She took a tentative sip of the wine, then got down to business. “There’s not much I can tell you about Arlan’s reaction to the meeting. He came back and closeted himself in his office with Nacho. He hasn’t mentioned the meeting this morning.”

Jake shrugged. “You know, I was sort of surprised to see Tim with you at that cocktail party last week.”

She looked at him questioningly.

“I mean, last summer, when I first saw the two of you together, he sure didn’t look like dating material.”

Glynis cocked her head slightly to one side. “He was paranoid about me,” she said, with a soft smile. “He thought I was spying on him for Professor Sinclair.”

“Were you?”

“Certainly. I still am. The prof needs to know how things are going and Tim isn’t the type to write out weekly progress reports.”

“But…”

“But he’s no longer suspicious of me,” she said, her smile widening a bit.

“How’d you work that?” Jake asked, trying to keep his own suspicions off his face.

The waiter came back. “You ready to order?”

Jake frowned at the interruption. He grabbed at the wrinkled paper menu and asked for the fried oysters. Glynis nodded and said she’d take the same.

Trying to sound casual, Jake asked again, “So how did you get Tim to trust you?”

She almost laughed. “Jake, you are so transparent! You think I used my womanly wiles on Tim, don’t you?”

That was exactly what Jake was thinking, but he answered, flustered, “I don’t … no … it never crossed my mind.”

“Not much.” She seemed to find it all amusing.

Leaning across the table toward her, Jake said, “I just found it surprising to see the two of you at the party for Leeds. And then you went to dinner together.”

“We’re coworkers, Jake. I see Tim at least once or twice a week. There’s nothing romantic about it.”

“Really?”

She shook her head. “You men see everything in terms of sex. A woman can’t even shake hands with a man without all the other men in the room thinking she’s going to jump into bed with him.”

“Maybe that’s because they all want to jump into bed with her themselves.” Jake was stunned to hear himself admit it out loud.

Glynis started to reply, hesitated, then merely shook her head again. Her face was utterly serious, her dark exotic eyes deep, steady. A lot going on behind those eyes, Jake thought.

“Tim thought you were sleeping with Sinclair,” he said, practically whispering.

“I know,” she answered. Jake waited for more, but Glynis just sat across the table from him, looking … he couldn’t decide if the expression on her face was distress or simmering irritation.

The waiter brought their platters of fried oysters. Jake was glad of the interruption this time.