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her salary, taxis were a luxury she tried to avoid. The only alternative was walking to the subway and then making the long hike from the train station to her apartment.
    As she stood there, hugging herself for warmth and debating her options, the tavern door behind her opened.
    â€œNeed a ride?”
    She turned and glanced up. James.
    Paradoxically, she felt embarrassed—as if she were the one running out on him, when in reality he hadn’t sought her out again.
    â€œI thought you’d already left,” she blurted.
    A slow smile spread across his face. “I did, but I came back in. I was conversing with the CEO of MetaSky outside, where we could hear each other and speak with more privacy.” He looked around them. “It wasn’t raining then.”
    She blinked. “Oh.”
    â€œDo you need a ride?” he asked again, glancing down at her.
    She tried for some belated dignity, even as a gust of wind pelted her with raindrops. “I’m f-fine. I’m just debating whether to walk, row or swim home.”
    His smile spread. “What about a car instead?”
    She raised her eyebrows. “How are we ever going to catch an empty cab in this weather?”
    She knew that rain made New York City taxis disappear.
    â€œLeave it to me.”
    She watched as James scanned the street. Two cabs passed them but their lit signs indicated that they were occupied. As the two of them waited, they made idle chitchat.
    Close to fifteen minutes later, by a stroke of luck, James spotted a cab letting out a passenger beyond the nearestintersection. He moved swiftly from the shelter of the awning and into the street when the empty cab started to make its way down their block. He raised his arm, a commanding presence, and hailed the cab.
    As the rain continued to assault him, he opened the taxi’s door and motioned for her to step in.
    â€œWhat’s your address?” he called as she hurried toward him. “I’ll tell the driver.”
    She called it out to him, realizing that he had an excuse to find out where she lived. He made everything appear smooth, charming and effortless.
    â€œAre you leaving? Do you want to share a cab?” she asked as she reached him. “You’re getting drenched! I should have offered you the umbrella in my bag but you stepped out so suddenly.”
    She couldn’t stop the flow of words, though she knew she was nearly babbling. She had no idea what direction was home for him, but it seemed churlish not to offer to share the cab that he’d hailed for her. Yet again, he’d handily managed to accomplish something she herself often found difficult, being petite and certainly less imposing.
    James looked at her and his lips quirked. Even with his hair getting matted by the rain and his face wet, he looked unbelievably handsome.
    â€œThanks for the offer,” he said.
    She wasn’t sure if he meant to accept her offer, but once she entered the confines of the cab, she slid across the seat so he would have room to join her.
    A moment later, he slid in beside her, folding his tall frame onto the bench seat and answering her unvoiced question.
    She felt relief and a happy flutter, even as she also experienced a sense of nervous awareness. She had never left a bar with a man before—she was cautious. But then again, no man had attempted to pick her up in a bar before.
    â€œI live on First Avenue in the high Eighties,” she cautionedJames belatedly as he closed the car door. “I don’t want to put you out. I don’t know in what direction you need to head.”
    â€œIt’s no problem,” he said easily. “I’ll see you home first.”
    She noticed that he didn’t divulge whether she was taking him out of his way or not.
    He leaned forward to the partition separating the front from the backseat and told the cab driver her address. And in no time at all, they were speeding through