Page 58 of Skins Game

Kingston was a man, a sober, serious, responsible man.

Not to say he wasn’t funny. He cracked clever little jokes that didn’t hurt anyone, mostly self-deprecating that stopped before they became fishing for compliments. He didn’t laugh too loudly or look around to see who was looking at him.

And he was looking at her.

He asked Nicole questions, and he listened.

He asked if she’d always wanted to be an engineer.

Nicole said, “I cycled through the usual doctor-lawyer-ballerina phases, but I was really good at math. Being good at math means people tell you that you should be an engineer, so I am. Did you always want to be in sales?”

He chuckled. “Sales isn’t something most people aspire to. It’s something that people fall into for a variety of reasons. Some people like the challenge of convincing other people to do something, maybe against their will. I just like people to have better golf clubs, so they play better golf. Good golf clubs make people happy.”

Nicole sat forward and leaned over her chicken and risotto. “That’s one of the reasons that I accepted the job offer from Sidewinder Golf after college. It’s benevolent to want to help people be better at something they enjoy. It’s wholesome.”

He poked his steak and lobster, plus an extra side of potatoes and another one of mushrooms, and asked what she liked to do other than work.

“I like to go to the beach. I didn’t do enough of that kind of thing during college, so I’m glad I stayed in California. But I’m also trying to be self-sufficient as far as fruits and vegetables are concerned. I live in an apartment, so there’s no way I could grow grains or anything to be truly self-sustaining, but I have a bunch of gardening towers on my balcony where I grow at least half of what I eat. A lot of zucchini. And salad.”

He grinned at her. “You’re a prepper.”

She held up one hand to stop him right there. “I prefer prepping enthusiast. Have you ever considered what will happen with climate change? We need to start preparing now. Maybe that’s because I’m an engineer and can see the engineering challenges coming, but everybody needs to do their part. Have you thought about it?”

He shrugged. “Maybe I’ll buy a compound in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and ride it out.”

Yeah, he had money. “But not everybody can do that.”

He nodded. “True. Why didn’t you work for a nonprofit if you’re concerned about climate change?”

She scoffed, “Got to make some money to pay off my student loans. I had one offer from an NGO, but the salary was half that of Sidewinder’s.”

He asked about her family.

“Oh, you know, not a lot to tell. My dad is a minor-league lawyer working cases that matter to people, not corporations. My mom teaches third grade. My younger brother is majoring in information technology at Fresno. What’s up with your family?”

Kingston smiled and shrugged. “Nothing to speak of. What’s your favorite movie?”

And so on.

All the time, his electric blue eyes watched her.

Steadily like a camera, like she was the star, not like being spied upon.

Relentlessly like a predator, but like a lion, not a snake.

Fascinated, like a lover, attentive without accusation.

His slow smiles and tidbits of truth revealed with his eyes wide open fluttered into her heart.

“Where did you work before Sidewinder?” she asked.

A calm blink before his answer. “Mostly in finance.”

“Oh, no. You’re a meme,” she told him. “You’re a guy in finance, trust fund, six-five, blue eyes.”

He tilted his head, his smile turning quizzical. “How’d you know about that?”

The joke had fallen flat and turned into fluster. “It’s just a social media meme about the kind of guy that some women want. There’s a silly song about it.”