“You run your own successful business,” he repeated.
She consulted the paper. “Jude McConnell got a business degree and interned at House of Cordell Fragrance. After you graduated law school, they hired you and you’ve been working there ever since. Is House of Cordell going to back up this information?”
“Yes. It’s all arranged. Cedric will assume the buyer I'm representing is House of Cordell. But he won't ask me that directly because he knows I'd never divulge my buyer's identity.”
“My own bio is more interesting than Jude McConnell’s but not nearly as interesting as Jude Camden’s.” She set the paper aside to review at a later time. “How about we build a story around how we met?”
He straightened in his seat like,finally. “Let’s do. I’ve thought of a plausible scenario.”
“’Kay. What is it?”
“We met at my gym in New York when you were there for vacation.”
“No. I never go to the gym when I’m on vacation.”
“Cedric doesn’t know that about you, though. Does he?”
“I have another scenario in mind. I met Chaz at a perfume conference in Las Vegas eight months ago. So you and I can pretend we met at the very same time and place. I’m imagining that my friend and I—”
“No friends can be involved. We can’t mention anyone who Cedric can then reach out to later to confirm.”
“Fine. Then, I, by myself, without a friend, wanted to go on the gondola ride at The Venetian hotel and casino. You and I were put on a four-seater gondola with a middle-aged couple from Kentucky wearing fanny packs.”
“I chose to spend my time in Las Vegas going on a gondola ride with strangers?”
“Not you.Jude McConnell. Our gondolier was a stout man with the voice of an angel, and we chatted easily—you and me.Soeasily, as if we’d known each other forever. While the gondolier sang, we floated down the man-made canals and the couple from Kentucky took pictures.” She set down her silverware and scooted back her chair. “When the canal opened up into a mini-harbor type of thing, I stood up and sang along.” She rose to her feet and threw out her arms.
“I like the gym scenario—”
“But I was so swept away by the moment that I lost my focus and my balance.” Leaning to the side, she pedaled her arms. “And accidentally plunged into the water.” She dropped to her hands and knees and crawled under the table, emerging next to Jude’s chair. “Overwhelmed with affection and concern for me, you leaned over and plunged your hand into the depths.”
“I think the canal water is three and a half feet deep—”
“You leaned over and plunged your hand into the depths,” she said again.
He reached down.
Gemma grabbed his forearm. He wrapped his strong fingers around her forearm in turn. Huh. She really didn't hate the way that felt. “When our eyes locked,” she continued, “we both felt a deep soul connection. Then you easily lifted me back into the boat.” She popped to her feet. They let go of each other. She circled back to her seat. “At which time you declared, ‘You’re as light as a feather!’” She moved her hand in asay that linemotion.
“You're as light as a feather.”
“You took off your jacket to give to me so I wouldn't be cold, then stripped off your sweater—”
“I stripped off my sweater?”
“Yes, to wrap around my wet hair, of course. Go ahead. Let's practice. Strip off your shirt.” She smiled with mischievous challenge. This partnership might turn out to be more entertaining than she’d expected.
“I will absolutely not be stripping off my shirt. In fact, none of this sounds like something I would do.”
“But this is exactly what Jude McConnell did. Jude McConnell is very chivalrous.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Did I have a T-shirt on under my sweater?”
“No. At this point, you were sitting in the gondola shirtless.”
He appeared disgusted by this prospect. “In front of the people from Kentucky?”
“Shirtless,” she confirmed. “And the lady from Kentucky turned her camera in your direction but you didn’t notice because you were enamored with me.”
