Doesn’t ring a bell, but I nod because otherwise Klein will list everything I supposedly did with this model. Well, her source would be Coco, and who knows what this Coco might’ve said. Given that I can’t recall her name, it’s likely we didn’t get past the dinner stage. I have dinner with at least one different woman per week to maintain appearances. If I tried to remember all of them, I’d have no room for more important things.
“She said you weren’t responding to her texts.”
Probably because I blocked her.It’s my policy to block the numbers of all failed dates to avoid clinginess, even though many of them try to cling anyway.
“She’s wondering if you blocked her by mistake,” Klein adds.
“Can’t believe I blocked her, eh?”
“She’s beautiful.”
“She’s certainly trying to make an impression.” Most get the hint that I’m not interested after a few unanswered texts, especially if we didn’t move past the dinner stage.
From the way Klein merely smiles, either my ironic tone went over her head or she doesn’t want to presume anything.
“Lose her number and don’t waste any more energy on her,” I say.
“I think that’s all for the day.” Klein folds her hands in front of her with an extra-bright smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. Most people would assume she’s merely waiting for further instructions, but I know her habits. This is her nervous pose, which she seems to strike every morning. Not sure why. By now she should know I value her work, and she’s indispensable. The quarterly feedback I provide is stellar. And I’ve made sure she’s properly rewarded with an annual performance bonus and raises.
I haven’t done anything to make her doubt her abilities or place at the firm. But maybe I should directly address the subject and put her mind at ease. “Listen, Klein, about—” Something glinting on her left hand breaks my train of thought. “What’s that?”
“What?” She looks down. A lovely shade of pink colors her cheeks, and I can’t tear my eyes from her as an odd tingling sensation spreads in my chest. “Oh, this?” She lifts her hand so I can see better. “It’s just a ring.” Her tone is shy, almost embarrassed.
Just a ring?“It’s on your fourth finger.” My voice is terse, like there’s something gravely wrong with its placement. I squint at it. “Just a band—”
Klein turns the piece, flushing slightly. “Sorry. It’s a little loose.”
“A lot loose,” I say slowly like she just told me there’s a piece of dogshit in my coffee. Other than the size, the ring isn’t too bad. A huge marquise-cut diamond sits in the center, with three small, round diamonds sparkling on each side. There’s even some engraving outside of the rose-gold band. “What does it say?”
“Forever and ever. There’sLove youinside.” Her cheeks turn redder, making her look like a pretty young woman in love. “I need to get it resized. But we just got engaged yesterday.”
Engaged. The word hits me like the rock that cracked Goliath’s forehead. I stare at her for a moment, searching for something to say. Thankfully, I manage to swallowAre you leaving me?which was the first thing that popped into my head. Blurting it out would be awkward and embarrassing.
Why think that anyway, though? An engagement isn’t a resignation. She’ll still be around.But when did she get engaged?She’s so low key about her private life. I didn’t even know she had a boyfriend. She only asks for time off once a year, on her best friend’s birthday. She even worked late last Valentine’s Day.
But then… Well, I supposed a girl as pretty and sweet as Klein would have a boyfriend. If I think she’s lovely, so would others, unless they’re just blind. Obviously, her boyfriend has eyes.
I look at her again, note the softness of her mouth, then hate it that some asshole kissed her, tasted her. I don’t have to meet him to know he isn’t worthy of her.
“Congratulations.” I try for a casual tone of voice. “Anybody I know?”Please don’t let it be one of my clients. They mightbe rich and famous, but most of them aren’t marriage material. I’d have to ask Bryce to take her on as his client to handle the inevitable divorce.
“Um. No. I think you’d like him, though. He’s a dentist, but he’s really into movies and things.” She flashes a small but blindingly white smile. Jesus, did he hit on her while cleaning her teeth?
The notion seems wrong. I’d be creeped out if my dentist tried to flirt with me while I was lying in the chair with my mouth wide open. Never mind he’s fifty-two and Grandma’s good friend.
“Anything else, boss?” she says softly when I continue to stare.
“No. That’ll be all. Thanks.”
Chapter Two
Ailee
My heart is still hammering and the warmth in my cheeks is slow to dissipate. I close the door to Josh’s office behind me and sit at my desk, exhaling softly and willing my pulse to ease up and my body to cool.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s his exceptional good looks that make my belly flutter, but they don’t explain everything. When I’m standing next to his identical twin Bryce, I feel nothing but friendliness. The only way I can explain the phenomenon is that Josh has some kind of unique pheromone that makes my body sing.
Or maybe it’s because of the way he immediately trusted me and helped me out when I was harassed by a collection agency for an old medical bill I’d already paid off. They called me multiple times, then went after my parents. And of course my always-supportive folks told me to just hand over the money and stop embarrassing them—because obviouslyImust’ve screwed up.
