“Doesn’t that refer to lawyers?” Nadine whispered to Wes.
“Go ahead and correct her,” he said. “She’ll love that.”
Dot Voline continued talking. “You’ve done enough damage. I’ve had vultures circling around me. My bank refused my allowance because they said I was dead. I had to go there in person and give the presidentwhat for.”
Nadine felt Wes’s eyes travel the same path as hers, to that pink car near the fountain. She indulged in a brief fantasy of Voline driving it—no, getting driven—downtown and leaving it idling on Bay Street while she waltzed past a sea of flustered executive assistants into a fiftieth-floor boardroom to harangue some poor CEO about her cash. “I’m very—”
“As for you, handsome, I don’t need another bottom-feeding schmuck trying to get into my house or my pants. Too old for that kind of thing. Now, take a hike, the two of you.”
Wes whispering, “Bottom-feeding schmuck,” in a tone of utter disbelief was enough to send Nadine into gales of laughter.
He glared at her. “You didn’t fare any better.”
“Well, she didn’t accuse me of wanting to sleep with her, so I consider that a win.”
“I said scram!” The intercom made them jump, and Nadine heard the tail end of her muttering. “Didn’t even bring a thing. Manners these days.”
“Nice going,” Wes muttered.
She shoved her face into the gate to get a better view of the property. “Like your Z-game charm offensive was getting us anywhere.” She twisted her head to see more. “Are those real swans?”
“No.”
Pity. “She seems more like a peacock person anyway,” Nadine said, stepping away before Voline accused her of trespassing.
Wes laughed. “She does.” Then, face blanched in horror that he’d had a positive reaction to her, he headed for his car.
It was the same one he’d been driving when they were in school, she noted as she trailed after him. As always, he was dressed to perfection, with a collared shirt under a thin black sweater with the sleeves rolled to the elbows and black jeans. Wes must not feel heat, because while she was sweating in her linen dress, he looked cool and unbothered. Itwas aggravating, and she couldn’t help but feel this gave him an obscure advantage.
Wes pointed his frowning face back at her. “What are you doing?”
“My car is parked behind yours. I thought I would drive home if that’s okay with you. Also, you didn’t answer my question,” she said. “Why are you here?”
He opened his car door with a god-awful screech of metal on metal.
“Wes, don’t youthinkof leaving without telling me what you’re up to.”
He slammed the door shut.
“You can’t do this,” she yelled at the closed door, instantly cursing herself for losing her cool. It was excusable though. Wes Chen would try the patience of a King’s Guard.
He started the car, ignoring her as he waited for the engine to catch in a fitful cough. Nadine bent down to stare at him, fists balled up on her hips so she didn’t slam her hands through the window to grab him by the neck. Wes Chen brought out the worst in her and always had. She wanted to mess up that perfect hair. Snag those tidy sweaters. Scuff those polished leather shoes.
Should she stand in front of the car? Nadine debated before deciding not to risk it. Wes would have no qualms about running her over and leaving her bleeding in the middle of the street. They probably wouldn’t bother to get an ambulance in this neighborhood. They’d call a street cleaner to dump her body in whatever pit they put dead squirrels in.
Wes put the car in drive without looking at her, as if he was the one with a right to be here and she was the interloper. His utter disregard of her presence was vastly more infuriating than if he’d done something obnoxious like waving at her with his familiar suck-it grin.
“Ahughah.” The sound she made was inelegant but liberating. After all, it wasn’t like anyone was around to hear it. Wes’s car had driven out of sight—not out of her life, but a woman could hope—and Voline had made it clear there would be no more intercom-mediatedconversations today.
She leaned against the side of her car. This trip was a failure, made worse because Wes had been there to witness it. She couldn’t say she was surprised. After what Nadine had done, it was a big ask for Voline to be gracious and invite her in for tea or gin. If only she’d been able to get out the exquisitely crafted apology that the author in Voline couldn’t help but admire. She would have if Wes hadn’t been there trying to horn in.
She kicked her car’s wheel gently with her sandaled foot. She’d worn them specially because of the gold and beading, which she felt would appeal to Voline. Why was he here really? With Wes, anything was possible. Apart from a brief stint doing investigations, he’d been writing Lifestyle for the last couple of years. She wouldn’t put it past him to try to get an interview with Voline about the singular experience of reading the summary of her life before she’d finished living it.
What if she was wrong though? What if he heard about the controversy as well? Nadine knew how good Wes was.
Well, she was better.
She thought back over the conversation.No manners, Voline had grumbled.No gifts.Then Nadine nodded.
