And right now, he’s regaling me with a story about fishing in the Bahamas and how he caught a tiger shark.I’ve heard the story a hundred times if I’ve heard it once.Funnily enough, every time the fish gets bigger and deadlier.
Luckily, Cormac’s wife joins us and I expertly excuse myself, making a beeline for Paige.I slip my hand in hers and Donovan pauses mid-speech, arching a brow.
“Hi, Zach.Did you know Paige’s uncle owns Hayes Construction?”
I didn’t, but I should.Instead of letting on that’s the case, I nod.“If you’ll excuse us, we’re leaving.Good night.”
We leave before he can get in another word and once far enough away from him, Paige says, “Are we leaving?I’m beat and my feet…but you didn’t have to be rude.”
“That wasn’t rude.Why were you avoiding him all night?”
Her gaze widens as she stares up at me and I weave us through the crowd, stopping once or twice to briefly say good night before we’re finally free of the room.
“Were you watching me?”
I nod, send a text to my driver, and lead her outside to the front of the building.“Answer the question.”
“I wasn’t avoiding him.It’s more that he’s built me up to be something that I’m not.As if things would have been dramatically different between us if he hadn’t left for Europe.Who knows if we’d have lasted past another date?I get the feeling he thinks we’d be married or something.”
We slip into the car and she sighs, sinking into the seat and kicking off her heels.
“From what I can see, he knows exactly what you are and he’d be an idiot not to wonder what if.”
“I think you mean that as a compliment, but it sounds like an insult.”
“Not an insult.Never.By the way,” I pause deliberately making sure I have her undivided attention, “Donovan is married.”
Her eyes widen and she tilts her head to one side but remains speechless.
Getting to the heart of things, I ask, “Does that bother you?”
“Why would it bother me?I’m only wondering why he never mentioned his wife.Was she there tonight?”
Sighing although somehow not fully relieved, I shake my head.“No.Cece and Donovan are rarely seen together.Theirs is a marriage of convenience.She’s a remarkable woman and it’s a shame she’s saddled with his philandering ass but she made her bed.”I run my hand through my hair, long past ready to drop the topic of Donovan Wilkes.“Do you want something to drink?”I point to the liquor, sparkling and still water, and sodas lined up along the bar.
“I’m good, thanks.I’m just glad to get those things off.”Her eyes flick to the floor where her shoes sit discarded.“I love those babies, but right now my dogs are barking.”
“What?”I tilt my head to the side and study her.
“My feet,” she giggles.
“Oh.If you’re not too tired, would you tell me how you became a project manager?”I need to know more about her.More than someone like Donovan does.
“I kinda fell into it.I was in between jobs and my uncle John—that reminds me, you didn’t know he owns Hayes Construction, did you?”I shake my head no and she smiles.“That’s what I thought.Anyway, he asked me to help him.His usual PM had just packed up her life and moved to Vietnam.”
“Seriously?”
She nods and a slow, easy grin claims her lips.
“What’s so funny?”I ask.
“Nothing, really.I’m just remembering the frantic phone call from my uncle.Almost every other word out of his mouth was fuck.I’d never seen him so lost and out of control.”
“Well, if your clients are left hanging, it’s bad for business.”
“Yes.He was in a bind, and at first he’d asked my mom, but she was up to her eyeballs with her own clients.”
“What does your mother do?”
