“What?” I sip my drink as I watch her get flustered.
“He needs a date by tomorrow.”
I nearly spit my coffee out. Tomorrow? Talk about short notice…
“I know, it’s last minute, but I sort of told him I’d ask you.” She bites her lip, and the sight is far more endearing than it should be.
Then I realize from the nerves, that she hasn’t said whatwe’dbe doing. All she’s mentioned since we’ve sat down is Chris’s nameless cousin.
“Wait…did you book me for Chris’s cousin? And not yourself?”
She chews on her lip. “Um… maybe? I just… I know you don’t normally do last minute bookings, but…” She looks at me with sad, guilty eyes. “You always make time forme, so I just thought maybe—”
Part of me feels more than flattered that she’d recommend me to someone else. It shows how highly she thinks of me, but also how much she trusts me.
Still, she’s right, we don’t usually book dates that urgently, but Foxy knows she’s a good client, and I’m more accommodating with Bella than most because I do genuinely like the woman. She’s driven, determined, but she’s also shy and kind of awkward when it comes to life outside the office. I swear if I wasn’t gay, I’d be all over a woman like Bella.
She knows urgent bookings—even the ones we accommodate her for—usually take a few hours, sometimes a day for the booking to get cleared through the system, and then we can schedule things accordingly. But we do have exceptions to the rule, and Foxy doesn’t usually mind us bending it as long as we cover our asses.And hers.
Then the word finally hits me.He.
She said he. Chris’s cousin is ahe.
I can’t hide my interest because frankly, I don’t get as many dates with men as I’d like—professionally or personally.
I sit up a little straighter.
“Go on…” I say, sipping my coffee.
“Well, his aunt and uncle are like, super pushy about his cousin finding someone to settle down with or something. At least, that’s what Chris says. And there’s this big family thing they’re doing tomorrow, and he’s flying in so there’s… not a lot of time to figure something out.” She leans back, her gaze meeting mine warmly.
“And if anyone’s a miracle worker, it’s you, Jake.”
I lick my lips as I take in her words. It’s definitely a familiar scenario. When I took Bella on as a client, after that funeral date, she was trying to garner a promotion within her company and her boss seemed to have a thing for people who were in committed relationships, since she herself was getting married. I’d agreed to play the part of Bella’s boyfriend so she could get her promotion. And it worked. Bella got the promotion, moved up the ladder, and I got a hefty tip. We’ve been working together ever since.
“Mhmm. Sounds familiar.”
Bella smirks at me. “I know. Seriously. But Iknowfrom experience how good you are, and I know if anyone can win a room of people over, it’s you.”
I can’t help but grin at her compliment. It always feels good to be told I’m good at my job. And maybe stupidly, it feeds my ego and makes me think I’m better boyfriend material than I actually am. So sue me, I like a little praise. What man doesn’t?
Still, the fact Bella used our pseudo-relationship to hold a place for a man she doesn’t know—a man she’s never even met, just because it would help out Chris—it’s clear he must be desperate and she wants to fix the problem for him. Bella’s like that. Selfless to a fault, but she doesn’t see that.
It’s admirable, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she is doing this because of those unresolved, unattended feelings for Chris that she totally doesn’t have.
She lets out a shaky laugh, but her eyes sparkle with a little mischief. There’s the woman I know. The powerful corporate badass who runs circles around the men at the office.
I can’t help the chuckle that escapes my throat. “I’m seriously flattered that I come so highly recommended.”
She takes a sip of her drink and shoots me a knowing glare.
“That wasn’t a no.”
I chew on my lip, both wanting to make her sweat a little and wanting the details immediately.
I settle on something in between.
“You know, my schedule is jam-packed for the next month and a half, right?”
