“No. Despite how badly I wanted him, he just never wanted me back.”
That clearly gets his attention, his eyes widening, and I laugh at his reaction. “Jax is into men, Owen. I’m definitely not his type. But we’ve been best friends ever since I pretended to be his girlfriend to keep the bullies away.”
“What did this pretending entail?”
“You’re shameless, you know? Do you act this way with all your employees?” This gets him to shut his mouth. His brows furrow as if he is thinking seriously about my question.
“No. I suppose you’re right. I’ll behave.” He sounds serious, but I can’t tell if he’s joking.
Jax comes over and sets two clean plates in front of us. We both thank him, and he rushes back to the kitchen. Owen watches Jax’s exit. The look that crosses Owen’s face is different this time, but what unnerves me is how observant he is. Like he sees through the lies and knows what’s real.
“So, I was finishing my proposal to combine the events and came across a few unlabeled charities. I was wondering what those were so I could place them correctly,” I say, shaking the thoughts from my head.
Owen waves a hand at me. “Don’t worry about those. I hold different charity events for the smaller ones. I’ll send you a list of patrons to invite. They don’t need to be featured in the auction.”
That doesn’t help my suspicion or my questions, but I jot down a note on the proposal about acquiring a list of patrons and hand it to Owen.
He scans it, brow furrowed, then looks up at me with a charming smile that I try to ignore. “This looks great, Miss Riley. I give you my permission to go ahead with the plan.”
“That’s it? No other questions?”
“You’re very detailed, Miss Riley. No other questions necessary.”
Jax shows up with our food, placing a bowl in front of me first and then Owen. Owen studies his with amused interest.
“So, Barbie, how’ve you been? And don’t just give me the ‘I’m fine’ speech,” Jax says, which has Owen looking atmewith apparent amused interest now.
“Barbie was my nickname in high school,” I explain.
“For obvious reasons.” Jax chuckles.
I huff. “I’mfine,Jax. Got back from Sicily a week ago, and I’m missing the seafood.”
“You mean you’re missing my charming company.”
I smile. “Always.”
Jax hesitates, eyeing the two of us as if worried he’s interrupting. “I’ll leave you to your lunch meeting.”
Without another word, he disappears into the kitchen.
I turn to find Owen staring at me, looking at me as though he can’t quite figure me out.
Doing an undercover job this close to home is going to be far harder than I thought. I’m supposed to be playing a role, but this doesn’t feel like one.
“What?” I ask at his bemused expression.
“I’m beginning to think you have more than one side to you.”
Shrugging, I stuff a large bite of cioppino in my mouth. “Don’t we all?”
With that, he spoons a mouthful, and his eyes widen. He chews slowly, and when he swallows, he looks stunned.
“This is really good,” he says through another bite.
A grin is my only response, and we consume the rest of our meals in silence. The quiet should make me uneasy, but it doesn’t.
After we’re finished, Owen pays, and I ask him to wait for me in the car so I can say goodbye to Jax. He doesn’t argue, shouting a quick “nice to meet you” at Jax before ducking out the door.
