“Kane struggles to respect my boundaries. Things between us have been difficult for a while and he showed no signs of changing in the relationship, so I decided to end it.”
I pop a piece of mushroom ravioli into my mouth, chewing and nodding at the same time. “It’s easy to fall into a cycle because we think it’s the safest route for us at the time when, actually, the relationship was over way before.”
Vesper mirrors my nod. “I considered moving back to Cincinnati to be with my sister, but I love my job at Riley’s, and I don’t want to give it up. The money is … okay, although it’s the customers I enjoy interacting with. Being the manager, I have the flexibility to create new cocktails whenever I want.”
I cock my head to one side. “Then don’t. Stay in Seattle.”
She blows out a cynical breath. “Yeah, sure. Do you have an extra two thousand dollars a month hiding somewhere that I can use for a basic one-bedroom place?” She pauses and picks up another piece of garlic bread. “Wait, no. Actually, of course you do. Your dad is a multimillionaire, and I’m not at all jealous.”
I snort a laugh and consider asking about her parents. She’s already spoken about her sister. Before I get a chance, Vesper carries on talking.
“Seriously, babe, I barely made rent while sharing the load with Kane, and I spent all day today searching for affordableaccommodations.” She shakes her head, gazing out of the large window set behind me, like the darkened street holds the answers to her financial predicament. “The only long-term option for me is to move in with roommates, and we all know how that type of arrangement ends.”
“How?”
She quirks a brow at me. “Well, the last time, the guy I lived with tried to bone me. I’m down for saving money on rent, but not if it means sleeping with the landlord.”
A couple of seconds pass before we both fall over laughing, and instantly, the mood shifts to something lighter.
For the next twenty or so minutes, we finish up eating and order dessert. Vesper goes with a crème brûlée, and I opt for cheesecake.
Obviously.
My fork hovers over the cheesecake when the words, “Why don’t you move into my place?” leave my lips.
She looks horrified. “Don’t say crazy shit like that. You barely know me.”
I shrug and dig into the strawberry cheesecake, warmth flooding me when I recall the way I ordered dessert for Will that time. I only saw him a couple of hours ago when he stopped by the office with some clothes and picked up his phone. I already miss him.
“You know me better than a stranger who may or may not try to hump you. I promise not to put the moves on you in the middle of the night.”
Vesper smirks and leans forward, pointing her spoon at me. “Only because you’re too busy rolling around in bed with the hot Rogues rookie.”
I flush like a schoolgirl. “I can neither confirm nor deny.”
She sits up straight and eyes me. “What’s the latest in your love life?”
Just like that night in Riley’s, when I blurted details about Will failing to show for our meeting, I feel a similar sense of ease in front of Vesper.
Which is why I offered her my spare room a minute ago.
“We’re … dating.”
Slapping a palm across her mouth, Vesper gasps behind it. “Seriously?”
I nod and take the biggest bite of cheesecake, anxiety rolling through me. I still haven’t told Colton about Will. At lunch, I was primed to enter his office and lay it all out when a serious PR issue broke for one of his best clients.
“Seriously,” I confirm. “This morning, he told me he loved me.”
She drops her palm, and it slaps against the table, making one of the servers jump. “Holy shit! Girl, why aren’tyoumoving in withhim?!”
Try as I might to fight back the smile as it spreads across my face, I fail miserably. “Because it’s really early in our relationship, and as it stands, I’m his publicist, and I definitely shouldn’t be sleeping with him, let alone shacking up with him in his penthouse.”
A mischievous grin overtakes her expression. “Secret relationships are the best. I love reading about them in romance novels.”
The fact that I didn’t have Vesper down as a romance reader will have to take a back seat in this conversation because all I can think about is Silas Stanton and her obvious intrigue in him.
“Is that why you blush every time I mention the Rogues captain?”
