“I was headed out,” he said. “Maybe we can find the exit together…?” Still holding her hand, he ran his fingers up to her elbow and held her there.
She liked that his grip helped her find her balance in the darkness. She didn’t know him from Adam, but she had an uncanny feeling that she could trust this stranger. “Are you one of Leslie’s clients?”
He grunted. “Yeah,” he said. “How about you?”
“Just signed up.”
“Me, too. Though I’m not yet convinced a computer is the best way to match people.”
“You and me both.”
He guided her down the hallway, toward the red glow. When they emerged in the reception area, Ariana could see the red glow was indeed a battery powered Exit sign, hanging over the entry door. She looked up at the man guiding her, seeing his face for the first time since they’d bumped into each other.
He was tall compared to her five feet two inches, almost a head taller than her. He had broad shoulders, which she already knew, having run into them. The red light didn’t really tell her what color his hair was, but if she had to guess, by the lightness, it was blond. And she’d bet he had blue eyes to go with that thick blond hair. A shiver of awareness rippled through her.
“We should be able to find our way out of here if we follow the exit signs.” The stranger pushed through the door and held it open for Ariana.
Ariana was oddly pleased that he hadn’t released her arm and was still escorting her as they left the office. He closed the door snuggly and checked that it was locked before he started toward the elevator.
“Did Leslie talk you into trying out her matchmaking system?” Ariana asked.
“Ha,” the man said. “My sister is pushing this agenda. She’s convinced it’ll be good for me.”
Ariana tilted her head. “You don’t agree?”
“What do you think about it?” he asked without answering her question.
She smiled in the darkness, glad they’d stepped away from the exit light and he couldn’t see her expression. “It could work.”
“But?”
“I’m not convinced I’m ready for anything to work.”
“My sister made me promise to go into it with an open mind.”
Ariana chuckled. “And I, of all people, should be following that advice.”
“Why of all people?”
“I teach meditation and the art of Zen at my studio to people who have far too much stress in their lives.”
“Maybe I should become one of your students,” he murmured.
She glanced up at him. “Are you stressed?”
He shrugged. “Only when things get out of control.”
They stopped at the elevator.
“The electricity is off,” he said. “The elevators won’t be working. We’ll have to take the stairs down.”
“Are you stressed?” she repeated.
“No more than usual,” he responded. “Why?”
She could almost hear the frown in his voice. Ariana smiled. “The elevator isn’t working. You can’t control the fact the electricity is out.”
“True. I can’t make the electricity come back on,” he said. “I can control what I do with the knowledge I have.” He nodded toward the red light of the exit sign above the door at the end of the hall. “I can take the stairs. I think I can manage twenty flights. I’m still in control, so I’m not stressed.”
“What situations cause you stress?” she asked as she walked with him to the stairwell.
“The kind where I’m reliant on other people to make a decision or get work done on time. Sometimes, like the electricity, I can’t make them go faster, or get the work done on time. It frustrates me.” He opened the door.
She stepped into the stairwell. “And stresses you,” she said. “That’s where I come in. I can’t help you control everything in your life, but I can teach you how to meditate, lessen the stress and let go of the frustration.”
“Impossible.” Still holding her elbow, he started down the stairs with her.
“It’s possible, if you believe. You soon learn that you can’t control everything in life. Sometimes, you have to accept that you can’t and let go.”
He chuckled. “That’s where I’d fail miserably as your student. I can’t let go.”
“Is that why you have difficulties accepting that Leslie’s software program might actually choose a good match for you?” she asked. “Because you’re not in control of the choosing?”
His hand tightened on her elbow. For a moment he didn’t answer. Then he relaxed his hold. “You’re probably right.”
“In this case, you could let go and let whatever happens, happen.”
He snorted. “And here I thought I was uptight about the whole thing because I don’t have time and the project I’m working is not going to make the deadline.”
“What will happen if you don’t make your deadline?”
“I built my reputation on my ability to bring a project in on budget and, most of all, on time. Speaking of the project, I still need to make half a dozen calls tonight and make sure the right supplies are delivered in the morning.”
They’d descended fifteen flights by then.
Ariana was enjoying the man’s company. She was about to ask his name when the lights flickered and came on. “Well, looks like we can take the elevator the rest of the way down.”
“I don’t know about you, but I was enjoying the walk,” he said, smiling down at her.
“Me, too,” she admitted. “Only five more floors to go.”
“Might as well walk them,” the stranger said.
“Don’t you have some calls you need to make?” She tilted her head to the side.
He smiled. “I’m sure cellphone reception in this stairwell is lousy. I’ll make those calls later.”
“See? You can do it. You can let go of that control. Even if only for a few minutes.”
He grunted. “You’ll make a convert of me before we reach the bottom.”
“I doubt that, but you’ll have a start.”
“The next thing you’ll have me doing is goat yoga and singing ‘Kumbaya’.”
“As a matter of fact, I lead yoga classes as
