Lady Baby

8

"Fat chance?" Uncle Olu relaxed into his cushioned seat and laughed like the happy contented man he was. "Very fat chance indeed."

Sharon scowled and dropped her gaze to her clenched fists. If she were honest with herself, she had been blown away by Max the first time she saw him—slight bedraggled appearance and all. Her heart did a little summersault when he turned in her direction. She remembered wishing he'd take off his sunglasses then scolding herself for thinking in that direction. The notion that extremely good-looking men were obnoxious had been drilled into her mind. Many she had met in the past gave her no reason to think otherwise. But Max was a different breed, he was down to earth and shameless about his interest in her.

"And when he told you he would marry you how did that make you feel?"

"I am not comfortable with this topic." Sharon refused to look up as she spoke. Defying her uncle felt worse than defying her boss and even that was saying something. Finally, she lifted her head. "Can we just—"

"No, we can't just whatever you were about to say. You would take this seriously if you have regard for me as the man who brought you up."

"Uncle—" At the raise of his brow she corrected herself. "—Mr. Olu, are you trying to guilt trip me?"

"Guilt trip?" Uncle Olu snorted and shook his head. "Call it whatever you want but know that you are doing this. What? Can't you humour this old man? Is it because you see me laughing and smiling that you think I'd always be around? I could be dead in a blink. I wonder what you would be thinking during my funeral—"

"I concede." Sharon savagely flung every thought of her uncle dying out of her mind.

"I concede," Uncle Olu mimicked, drawing laughter from Max. "That, my dear, was real guilt-tripping. So, back to my question. How did it make you feel? A stranger shouting that he was going to marry you with such confidence. I think it's rather romantic. Two points for you, Max."

"We are getting points now?" Sharon asked, completely unamused.

"Well, I wasn't going to, but you made a good suggestion, Sharon. Thank you." He stroked his beard as though in deep thought. "I would think of a reward to attach to points gotten." Suddenly seeming to snap back to the present, he nodded at Sharon. "Answer the question."

She felt Max's eyes on her but she refused to look in his direction. For some odd reason, she felt self-conscious, somewhat shy. With eyes trained on the glossy surface of her uncle's office table, Sharon huffed a breath. "Well, I thought he was delusional."

"I didn't ask you what you thought of it. How did you feel about what he said?"

Huffing again, Sharon settled more comfortably into her seat. Why was she fighting this? If she answered his questions willingly and quick enough, they would be out in no time. "I felt flattered."

Max was silent, too silent. She glanced his way but he quickly shifted his gaze when she caught him staring.

"Did you find him attractive at first sight?"

"Please don't make me do this." Sharon groaned and dragged a hand across her face in part mortification and frustration.

"I have all the time in the world. If you want to make this process longer than it should be, know that I would be a willing party to that effect."

"No, I didn't find him attractive." She shrugged then clasped her hands.

"You are lying," Max said in an annoying I-know-you tone.

"Interesting." Uncle Olu faced Max. "Why do you think she is lying?"

Max turned and looked her dead in the eye. "Sometimes, when she lies, she does a little shrug then clasps her hands. And apart from that, she confessed to me on our second date that she found me attractive the very moment she laid her eyes on me."