The Only Shark In The Sea (The Date Shark Series Book 3) Read Free Page A

were fixed on Natalie, a warm smile on her face. Startled as he was by the attention, Vance was still acutely aware of the way Natalie’s breathing picked up. Vance wasn’t sure what to do when the couple shuffled over to their table.
    “Your hair is so lovely,” the woman said in a soft voice. “My daughter’s hair had the same lovely bronze color, though her hair was so curly you could barely brush it.” She turned and looked up at the man. “Doesn’t she look just like Alice did when she was young?”
    The man smiled and nodded. “You’re a very lovely young lady.”
    They seemed to expect Natalie to say something in response, but judging by the way her hands were gripping the edge of the table, Vance guessed he needed to step in. “Thank you,” he said politely. “That’s very kind of you to say.”
    “Yes,” Natalie finally managed to squeak. “Thank you.”
    Seeming pleased by her words, they excused themselves and continued their slow walk to the front of the restaurant. Vance couldn’t even guess at why Natalie would be afraid of a cute elderly couple. It was time to start asking questions.
    He waited until Natalie had calmed herself back down before taking the first step. “Can you tell me about how you function at work?”
    Startled by his voice as much as his question, Natalie curled her arms around her body. “I have an understanding with my boss. I get to work early, leave late, and stay in my office all day. If there’s a meeting, I conference call in. Only when I really, really need to be there in person does he insist I show up, but he makes sure I’m as far away from other people as possible.”
    Captivated that her boss would be so accommodating, Vance considered his next comment. “You must be very good at your job for your boss to be willing to make so many concessions.”
    “I am,” Natalie said. That was her entire response, no explanation or detail, but Vance pushed a little more.
    “You’re an internal auditor, right?” When she nodded, he asked, “What all does that involve?”
    Natalie settled back in her chair, giving up her tense posture but not completely relaxing. “The company where I work analyzes projects from other companies that want an outside review of what they’re planning to implement before it actually goes live. Everyone has an area they like to specialize in.”
    “What’s your specialty?”
    “Risk management, especially for new projects that will involve significant amounts of money.”
    Vance nodded, finding her line of work quite appropriate given what he had observed already. “What made you interested in auditing?”
    Shrugging, Natalie didn’t answer right away. She fiddled with a few items on the table before giving in. “I guess I just think people should know what risks they’re facing.”
    “That’s important in business and life, don’t you agree?”
    Her eyes popped up to his. They narrowed, scrutinizing him before dropping again. “It’s only fair, right?”
    “Fair,” Vance said slowly. “That’s a tricky concept.”
    Natalie ventured looking up at him again. Her lips pressed together, though he couldn’t tell if it was in fear or annoyance. “Some things are always unfair,” she said.
    The sudden heaviness surrounding them was broken up by Megan approaching with their drinks. She took their entrée order and disappeared again, but Vance decided not to press Natalie any further. Guy had explained how one of his coaching dates usually went, but he had suspected working with Natalie would be different, and he was right. This woman didn’t need dating advice, she needed someone to talk to, someone to trust.
    Vance didn’t return to any topics that might upset Natalie for the rest of the meal. Instead, they simply talked. She told him about her little pug, Gypsy, and how she had rescued her three years ago when she moved to Chicago after graduation. He couldn’t help but be interested in hearing her talk about enjoying