with a clip, a few short tendrils falling free around her nearly makeup-free face. Without the war paint, she looked young and approachable. He figured he should take it as a good sign if she was letting him see her as she really was.

“Can I sit down?” she prompted with an amused smile, and he hastily slid over to make room for her. “Have you ordered yet?”

“No, I was waiting for you.” He pushed a paper menu her direction, but she didn’t open it.

“I always get the same thing. Pho bò viên.”

“I never pegged you as a meatball girl. I’m partial to the pho tái nam myself.” He grinned at her surprised look. “What?”

She held up her hands. “Nothing. It’s just that pho has been a thing forever where I grew up. It’s only recently gotten fashionable here. Denverites usually aren’t that familiar.”

“I feel like you just called us provincial or something.” But he smiled so she knew he was kidding.

The server came to their table and took their order, and then Ana reached into her bag for a tablet with an attached keyboard. “Do you want to show me what you’ve got so far?”

Bryan nodded. So they were getting down to business. “Not very much, honestly. I’ve just pulled out what I think are our biggest selling points and differentiating factors from our competitors.”

She leaned a little closer to see his laptop screen, giving him a whiff of an expensive perfume, a mix of florals that he couldn’t place. He settled back in his seat so he wouldn’t be tempted to inhale more deeply. He could only imagine what she would do if she caught him trying to sniff her.

“I think this is a good start, actually. Why don’t we do this . . .”

By the time their steaming bowls of noodle soup arrived at the table, they had the beginnings of an outline put together, pulling figures from his business plan and market-positioning details from Ana’s work. She’d apparently done a fair bit of research already; regardless of how this meeting turned out, she was proving her value. They paused and pushed back their laptops long enough to slurp soup from deep spoons and dig out long strands of rice noodles with chopsticks.

Taking the usual flirtation out of their interactions meant that Bryan felt far more comfortable than he ever had around her. He liked her, he realized. She was smart, funny, had something to say on just about every topic, and she knew how to keep a conversation going naturally. Or maybe that was just because they had a lot more in common than he’d thought.

“How did you ever get to the Philippines?” she asked when he revealed that he’d gone there about ten years ago.

“A friend arranged the trip. You know climbers are always seeking out new routes and new locations. It was beautiful. There are some good climbs if you love limestone. I’ll admit I was happy to get back home to some granite after two weeks.”

“Where exactly were you?”

“Iloilo and then Cantabaco. That’s in the Visayas, right?”

Ana nodded and reached for her water glass. “On different islands, but yeah. I have relatives there. My parents are both from Manila, but Mom has cousins in Toledo, which is close to Cantabaco.”

“It’s gorgeous. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind going back just for a vacation. I’ve been to Hawaii, but the beaches in the Philippines just blow it out of the water. No pun intended.”

Ana sent him a smile, clearly pleased by the praise of her parents’ homeland. “You could always go back to climb while you’re there.”

He shook his head.

“Why not? I don’t understand why you’re refusing to climb. It was more than half your life, Bryan. It’s not like you can just turn that part of yourself off.”

“I can,” he said, “and I have. I’ve moved on. And I’m not really sure why you’re so fixated on it.”

Ana held her hands up, looking a little offended. “Fine. I was just trying to help. I thought that’s what friends do.”

Bryan cringed. The last thing he needed was to alienate her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. Just, please, try to respect the fact I don’t want to talk about it.”

She studied him for a long minute, then nodded. “Okay.” She began gathering up her things and shoved her tablet back in her shoulder bag. “I’ll email you my notes when I get home. You’re sure you’re comfortable with all of this?”

“Of course,” he said, though he was nothing of the sort. “I’ll run through the deck a few times before the meeting.”

“Just not too much. You don’t want it to sound canned.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Ana actually flushed. “I’m sorry. This is your business. You’ll do great.” She slid out of the booth and hovered uncertainly at the edge of the table. “Thanks for dinner.”

“Thanks for the help.” He watched as she nodded, then turned on her heel and strode from the restaurant. Only then did he let the sigh escape his lips. Just when things got comfortable, he was back to feeling like he was walking on eggshells with her. They were friends, yes, but they weren’t close friends. Then again, maybe this was the way Ana showed concern; she had started some serious drama the first time Melody brought Justin to the supper club. Her motivation might have been worry for Melody, but she didn’t seem to know when to stop digging.

He needed her to have full confidence in his ability to make this business a success, and to do that, he needed to project certainty. Neither she nor their potential investor needed to know that the last time he’d been absolutely sure about anything was twenty seconds before Vivian plummeted from that crag, ending both of their careers and everything he thought he’d known about his own future.