Thankfully, they all agreed, and Piper adjusted the blazer on her sea-foam-green pantsuit, mentally checking off the final items on their meeting agenda as she marched toward Zach.
"You're early," she said when she reached him, trying to keep her voice low.
Zach held up the coffee like a peace offering. Or a bribe. Honestly, with this headache, Piper was tempted to accept either.
"Early bird gets the rooftop," he said, holding out a coffee for her. He flashed a grin like they were sharing a private joke and not standing ten feet from a room full of death-care professionals.
She reached for the cup. "You're not funny."
"I am a little funny."
Piper scanned the lobby behind him for any sign of an early Tess. Or worse—Babushka.
Zach leaned in slightly, dropping his voice. "Relax. Tess and Babushka aren't here yet. I wanted to get here and watch the door in case they come early. Your other meeting with the dead people club seemed really important and I'm pretty sure I can accidentally delay Babushka if I tell her I have a girlfriend."
"You have a girlfriend?" Piper asked, her heart not liking that thought one bit.
"No, but Babushka doesn't know that."
"You think that'll stall her?"
He gave her a look. "You've met Babushka."
Piper took a long, blessed sip of her latte and closed her eyes for half a second. Heaven. Liquid life support.
"Okay," she muttered, voice tight. "I have approximately three minutes before I need to herd my D.I.C.K.s back to their seats, so if you're going to be helpful, be helpful and go watch the door."
"I'm going to go do that. I'm going to be extremely helpful," Zach said the words like a caress.
That gave her pause as her tummy fluttered at all the helpful things this man could probably do for her.
Mortimer strolled by, flanked by two other D.I.C.K. members. All three of them obviously eavesdropping.
Zach straightened instinctively, and as soon as Mortimer saw him, the guy frowned and scurried back to the conference room.
What on earth was that all about?
"Ah, Ms. Daws," Mr. Martin said, eyeing Zach with the wary politeness reserved for unexpected guests and shopping mall Santas. "Is this a…colleague of yours?"
Piper swallowed her concern about Mortimer. "Yes. Sort of. This is—" She turned to Zach with a desperate look. "This is Zach. He's, um… a vendor?"
That should not have sounded like a question.
"Oh? What sort of vendor?" Ms. Wilder asked, peering at Zach like she was already suspicious of his lack of a tie.
Piper opened her mouth to invent a sort-of-truth. Something safe. Something bland.
Zach beat her to it.
"I specialize in bespoke men's undergarments," he said cheerfully. "Luxury-level support for your most personal needs."
Piper coughed. Hard. "He's kidding. He runs a, uh, IT consulting firm. Very discreet. Helps events run smoothly behind the scenes."
Mr. Martin chuckled. "Always good to see our event coordinator so… resourceful. We'll head back in."
As the board members returned to the conference room, Piper let her forehead drop to the lid of her coffee cup.
Zach leaned in beside her. "Too much?"
