Somehow, the wad of hundreds made it seem more real.My throat tightened, and I looked up at him.“Seriously?”
“Put it in your purse.See what happens.”His eyes twinkled and he jerked his chin toward me.
“Stop it, Nash.”I did what he said though, goosebumps flaring on my forearms.“You keep doing stuff like this and I’ll have to marry you.”
He chuckled, a genuine smile lighting up his handsome face.“That’s the plan, huh?”
“Absolutely.”
I gazed into his eyes for a few moments, getting lost in the icy blue swirl there.Then he checked his watch, the spell breaking.
“I have some meetings I need to get to.Let me know if you need anything else.I’ll send you the details for the dinner.”He winked at me before setting off for the front door.It wasn’t until he’d stepped onto the sidewalk that I remembered to look around us.A few patrons had their eyes on his retreating figure.
I drew a deep breath, watching as Nash tucked himself back into the car and disappeared behind its tinted windows.
My life had officially changed.And the five hundred dollars wrapped around a heavy-ass credit card was only the beginning of the evidence.
CHAPTER SEVEN
NASH
Clara was still on my mind as I returned to the office that afternoon.I couldn’t stop thinking about the way she’d been sipping that iced mocha like it was the height of summer.Archer always gave me shit for drinking iced coffee in the colder months.It felt like a sign, maybe.Or perhaps just a coincidence.We’d been around each other for less than ten minutes and my body still buzzed from the brief contact.
This was what I’d wanted.The connection.That was going to convince the investigators, whoever they were, and the world at large.
We’d fake it perfectly.
The excitement I had for tomorrow’s dinner with Clara was far from fake.
Luckily, I didn’t have much time to probe those thoughts.As soon as I hit the main hallway of our headquarters, I headed for Archer’s office.I rapped on his closed door then opened it enough to poke my head inside.
He looked up from his desk expectantly.“Yes?”
“You got time for an emergency meeting?”
He scoffed.“If it’s an emergency, I guess it doesn’t matter whether I have time or not.What’s up?”
I stepped inside and shut the door behind me.“She signed.”
The start of a smile curled his lips.“No shit?”
“She agreed with the contract I sent her, no changes.Signed on the spot, basically.I just met up with her in Midtown and dropped off a credit card for her to use.Tomorrow she’s coming over for dinner, so you can meet her then.”
Archer nodded, leaning back in his chair.I could see the wheels turning in his head.“Okay.So should I act like…I know?Or that I don’t know?”
His question stumped me.This fake-not-fake stuff was a little confusing.“You should act like you know.Because we’ll tell her that you know too.Right?”
He nodded slowly, clearly thinking through the plan.“Right.It would make sense for me to know, because I’m included in the inheritance, even if I’m not conning some girl into marrying me.”
“I didn’t con her,” I warned him.
“It’s not a bad thing.Con stands for confidence,” he said.
“Thank you.Your words are uplifting, Archer, I can’t begin to explain.”
He narrowed his eyes at my heavy sarcasm but I saw the start of a smile on his face.“I’m not being fucking inspirational.I’m beingeducational.There’s a difference.The term con man came from the phrase ‘confidence man’.Don’t you read books?”
“Can we stay on topic please?I don’t have time for a history lesson about every last thing you say.I need you to tell me whether or not Clara should know thatyouknow.”
