Life has a Plan of its Own

"You should thank me," I answered. "Otherwise, I would have spread all over the company how you'd peed your pants."

"You have a knack for ruining everything," he grumbled, and I knew he was watching my butt as I closed the door.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I'd never done anything like that before--I didn't wear bikinis when I swam but a modest two-piece--but it seemed satisfying knowing that I had flummoxed him even a little. He'd seen more of my skin than any other man had for a long time, and I wondered if I'd be able to share that with Marisa. Probably not, since chances were she wouldn't believe me.

I'd brought a couple of dresses and had both of them in the bathroom with me. One was brightly flowered with a high neck in front but a scoop in the back--daring for me. The other was a bright fuchsia color that my brother had picked out for me. I remember that day very well.

"How about this one, Lis? I love the color."

I think it's called fuchsia, Hayden."

"Whatever it's called, I think it'll make you look hot. Check that neckline."

"It's that neckline that puts it on my no-no list."

"Why? You've got nice boobs, and you can show a little of them."

"How do you know my boobs are nice?" I scowled at him.

"Well, you know..." His voice trailed off, but he couldn't suppress a grin.

"You pervert. You've been peeking at me."

"When you leave the door open a crack, yeah." At least his cheeks were a little pink.

"So, you really think they're nice, huh?"

"I know a hundred girls who would give anything to have your set of hooters, honey."

"You're disgusting, Hayden. But that's good to know...I guess."

So I'd bought the fuchsia dress, in the back of my mind thinking I might develop enough courage to wear it sometime. After reading an article about "Sex in the Office," I'd packed it, deciding that if a little view of some cleavage could sell this new product, it might be well worth shelving my modesty for one day. All's fair in love and war and sales. Isn't that how the old saying goes?

And I could try it out on Bo.

I put on the dress and checked the mirror. My dark hair seemed to go well with the color, but the sun hadn't had much effect on my pale skin. I envied dark complexions, but there was nothing I could do about it now. I had tried the dress on when Hayden was with me, and he had approved. I didn't think, at twenty-eight, that my breasts were growing, but there seemed to be a lot of squishy flesh showing, and the valley between them was very prominent. Too late now.

I'd had my hair trimmed in preparation for the trip, and I'd used my usual minimum amount of makeup. A touch of Calvin Klein's Escape for Women, compliments of my mother, and I was ready.

When I left the bathroom, the bedroom was deserted, and the door was closed. Since we hadn't decided on the dressing arrangements, I knocked on the door.

"Yeah, come in."

I opened the door and walked out.

"Nice color. Does it have a name?"

"Fuchsia, I think.

"Kinda purple-pink, I guess."

Comments about the color, but nothing about me.

Bo was wearing khaki slacks, a pink shirt, a sport coat, and a broad smile. I knew he was purposely avoiding commenting about me, and I hated that it was annoying me. I'd never dressed like this before, and I was anxious to hear about it.

"I've been checking out restaurants online since I've never been to Hilton Head before. Have you?"

"Nope. Found anything yet?"

"I think so. It's in a place called Coligny Plaza. I called a friend who's a Hilton Head addict. He said it has great Low Country Dinners."

"Never had that."

"That makes two of us. I'm ready if you are."

Bo opened the door and stepped into the hall. He waited for me, checked the door, and headed for the elevator. I followed...about two steps behind. I gritted my teeth, already angry at his annoying me when I had pushed my limits to be a femme fatale for the evening.

Walking to the car was the same story. He'd asked me to accompany him to dinner, but he was definitely not considering it a date. I opened the passenger door and climbed in, deciding I was being punished for paying for my own ice cream.

I saw the sign announcing that we were at Coligny Plaza, and Bo found a parking place in one of the large lots. When we headed to the restaurant, at least he walked beside me. I felt a little overdressed, but once seated, I could see there was a broad mix of casual and more formal dress.

Suddenly Bo jumped up, waved, and crossed the room. For several minutes he talked and laughed with a pair of men who were clearly friends. When he returned, he was wearing a big smile.

"I went to college with those two brothers. We raised a lot of hell together. I thought I'd never see them again."

I'd never seen him look so happy.

"The taller one kept looking over at me and saying something."

"You want to hear what he said?"

Did I? You're damn right I did. "I think I do."

Bo's blue eyes bored into mine. I'd never really noticed his eyes before, but they were blue for sure.

"That's Ben, and he said that I'm a lucky bastard to be having dinner with a gorgeous babe like you. He wanted to know if you were a model."

"Bo, that's not what he said."

"Almost word for word, Lis. And I love that shade of pink on your cheeks."

"I'm trying to decide if you're telling the truth."

"You know I'd never call you gorgeous, don't you?"

"Good point."

"You do clean up well, though."

I chuckled. I'm sure even that was painful for Bo to say.

"I try."

Thank goodness the young and cute server arrived to take our order, easing what could have been a tense situation.

"I love your dress," she began.

"Thank you. I picked it out," Bo said before I could open my mouth.

"You have good taste," she answered, now focused on Bo.

"Just a knack I have, I guess. I tried to compliment the dark hair and the pale skin."

She glanced at me, then back to Bo. "You did a perfect job. I think you do have a knack," she gushed.

A knack for slinging bullshit. I was surprised she didn't plop down in Bo's lap.

Suddenly, reality struck her.

"I'm sorry, I'd better get your orders."

Orders taken, we were alone again at the table. I rolled my eyes.

"What? She was cute. But not as gorgeous as you are tonight."

"Bo, you don't need to pull that on me. And you said you'd never call me gorgeous."

Bo chuckled. "I heard what Ben said about you, and I didn't tell him we were constantly at each other's throats, and we'd never be out together except for this show. And all that is true. But it doesn't change the way you look, amazing as it is to me."

Even when he seemed to be complimenting me, there was always something negative attached. I chuckled, and my napkin slipped off my lap. When I bent to retrieve it, I'd forgotten about the configuration of the dress I was wearing. I'm sure there was much more flesh suddenly exposed than had been previously, but not nearly the definition there had been with the damp T-shirt.

Our wine arrived, and the aromas that filled the restaurant were enticing and obviously stimulating the hunger neurons of my brain.

"I think you made a wise choice, listening to your friend's advice about this place. I'm getting so hungry I may pass out."

"You mean that ice cream you insisted on paying for didn't fill you up."

"No, but it cooled me off."

"Thank goodness. If you'd gotten any hotter, I might have had a stroke."

His suggestive smile had me rolling my eyes once more.

I was working to figure out exactly what was happening. Was Bo toying with me just as I was toying with him? At work, we hardly had a kind word to say to each other, as we seemed to have totally opposite goals and concerns. Here, it seemed to be more good-natured kidding. Still, we had five days and then the two free days to survive. When he was a salesman again, I guessed things might change.

"Here you go, guys. Low Country Boil." She carefully set the plates in front of us, eyes almost totally on Bo. "I'll be back to check. Do you need a refill on the wine?"

There was a thought. I'd been buzzed a half-dozen times in my life, drunk maybe five times, and drunk out of my mind twice. Bo was driving, so I was free to pick which one of those conditions would fill my evening. "Out of my mind" was out of the question. I wasn't sure I trusted a buzzed or drunk Bo when we were sleeping in the same hotel suite.

"I'll take another," I said, watching Bo smile.

"Me too."

"I hope these are shrimp," he said when Cutie had left. "I'm not sure I'm ready for crayfish."

"What?" I said a little too loudly as I gazed at the low-sided bowl in front of me, filled with what I was expecting to eat. I think my eyes were a little wide in disbelief."

Bo was laughing. "It said shrimp on the menu, but I'm sure that, in the old days, it was crawdads."

At first, that sounded disgusting, but the more I thought about it, I decided that shrimp and crayfish weren't that much different. I shrugged and took my first bite...of the shrimp.

I sighed a little differently now. It was delicious. And there was corn, too.

"How do they get corn this early in the season?"

"As Jimmy Buffet said, it's five o'clock somewhere."

I'm sure I looked puzzled for a moment, but sure, somewhere, it was the right time for growing corn. The sausage was wonderful, as were the potatoes. The seasoning used made everything very delicious. I took one of the small segments of corn and tried it. Tender and tasty.

I glanced at Bo, who was focused on his meal.

"Your friend has good taste." I giggled. "Just like this food." I'd only finished one glass of wine but on a slightly empty stomach. I received a knowing smile from Bo.

A second glass appeared beside my plate, and the empty one disappeared. I rationalized that, with all the good food, this one wouldn't affect me much at all. And, before I knew it, my bowl was empty.

"Either I was super hungry, or that meal was absolutely delicious. Maybe both." I giggled again.

Bo smiled. "Don't eat like this too often, or you'll spoil that wonderful figure of yours that I've just discovered today."

"Bo, whatever figure I have has always been there."

He didn't say any more as our dishes were cleared. He looked around.

"There are several empty tables, so we don't need to hurry."

We both took long sips of our wine.

"Dessert?" he asked

"I'm too full and..." I paused and giggled once more. "My figure, you know."

"Yes, I certainly know now. And your glass is nearly empty. One more?"

One more, and I knew I'd cross the line from buzzed to drunk. It was free, and so far, Bo had been good. Would being drunk tempt him? Hell, he hated me, so I was safe.

"Sure. Aren't expense accounts wonderful?"

He waved, and Cutie was there before I could take my last sip.

"The lady and I would like one more glass," he said, winking at her.

"Just one," I said, seconding his request.

"I'll be right back," she said, flitting away to the bar.

"Maybe you should ask her for a date. I think they close at ten." Another giggle.

"It's tempting, but I'm not sure I can trust you alone after three glasses. And in that dress as well."

"You think someone might hit on me?"

"I think everyone might hit on you."

"I don't think so. I'm just a nerdy engineer." I finished the last sip and almost missed the table when I sat the glass down. "Oopsies," I said, carefully placing it far out on the table.

Guys hitting on me? That never happened. But I'd never worn a fuchsia dress before with a slightly plunging neckline like this one. I glanced down. Well, maybe more than slightly plunging. I'd have to tell Hayden about this if I'd remember when I was back home. But he'd said everyone and everyone included girls and women. Tee hee. This was good wine.

My third glass had arrived, and I hadn't noticed whether or not Bo had asked her for a date. Probably not, because he was still there. I took a big sip, more like a swallow.

"Seriously, Lis, you need to be careful. You don't want to be answering questions tomorrow with a hangover and headache."

I squinted at him, trying to see if he was teasing or really concerned. It was hard to tell.

"Yeah, no more after this."

I think we chatted some more, and I'm sure I finished the third glass. When I tried to take another sip, it was empty.

"Maybe one more," I said to Bo and giggled, of course.

"Maybe no," he chuckled and motioned to Cutie. They took care of paying the bill, and I tried one more time to coax a little more wine from my empty glass.

When we stood to leave, Bo was immediately beside me, his arm around my waist. I wanted to jerk away but realized he was the only reason I wasn't stumbling. We shuffled like that to the car, and he helped me get in, also working to fasten my seat belt.

"You're getting a little familiar there, aren't you?"

"If you'd just sit still, I could fasten this thing."

I heard the click, and he was quickly in the car beside me.

"Should you be driving?" I giggled. Who else would be driving?

"I'm on the edge, but it isn't far, and I'll be very careful."

I wanted to look around and see Hilton Head in the evening, but Bo had opened my door and was reaching to help me out of the car. We managed that, and his arm was around me again. I think he had on some cologne or something. He smelled good. We shuffled along, and before I knew it, he was unlocking the door of the suite.

"Do you want to watch some TV," he asked, finally releasing me. Now free, I sank down onto the couch.

"We probably don't watch the same things, so I'll go in the bedroom and watch, okay?"

"That's fine. Why don't I take care of bathroom things before you go in."

"It's too early for bathroom things. I'll climb in bed, and you can just come through and use the bathroom when you need it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. We're roommates, right?" I'd had a roommate in college, but they hadn't looked like Bo, nor smelled like him, either.

"Do you need any help?"

I reared back, trying to look indignant. "No. You've seen enough of my body already today." I snorted. "I can handle it."

As I struggled to get up from the couch, I wondered who was saying the words that were coming out of my mouth. I was a little drunk but not totally sloshed. It was registering that I wasn't sounding like Lisbet Waterfield. But I did need help standing.

Bo directed me through the door, stood me beside the bed, and left. I think I brushed my teeth and scrounged some night clothes from my suitcase. I think.

There was a knock on the door.

"Lis, it's six forty-five. We'd better get going since the show starts at eight-thirty, and I need to do my bathroom things."

Morning already. I sat on the edge of the bed. Maybe a good breakfast would help.

"Sure, go ahead," I called, and the door opened.

As Bo stepped inside, I realized I had on only a very thin nightgown.

"Oh, shit," I yelled. Just a second."

He eyed me, then turned and closed the door behind him.

The next thirty minutes were like a game of dodgeball, with each of us trying to say out of the other's way while getting done everything that needed to be done. At last, we were ready, gathered together what we'd need for the day, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

The show was in a building just two blocks away, and we walked, enjoying the freshness of the morning while wondering what the day might hold in store for us. I wasn't feeling too bad and had no headache, thank goodness. We were back to walking with two or three feet between us, unlike last night, where I'd nearly gotten used to his arm around my waist.

"I'm counting on you today, Lis. Don't let me down." He didn't look at me as he said that.

"I've never let you down, Bo, just saved you many times from making an ass of yourself."

"That's your opinion, not always shared by yours truly."

If he wanted to start the day like that, I was willing and had done it more than once.

"That's because you weren't smart enough to realize it."

"I'm smart enough to stay Director of Sales."

"I think that takes mostly bullshit, and you certainly are full of and have plenty of that."

"You just do your job. I'll take care of the bullshit."

At the building with the show, Bo opened the door and went inside, leaving me standing there wondering. Things had seemed better last night, but maybe I had gotten too drunk to notice. There were certain things I couldn't remember clearly.

I went inside and found our booth. All of my notebooks and supplies had been shipped and were waiting. I had my table and Bo his, with two chairs at each. Bo's was loaded with free "loot" that most show-goers seemed to enjoy collecting. His show smile was prevalent, even when he glanced at me. I was dressed in slacks, a matching blouse, and small-heeled shoes, kind of a cross between engineer and woman. I guess my ponytail pushed it a little toward woman.

The doors opened at eight-thirty, and within minutes, there were people standing in line at our table. They usually began with Bo, who had an informational brochure that, when reviewed, seemed to provoke questions and concerns that brought them to my table.

I was able to alleviate the concerns rather quickly--the questions were often more complicated involving equations and my laptop. When the morning had passed, I had taken care of everything that had been presented to me. The show had a thirty-minute lunch break, and I was feeling smug.

"How'd you do?" Bo asked.

"I think I answered everything."

"Great. Some came back asking for more sales information about price and delivery, and I have names and numbers." He shrugged. "I've got nothing to complain about, but the week is just beginning."

"Disappointed?" I asked, not smiling.

"I don't enjoy arguing with you, but it seems to happen regularly. It does help to keep me sharp and alert."

"I guess I've found my purpose in life, then. My joy is unbounded." I rolled my eyes once more.

Bo laughed. "I have a teenage niece, and she can't touch you in the eye-rolling department.

It had been a while since I'd been compared to a teen, but I'd been told before that I was a world-class eye roller. Not a profitable talent, but...

"Plus, three guys asked how we'd found such a good-looking engineer."

"Don't tease me, Bo," I said, a stern look on my face.

"I'm not always an S-O-B, Lis. At work, you've always plain Jane, no makeup, dull clothes, plain hair, and a no-nonsense demeanor. You were okay, but certainly nothing special. Then we played pickleball." He paused. "Ah, the pink cheeks. Then there was the, um, purple dress and the wine."

"Fuchsia," I corrected, and could feel my cheeks heating further. Complicating my feelings were questions about what had happened when we'd gotten back to our suite last night. And lastly, I hated to see Bo winning.

"Anyway," Bo snickered, "good-looking or not, don't let me down."

I nodded and grinned. Back to normal.

We were at the show until six, the doors having closed at five-thirty. The day had gone well, and Bo had a long list of company names that wanted more information. He was smiling.

"Want to grab some dinner?" he asked as we headed back toward our building.

"Should I put on the fuchsia dress," I said, not quite trusting him.

"Lis, you looked delicious in that dress, but let's keep it simple. We'll go just as we are."

We skipped the suite and went directly to the car.

"Someplace different, or would you be satisfied with Coligny Plaza again?"

The memory of last night's meal and the wine flooded my mind. I wasn't about to have wine again tonight...at least no more than one glass. But I wouldn't mind another dose of Low Country Boil.