Smooth, huh?The guythoughthe was a swinging dick. Newsflash – he wasn't. But hey, I could swing with the best of them. "To the left, but thanks for asking."
His eyes tightened, but he coughed up a laugh. "Good to know."
What the fuck wasthatsupposed to mean? Like, if I'd said it was hanging to the right, would've that beenbadto know?
Eh, something to think about later.
I leaned back, making myself comfortable. "So what are you selling this time?"
Normally, I had more finesse.
But I'd spent the last couple of hours thinking about Tessa Sinclair paired up with the guy sitting across from me. I didn't know him well, and I knew her just barely. But I knew enough to realize something wasn't adding up.
Evan had a reputation – mostly for cutting corners and chasing skirts. For years, he'd been coasting on his daddy's name – an easy thing to do when you're handed the keys to the empire without paying your dues.
And now, he looked insulted. "What, can't a guy say hi?"
Yeah, right."So, this is a social call?"
"Notjusta social call." He spread out his hands. "But hey, if you wanna miss out…" He let the sentence hang, like the offer was so good I'd be stupid not to ask.
I just looked at him.No smile. No frown. No leaning forward to get the inside scoop.
The silence held until Evan did the leaning. His gaze locked on mine as he dropped his voice. "Let's just say… some people would kill for this opportunity."
Nowthatwas funny. "Does it involve a doc-in-a-box?" I was referring, of course, to the chain of urgent care facilities that were the backbone of Carver Health.
He stiffened. "That's not the termweuse."
"Yeah, well everyone else does." I laughed. "Why shouldyoube special?"
His jaw flexed. "Because I'm the president."
No shit.It was written in gold ink on his business card. I knew this, because he handed them out like candy at Halloween. Over the past year, he'd given me three at least.
But the title meant nothing. Real decisions came from upstairs – aka, his dad. Evan's job was to smile for the cameras, cut a few ribbons, and distract everyone from the lawsuits piling up behind the scenes.
Yeah, I'd done my homework.Turns out, Carver Health was less "urgent care" and more "urgent cover-your-ass." Overpriced and understaffed, the company was run like a vending machine with a grudge.
Across from me, Evan was still waiting for me to jump up and applaud.
What a tool.By now, the title was old news and hardly worth the mention. And hey, if I hadn't applauded at thefirstbusiness card, why would I applaud now?
I gave him a look. "President, huh?"
His chin lifted. "Got that right."
"You mean…" I pretended to think. "… of the United States?"
His mouth tightened. "No. Of Carver Health. Obviously."
"Too bad."
"And why's that?"
I smiled. "The Lincoln Bedroom."
He hesitated. "What?"
