Running From Fate (8 page)

Pat requested
the most
private
seating
area available
and they were shown to a back booth, hidden from view by
a few large, potted
plants. 
He could have made the request in order to give Mira a nice, relaxed atmosphere to unwind in, but she knew him better than that.
He o
bv
iously
wanted
the
privacy
so that he could grill her mercilessly without fear of interference.
Normally, that might have bothered her, but she was really hungry and the smells coming from the kitchen were divine.
With a mental shrug, she slid into the booth across from Pat
.
  For a taste of that food, she could handle an inquisition.

Pat immediately opened his mouth, but before he could say anything a
suited waiter
appeared
to take
their drink orders.

As soon as
they were alone
, Mira leaned toward Pat.
  If he was planning on making her spill she might as well get the drop on him.
She might actually learn something from the closemouthed Irishman.
  “So what’s so important
that
you dressed up and sprang
for an expensive restaurant?” she asked.
Curiosity was eating at her
.

He tugged at his tie
as if it were choking him.
“I dress
up.”

She leaned back and crossed her arms.
“
Really?
When was the last time?”

He scratched his head, obviously trying to remember.
Finally, he shrugged. 
“
I wore a suit when you got your graduate diploma
.”

“That was five years ago,” she reminded him.
“
Any
way, you’re avoiding the question.
W
hat
did you bring me he
r
e
to talk about?”

His face flushed and he shifted in his seat.
“Could we no
wait for the drinks to arrive first?”

Perhaps he didn’t intend on giving her the fourth degree, Mira though
t
.
The normally confident man suddenly looked very uncomfortable.
Her curiosity ratcheted up a notch and she thought about pushing.  It wouldn’t be respectful, though, and he deserved that much from her
. 
She sighed. 
“Sure we can wait.”

He gave her a sickly smile and looked relieved.

“How is James doing?”
she heard herself ask, cringing at the girlish enchantment that she could still detect in her voice.
It was ridiculous to still feel this tug whenever his name was mentioned or his face came to her mind.
They hadn’t seen each other or even spoken since
before
her parents had passed away.
Even so, she found herself tensing as she waited for
Pat’s
reply.

Just as Pat
looked ready to answer
,
the waiter showed up with their
drinks
—
a deep red wine for her and a pint of Guinness for Pat
.  He put the glasses on the table
and pulled out a pad
.  “Have you decided on food yet?
” he asked.
“
I highly recommend the grilled haddock.”

“Actually, w
e would both like the steak pie,
” Pat said
,
looking a Mira for confirmation.

She nodded.

“An excellent choice.
”  He wrote the order on his pad with quick even strokes and slid it back in his apron.
 
“
I’ll have that out to you as soon as possible.”

As soon as the waiter left, Mira looked at Pat.
“Well,” she
prodded
when he remained silent.
“How is James?”

“
Actually, t
hat’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
 
He paused and
took a healthy swallow of his beer
.

For some reason his attitude reminded her of that dark night when he had shown up at her school with the horrible news of her parents’ death.
Her heart picked up speed, beating a little frantically.
“What happened?
” she demanded.
“
Is he hurt?”

“No, no, it’s not
anything
like that
.
As far as I know
James is fine. 
And from what I’ve read in magazines and seen on the news
that business he built
is doing
grand
.
”
  The pride rung in his voice, but mixed with it was a bit of wistfulness.

“
Are you and James still not talking?
You two are both way too stubborn.”
She picked up her glass and took a restorative sip, sighing with pleasure when the bold, rich taste flooded her mouth.
“I
’m
glad that James is doing so well and I’ve heard a lot of good things about EcoSpace
.
Before this media circus happened
I would
have
love
d
to work at a place like that
.
They’
re on the forefront of what promises to
be a revolutionary business.”  She sighed. 
“
B
u
t
it’s not to be
.  I’ll have a hard enough time getting a job at an unknown firm.
”

“
Ah, now w
hat
is it you’re talking about
?” Patrick said gruffly.
“
Here you are
a
n excellent,
respected architectural designer.”

“Who turned on her employer.
”

“You did the right thing
,
me girl
,
and
I bet that
James
would agree
with me
.
After all, you
did something in the way of a good deed for the environment and
James’ company specializes in low-impact building
s
and the like
.”  He pulled his gaze from hers and looked into his beer, studying it as if it contained the answers to the universe.  “I’ve heard that his company is hiring,” he continued somewhat offhandedly.  “
S
ure as faith you’d get the job
. 
What with
your
experience
and reputation. 
You wouldn’t
mind moving to North Carolina now,
would you?”

“Wait a second!
This is you’re plan
?”
She pause
d and took a long drink of wine
, trying to calm herself
. 
“Do you want me to act like some kind of mediator to bring the two of you back together?
If that’s your wish go and talk to him yourself.”

“Calm down
lass.
That’s no my plan.
I was merely making a
wee
suggestion.
You don’t have to follow it.
But, you’d be a fool to no consider it.”

Perhaps she
had
been a bit too ha
sty, Mira thought.
Her heart picked up speed at
the thought of finally seeing James again and, she rationalized,
EcoSpace was a fabulous company
.  I
t would
be an ex
c
iting, challenging job.
Unfortunately, there was one other obstacle besides the recent court case. 
“
We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.  Do you think he’ll know who I am
?
  Will it even matter to him?
”
she asked.

The food had just arrived a
nd Pat was already digging in,
barely pausing to clear his mouth with gulps of beer.
             

“Slow down
,” she warned,
“
or you’re going to choke on your food.
On second thought, I might just choke you myself if you don’t
pay attention.”

He stopped eating and put down his fork.
“Of course he knows who you
are
. 
Hasn’t
y
our
name been in all the business
journals?
  Besides
,
I’m sure that
he wouldn’t hire someone without researching them first.”

He was being deliberately obtuse and h
is face was starting to turn red,
a sure sign that there was something else going on here.
She tried to imagine what it could be,
but the rich meaty
smell
was
starting to distract her
.  Perhaps
, she mused, if she ate something
she would be able to concentrate
better
.

At the first bite, Mira
simply closed her eyes and enjoyed
.

“Told you it was good,” Pat
mumbled
as he slopped some spilled gravy with a bit of pastry.