Chapter 18
Dusk deepened beyond the floor–to–ceiling windows, casting a soft glow across Jesse’s face that erased the aloofness he’d carried when she first saw him at the airport.
Shirley introduced herself. He stood to pull out her chair, knuckles prominent as his hand hovered near the chairback.
“Never imagined we’d meet again like this.”
Shirley placed documents on the table.
“Quite the coincidence.”
Seating herself, she noticed Jesse sliding the menu toward her.
“Let’s order first. Any dietary restrictions, Miss Shirley?”
Jesse’s slender fingers traced the dish photos.
“Their Firecracker Chicken Bowl is excellent. Allergic to seafood?”
This detail made Shirley pause briefly.
Back when attending dinners with Timothy, hosts invariably ordered only what Patricia enjoyed. Never cared about her restrictions. Didn’t even know about her allergies.
“I’m allergic to seafood, but anything else is fine.” She snapped back to reality.
“Mr. Roberts, about the contract…”
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“Let’s eat first.” Jesse closed the menu and signaled the waiter. “We’ll discuss work after the meal.”
Throughout dinner, Jesse expertly steered their conversation.
He shifted topics from industry trends to Dutch cityscapes, carefully avoiding any mention of the contract.
Shirley tasted the tender beef stew, admitting its deliciousness made pressing for business talk impossible.
Only when the waiter served dessert did Jesse slowly open the contract.
He began reviewing it, occasionally jotting notes in the margins with his fountain pen.
Outside the window, darkness had completely fallen.
“Miss Campbell’s proposal shows great sincerity.”
Jesse slid the contract back, “But regarding the after–sales terms, I’ll need to confirm with my team.”
He glanced at his watch, its face flashing cold light under the lamps.
“It’s too late today. Shall we reschedule for tomorrow?”
Shirley’s fingers tightened around the edge of the contract. Since their reunion, Jesse hadn’t seemed surprised at all.
Yet she simply rose with a smile.
“Thank you, Mr. Roberts.”
As she stepped out of the restaurant, the sweltering summer night hit her face, the heat feeling suffocating.
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Shirley had just unlocked her phone when Barbara’s call came through.
Shirley watched the neon lights flickering across the street as Jesse’s black sedan slowly merged into traffic.
“Quite interesting, that man.”
“Careful he doesn’t stall!” Barbara’s urgent voice crackled through the phone.
“Starlight International’s been talking to several companies lately. You need to move fast!”
Shirley stared at the unsent contract revision reminder on her phone, tapping open the document.
“Relax, I’ve got this.”
Gazing into the night, she suddenly remembered how unusually long Jesse had paused on one particular page while reviewing the contract.
That exact page held her deliberately planted bargaining chip.
Shirley felt pretty confident about this negotiation, though Jesse puzzled her a bit.
But for some reason, she knew he’d definitely agree to sign this order.
This was Shirley’s gut feeling.
“But Shirley! This guy’s notoriously picky–he usually rejects collaboration offers outright!”
Shirley paused her hand holding the phone, the streetlight’s glow falling on her face.
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“But he said yesterday he’d reconsider the contract.”
“That means there’s hope!” Barbara almost screamed.
“If he wasn’t interested, he’d have dismissed you right away. Saying he’ll think about it means he’s at least seventy percent on board! Follow up fast–don’t slack off!”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Shirley hailed a cab, and once she got in, the stuffiness instantly eased.
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