My Saving Grace

Chapter 38

"So, tell me about the presentation. Were you nervous at all?", Antonio asked after taking a sip of his wine.

We were having dinner at Angelini Osteria—the same restaurant we'd gone to for our first "date"—to celebrate the completion of my company project. Like promised, he'd been able to set aside time for us to go out together.

Since our fight last week, which had turned out to be utterly pointless because his industry donors had arrived late themselves to the meeting, we both made more of an effort to spend time with each other in the evenings. Instead of working by myself in our bedroom or living room, I would join Antonio in the office, so we could keep each other company.

He'd also attempted to come home for dinner more often as opposed to staying late on campus to work. I  understood that he probably felt more productive being on campus, but at the same time, I wanted him to myself, even if it was just for an hour or two each day. Besides, food tasted so much better when I had him to share it with.

I met his intent gaze as I twirled my fork in my spaghetti.

"It went well for the most part. Some of my transitions could have been smoother, like when I went from discussing economic and health impacts to ROI. But overall, I think my team was very convincing," I responded.

"That's great to hear."

"Yeah. It was super nerve wracking at first, seeing the CEO and Executive VPs all just sitting there. But then I reminded myself that I knew the material inside and out and had practiced for countless hours," I continued.

He smiled broadly.

"That's the right mentality to have. You're a highly competent engineer, and you know that."

"Thanks." I smiled.

His expression grew thoughtful as he leaned forward in his seat.

"I still remember the presentation you gave to my class that one time. I barely knew you, but I knew for a fact that you were a very compelling speaker. Hell, you could have told everyone in the room to drop out of college, and they'd do it."

I laughed, playfully swatting his arm.

"Okay, I'm not that amazing."

"Believe me, you are. In fact, I totally think you should take on a leadership role down the road."

My eyes lit up with excitement.

"It's funny you mention that. Because I'm actually planning on applying to UCLA's MBA program during our holiday break."

"For real?" He raised a brow.

I nodded.

His face split into a wide grin.

"That sounds like an excellent idea. Is your company going to pay for it?"

"Yup. They offer tuition assistance. I'll probably take evening classes or else they have weekend classes, too. And I'll be done in two-and-a-half to three years."

"That sounds about right. Hold on a sec, isn't the application deadline some time in January?", he asked.

"Shit, you're probably right."

I whipped out my phone from my purse and looked up the deadline for the part-time MBA application.

"January 14th," I said out loud.

He knitted his brows together.

"So, that gives you two weeks after we get back from Minnesota to complete it."