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“Because I need to watch my weight.”
His mouth fell open then. “Is that a joke?”
“No.” She blushed a little and hoped he wouldn’t notice.
“If your mother says you should lose weight, she’s crazy.”
“That is the consensus most days.”
“But you don’t believe her, right? You don’t actually think you need to lose weight.”
She wasn’t sure how she let the topic of conversation veer in this direction. Her mother had contributed to her negative body image when she was younger, and while she had gotten past a lot of that, some days she still felt like being more on the petite side with ample curves meant she needed to watch what she ate.
“Genevieve.”
She looked over at him and found a seriousness in his expression.
“There isn’t a single thing about you that isn’t perfect.” His sincerity was sweet. “You’re stunning just as you are.”
Her cheeks were on fire now, and she tried to focus on the highway ahead and not the incredibly endearing man sitting beside her.
After several minutes of silence, she gave him a quick glance. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” he replied.
“Are you involved with Skylar Schultz?”
His sudden and maniacal laughter had her thinking she was insane for asking.
“Is that a no?”
“That’s a gigantic no,” he responded, still fighting back laughter.
“Is something wrong with her? Because from where I was sitting, she’s a beautiful, intelligent woman that any man would find attractive.”
He coughed as he stopped laughing, then nodded. “She is all of those things. Of course.”
“Because … I saw you hug her yesterday.”
“She’s … the boss’s daughter. I’ve known her for a long time, and we’re friends.”
Friends. Oh, how she hoped that was true.
“Why do you ask?”
His eyes were on her again. She could feel it as if he was actually touching her in some way. “Just curious.” She attempted to sound nonchalant. “Figuring out the relationships in the office. You know, so I have something to talk about at the water cooler.”
That got her a chuckle. “Right.”
They traveled along without conversation for a few minutes until Genevieve took the exit toward Holland.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been to Lake Michigan.” She broke the silence.
“That’s a shame. It’s one of the best things about living here.”
“I know. And every summer I say I’m going to make the time to get to the beach, but then I let other stuff get in the way.”
“Isn’t that the way it goes as we get older? Darn responsibilities.”