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she picked up one of his large hands and put her card in it. She raised and lowered his arm until her vision focused. No way was she digging for her reading glasses. Flipping the card over to the back, she wrote her cell number on it. All the while, he laughed at her.
    “Am I really that funny to you?” Sabine asked.
    “The word I would use is charming ,” Koka said.
    Sabine snorted as she capped her pen. Her heart fluttered as she watched him tuck the card into some hidden pocket in his jacket. When his eyes crinkled at the corners, she just had to know the cause. “Do you mind telling me how old you are?”
    “Thirty-seven last year,” Koka said. “And you?”
    Sabine shrugged. “Forty-three last year.”
    “Why does age matter to you?” Koka asked.
    “I’ve been teasing Joe about dating a younger man. Now that’s going to be something else I can check off my to-do list,” she said.
    Koka snorted. She was an easy woman to read. “How old was the woman your ex married?”
    “Okay. You got me. My husband married a woman half my age, but I’m not trying to get even. Men half my age remind me of my children. I joke about it, but I couldn’t go there.”
    Koka smiled again, but he wanted to laugh. She was very at ease making fun of herself. “I have a daughter who is nineteen. She started college this year—University of California at Berkley. She is majoring in music.”
    “I have a college sophomore and a freshman. Both are at University of Washington. One has been talking about Berkley, but that’s a bit out of my college budget. Neither have chosen majors yet. I’m just happy they’re both in school and getting decent grades. Hopefully they’ll find their calling as they find themselves.”
    They stood looking at each other in shared understanding until a flash went off nearby. It was not the professional photographer.
    “Sorry, Sabine. It happens to me all the time,” Koka said. “We’ll be on social media later.”
    “It’s okay. I’m a PR person. Most of the time those random pictures are a good thing for your popularity, but I can see how it could get old after a while. Is that why you rebelled today and didn’t bother to shave?”
    Koka rubbed his jaw as he grinned. “You consider this a sign of rebelling?”
    “Yes. Assuming you’re not one of those men who are just lazy about hygiene. I somehow don’t see that being the case with a TV personality,” Sabine said, smiling to soften her statement. “Not that an unshaven man in a well-fitted suit doesn’t have his own rugged appeal. You raised every bidding fan when you walked out on the stage. I’m sure you didn’t miss that.”
    Koka laughed and shrugged. “Will you expect me to shave for our date tomorrow?”
    Sabine giggled. The man had such a funny way about him. “Expectations haven’t worked out well for me lately. I think I’ll just take whatever presentation you’re offering and be grateful.”
    “Are you flirting with me?” Koka asked, grinning at her head ducking.
    Sabine sighed. “Why? Am I doing a terrible job of it? I’m really rusty.”
    Koka shook his head as he turned. “No, I can’t remember the last time I looked forward to a woman’s company. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
    “Sure. Oh that answers your other question. Your phone call is one thing I will be expecting,” she teased.
    Koka walked away laughing, heading in the direction of the back door.
    Sabine smiled and sighed softly as she turned back toward the front of building. Joe and a man she figured was his actual diamond in the rough were standing nearby and grinning at her.
    Sighing again, but this time in resignation, she lifted her chin and braced herself.
    “I’m so proud of you, Sabine. It’s all I can do not to start dancing in joy,” Joe said. “You were flirting with The Sexy Chef and he was flirting back. I can’t wait until I see Martin again, just so I can tell him you’ve officially moved on.”
    “Stop teasing me,”