The dinner

The dinner
By Thursday evening, Catherine had accepted that the week was going to end exactly as it had begun: with too many people needing decisions at the same time. The difference was that tonight, at least, those decisions came with dinner.

Willem had suggested the restaurant after another full day at Revenir. The major contractual issues were settled, the implementation team was taking shape, and tomorrow's final meetings were mostly about timelines and responsibilities. A relaxed dinner seemed appropriate.

Catherine had invited Erik. She hadn't been certain he would come. At seven fifteen, he walked into the restaurant while Catherine was standing near the bar with Thomas and two members of Vandervoort's management team. Relief came before she could stop it. Erik crossed the room and kissed her.

"I made it."

"You did."

"Barely."

"You made it, that's all that matters."

His hand rested briefly against her lower back before Catherine turned to introduce him to Willem. Juliano arrived several minutes later. The two men acknowledged each other with the kind of restrained civility Catherine had come to expect. Nothing openly hostile. Nothing anyone else would notice. But she noticed, she always did.

Dinner began easily enough. Without presentations and contracts between them, Willem proved considerably less formal. He told a story about his father refusing to replace a machine in their original factory because it had "another twenty years in it."

"How old was it?" Catherine asked.

"Thirty-seven years."

Thomas laughed.

"Please tell me you replaced it."

"Eventually. My father didn't speak to me for two days."

"He sounds practical," Erik said.

"More stubborn," Willem corrected.

"Often the same thing in business."

"Spoken like a CEO."

Conversation moved between business, New York and the differences between working in Europe and America. For once, Catherine wasn't responsible for leading it. She sat beside Erik, his knee occasionally brushing hers beneath the table, and allowed herself to enjoy the evening. Until his phone vibrated.

Erik glanced at the screen. Catherine saw Vince's name.

"Take it," she said quietly.

"I'll call him later."

The phone stopped. Two minutes later it vibrated again. Catherine looked at him.

"Go."

Erik exhaled.

"I'll be back in five minutes."

"No one is timing you."

He excused himself and left the table. Willem continued a story about his first disastrous attempt to negotiate an American distribution contract, and Catherine turned her attention back to him. By the time Erik returned, nearly fifteen minutes had passed.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"For now."

That answer told her enough. She didn't press. Dessert menus arrived shortly afterward. Thomas immediately opened his.

"Finally. The important part."

"You've eaten three courses," Catherine said.

"That was only preparation."

"Preperation for what?"

"Dessert of course," he said with a big smile on his face.

Catherine couldn't help but laugh.

Across the table, Juliano looked at Thomas.

"Have you always been this committed to dessert?"

"I believe in setting priorities."

Catherine shook her head.

"This is the man I trusted with Vandervoort's operational strategy."

"And look how well that's going."

"Despite you."

"Because of me."

Juliano's mouth curved.

"I can see why you hired him."

"I ask myself at least twice a week why I hired him."

Thomas pressed a hand to his chest.

"After everything we've been through."

"You mean the Netherlands?"

"I mean this week."

"You spent most of yesterday complaining about the coffee."

"It was terrible."

"It was our coffee."

"Exactly."

Catherine laughed. A real laugh, sudden enough that she had to put down her glass. When she looked up, Juliano was watching her. There was something different in his expression. It disappeared almost immediately.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"You were staring."

"I was observing."

"That sounds considerably worse."

She smiled.

Beside her, Erik's phone vibrated again. This time he didn't wait.

"I'm sorry."

Catherine touched his arm.

"Go."

His eyes met hers for a moment.

"I'll be back."

She nodded.

Juliano watched him leave.

"Singapore?" Willem asked.

"Yes," Catherine said. "They're in the middle of an acquisition."

"Bad timing."

"There's rarely good timing for acquisitions."

Juliano lifted his wine glass.

"That depends on which side of the deal you're on."

The conversation moved on. Erik returned before dessert arrived. He sat down beside Catherine and quietly apologized.

"You don't have to keep saying sorry."

"I've spent half the evening outside."

"You came."

His expression softened. She meant it. That was what mattered to her.

When dessert arrived, Thomas discovered that Willem had ordered one of everything for the table. Catherine stared at the collection of plates.

"This seems excessive."

Thomas pointed at Willem.

"I knew I liked him."

"You've known him for a month."

"Sometimes that's enough."

Juliano reached for one of the plates.

"You're assuming any of this is for you."

Thomas looked genuinely offended. Catherine laughed again. This time Juliano knew exactly what he was doing. It wasn't the joke itself. It was the way her face changed when she laughed. The control she carried through meetings disappeared for a moment. No careful assessment. No awareness of who was watching. Just Catherine. He had seen her smile dozens of times. This was different.

Erik's phone rang yet again. Catherine felt him tense beside her.

"Don't ignore it because of me."

He looked at the screen.

"I hate this."

"I know."

He stood.

"I'll make it quick."

Juliano waited until Erik was out of earshot.

"Does that happen often?"

Catherine looked at him.

"What?"

"Work interrupting your evenings."

There was nothing particularly loaded in the question, but she heard something underneath it.

"His company is dealing with a difficult acquisition."

"I understand."

"Do you?"

Juliano held her gaze.

"Probably better than most."

"Then you know some weeks are like this."

"I do."

Catherine picked up her glass.

"Good."

The answer ended the conversation. Juliano let it. But when Erik returned ten minutes later, Juliano noticed the apology in his expression before he even reached the table. He also noticed Catherine smile at him as though there was nothing to forgive. Perhaps, to her, there wasn't.

Outside the restaurant, Willem and his team left first. Thomas followed after announcing that he intended to sleep until the next morning's meeting. Juliano's car waited near the curb. He said goodnight to Catherine, then Erik.

"I will see you tomorrow," Catherine said.

"I'll be there at Nine thirty."

Erik's hand settled at Catherine's back as they walked toward their own car. Juliano watched them for only a second before getting into his.

He had no reason to think about Catherine during the drive to his hotel. But he did. He remembered her laughing. It seems it was all he could think about. And for the first time, he realised that he wanted to hear it again.