“It was much better, Matt, and you know it. Jane liked the new you, which is great. Isn’t it?” He seemed too quiet.

“Nothing changed between Jane and me,” he said after a pause. He sounded weary and troubled. Maybe out of guilt?

“Give it time,” she said, glancing at him. “You got a start at it. I probably cramped your style.”

“It’s not like that, Candy. It won’t ever be.” He hesitated, as though he had something more to say, then looked out the windshield.

“Let’s head back,” she said, nodding forward. “I want to finish my marketing plan so I can show it to you.”

She felt him staring at her. “We need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to say, Matt. I get it.”

“No, you don’t. That’s the point. We-”

“Let’s just go!” she said with clenched teeth, wringing the burgundy napkin that in her haste she’d taken with her. She’d twisted it so tightly it hurt her fingers. Unshed tears made her nose burn.

“We need to talk about us, about what we’re going to do.”

His cell phone rang, interrupting him. He fumbled for it, reading the display. “Scott,” he muttered.

“Take it,” she said, grateful for the reprieve.

“Hi, Scott. What’s up?” Matt said tightly. “Yeah? Where are we on the reorg? Uh…” He paused, glanced at her, then out the side window. He couldn’t talk to Scott freely with her in the car. “Not too far.” He cleared his throat. “I’m on vacation, remember? Use it or lose it?” he said in a falsely hearty voice. He paused, listening, then spoke again, his tone serious.

“I’ll get on that…um, plan…when I get back… Sunday? Not Sunday. Sunday’s a day of rest.” He laughed. “Be careful what you wish for, Scott. I’m addressing my PQ2 weaknesses, which means I’m taking it easier. I won’t be in the office 24-7 anymore.”

He winked at Candy, telling her he’d learned from her. “Unintended consequences, I guess.” He looked at her again, his expression full of gratitude and affection. Then she saw an idea dawn on him. He held up a finger to her.

“Scott, one thing. What do you think about a consumer version of Ledger Lite? We’d market it to our Paycheck Plus customers?” He listened, then turned to nod at her, indicating Scott’s interest.

“It’s Candy Calder’s idea,” he said quickly. “I was talking to her and-” He stopped cold. “Uh-before I left. We ran into each other…” He swallowed hard, panicked and jerked his gaze out front again. It must have dawned on him he didn’t dare let Scott know they were together on vacation.

“So, she’s, uh, putting together a plan… Sure, sure…I’ll tell her-when I get back, of course. At the next meeting.” His face was bright red and he sounded guilty as hell.

Matt put away his phone and rubbed the back of his neck. “That was weird. I almost blew it. Sorry I lied.”

“You had to, Matt. If Scott knew we were together, it would be utterly weird.” And there was no way Matt could comfortably keep the secret back at SyncUp. If he gave her the promotion, everyone would think she slept her way there. “I appreciate you talking up my idea to Scott. It means a lot.” Again, her throat closed.

“It’s the least I could do. After all you’ve done for me.” He stopped. “You know I mean the lessons, not the…not us together. And I would have told him anyway. It’s a great idea.”

“I know that,” she said softly, realizing how the sex had muddied everything between them. Matt was having trouble figuring out his own motivations. “I was glad to hear you say you wouldn’t be working so hard from now on.”

“You helped me figure that out,” he said, turning to her. “There’s something else I need to say. And it’s not about work. Being with you has meant so much to me. You mean so much to me.”

“You mean a lot to me, too, Matt. But that’s beside the point. You have Jane. We have work.”

“Jane and I are done, Candy. Period.”

“We had a deal. We have to stick with it.”

“We need to talk about us.”

“There is no us, Matt!” She didn’t mean to raise her voice, but he’d just thrown away her garlic-Jane-and her heart was racing with pointless hope. “You could hardly manage a lie to Scott about me. We have to quit while we’re ahead.”

He studied her. “Is that what you want?”

“It’s what we both want.” When she tried to smile, her lips trembled like a muscle held too long.

They sat in silence for a few beats, both staring out the windshield. “Okay. If that’s it, then,” Matt said finally, starting the car with tense, almost-angry movements.

After they’d driven for a while in awkward silence, she thought of something to get them on track. “So how many cards did you get, by the way?” she asked softly.

“I don’t know. You count.” He fished out his wallet and handed it to her.

She counted them. “Twelve! That’s excellent.” It was so hard to sound cheerful when she was so miserable. “I got twenty, so, at two-to-one, you beat me by four cards. Congratulations. You won.” Her smile felt glued onto her cardboard face. “So you can ask me any question you like. That’s your prize.”

“I don’t know, Candy,” he said, sounding discouraged.

“Think about it. Drop me off at my place, I’ll grab the computer and meet you at yours to show you my marketing plan. You can ask me the question when I get there.”

They didn’t talk the rest of the way and she was glad. She ached as if she’d been everyone’s target in a dodgeball game where they used rocks instead of balls.

She would push past this, though. She had to. This was what she’d worked for. She couldn’t give up when she was so close.

UNLOCKING HIS BEACH house, Matt caught his reflection in the glass of the storm door. He hardly recognized the GQ guy staring back at him with the fancy haircut and pricey shades. Fun Guy. Who’d just been shot down by the woman he loved.

She was right. Being together at SyncUp would be difficult, to say the least. She wanted it to be over. She was sticking with their deal. Maybe that’s what he should do.

Accept her decision, let it go. He loved her, but he’d get over it. Maybe she loved him, too, but not enough to try to work it out. Should he push her? Why? Why make her spell out all the reasons why he was wrong for her? All that BS about oil and water and oranges? Why put himself through that misery?

He stood on his porch and looked out at the ocean.

He noticed a parachute, bright against the blue sky, skimming by. A parasailor. He remembered Candy up in the air, the way she’d been terrified, but pushed past it. Don’t you dare, she’d said, eyes flashing, when he wanted to call it off. I want to try this.

He had to try, too-go for it the way Candy had. Push through the fear, take the risk-no matter what she said to him. If she loved him, they would figure out how to be together. He saluted that faraway parasailor, then stepped off the porch, headed for Candy, come what may.

CANDY SHOVED MATT’S computer in its case and started out, not even stopping to change clothes. She’d kicked off her shoes and removed her pantyhose to cross the beach in comfort at least. She didn’t dare stop moving or her feelings would hit and she’d dissolve into a heap of heartbreak.

This was more than a vacation fling with Matt. She had feelings for him that weren’t going away as ordered. She was trapped and the misery would hit as soon as she held still long enough to feel it.

It reminded her of stubbing her toe and the seconds of nothing before the pain struck, when she had time to brace for it, guessing how bad it would be this time.

When she looked toward Matt’s place, she noticed he was headed her way, taking long, purposeful strides, his expression fixed with determination.

About what? About her? About them? Against all reason, hope made her heart sing and she started to run toward him.

Seeing her, Matt also ran, then stopped when they were close. He was breathing hard and she was, too.