“Please.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “The man hasn’t slept in, what, three weeks? He growls when someone brings him decaf. I’ve seen the interns flinch when the elevator dings.”
I laughed. “Fine. Next time I’ll come to you, but don’t tell Alex.”
“Your secret is safe with me.” He squeezed my shoulder affectionately before heading down the hall.
I took off in the opposite direction, impatiently jabbing thedownbutton on the elevator panel when I reached it. A low dingrang out and the doors slid open, and I slipped inside with no one but Nate being any the wiser that I’d ever even been here.
Relief trickled through me. I could probably just talk to Alex about all this, but he’d carry on aboutoversight,checking with finance,and all sorts of boring things that would only make it take longer than it needed to.
W&S had always given generously to charity. The only thing I was doing was bypassing the red tape. Aunt CC simply slapped contracts down on Harlan’s desk, Sterling’s now, and told them to sign. I didn’t have that same kind of clout.
When I finally left the offices, I felt like I could breathe again. I hurried down the block to the café where Stella and I always met for lunch, already unbuttoning the top of my blouse and aching to kick off my heels under the table.
Stella breezed in five minutes after I did, bringing the scent of turpentine and victory with her. Her hair was a wild halo that told me she’d been painting again. Between her secret art classes and secretly attending pastry school at Kendall College, she did even more sneaking around than I did.
Needless to say, her parents didn’t approve either. Our backgrounds were eerily similar, but at least we had each other.
“You will not believe what I’ve done,” she said, sliding into the seat across from me with a grin that instantly made me suspicious. “I think you’re going to hate it, but then love it.”
“Oh, good,” I said dryly, then took a long, calming sip of my iced tea. “I’m glad things end well for me.”
She giggled and flagged down the waiter with one hand while rummaging through her bag with the other. “You, my darling, are going on a date tomorrow morning.”
I barked out a surprised laugh. “Excuse me?”
“Ablinddate,” she corrected herself, beaming at me from across the table. “You’re meeting him at your favorite coffee shop. You’re welcome.”
I stared at her, wondering if all the sneaking had finally made her lose touch with reality. “No. Absolutely not. I have plans.”
“Really?” She propped her chin on her palm, her green eyes sparkling. “What plans?”
I opened my mouth, realized I had nothing, and shut it again. “Plans to not go on a date.”
Stella laughed loud enough that the couple at the next table looked over. “Lottie, come on. It’s been what, two years since your last date? Three?”
“Two,” I muttered. “It was so terrible that I decided never to go on another one. He ordered for me. Fish for brunch. Then he droned on and on about how he was going to have his picture in People magazine one day. I still haven’t recovered.”
“It’s time for redemption.” She finally fished her phone out of her purse and started scrolling furiously. “He’s perfect for you. Tall, outdoorsy, great smile. I swear, when you see his picture—” The screen went black and Stella groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me. My battery died.”
“Tends to happen when you’re too busy running around, keeping every hobby you’ve got off your family’s radar. When was the last time you charged it?”
“I can’t remember.” She sighed. “And swanning around at the country club isn’t a hobby I’d like to get into, and since that’s the only one my family approves of, I need to get creative. But don’t change the subject.” She tucked the dead phone away and gave me a smug look. “It’s fate, babe. You’re meeting your date tomorrow morning at ten. I already told him you’d be there.”
“Youwhat?”
“Relax.” She leaned back in her chair, still beaming at me like she thought this was the best thing she had ever done. “Worst case scenario, you get free coffee and a funny story. Best case? It’s true love and you name your first child after me.”
I sighed, stabbing a fork into my salad. “What if it’s a boy?”
“Then you can make me your maid of honor at the wedding.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “For the record, you’d be my maid of honor anyway, so you don’t have to go looking for guys for me to cement your position.”
She pumped her eyebrows at me. “Someone has to. You’re not looking for a guy for yourself, so if I don’t do it, I’ll never be the maid of honor.”
“You’re not looking for a guy for yourself either.”
“True.” She tapped her chin for a moment. “Maybe your guy has a friend. Or a brother. Ask him, would you?”
