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“I am now.”
When I called him, I expected a name or a phone number. Instead, he left a board meeting, found an insurer, arranged a lawyer, and came here himself to tell me the Hartwell was safe.
“Thank you,” I say, softer than I mean to.
Until now, Eric’s power has always felt like a threat. Today, he used it to protect something I love.
“I owe you.”
“No, you don’t.” He says it as if the matter is settled. “But I wouldn’t object if you stopped sending me to voicemail.”
“Try me tonight.”
His attention sharpens. “You’ll answer?”
“I might.”
“Rachel.”
I smile. “Call me and find out.”
His gaze drops to the bingo poster on my desk and lingers before returning to me.
“I will.”
20
RACHEL
Chloe’s ball rolls straight into the gutter.
I take another sip of my cocktail. “That’s your third gutter ball.”
She turns to me. “And you’ve just failed the date.”
“What did I do?”
“Never point out when a man makes a bad shot. Not if you like him.”
“What am I supposed to say?”
“Pretend you didn’t notice. If he brings it up, tell him the lane is crooked.”
We’re on a fake date at Alton Hills Bowl, which is an awful name for a bowling alley with velvet seats and eighteen-dollar cocktails. Bowling balls crash into pins on the lanes around us while music plays overhead. Chloe booked us a lane to decide whether bowling would make a good date for her clients. So far, I’m not convinced.
“Your clients fly on private jets,” I say. “Do you really expect them to wear shoes that have been on a thousand strangers?”
Chloe sits beside me and reaches for her drink. “Everyone goes to dinner on a first date. They sit across from each other and conduct a ninety-minute interview over wine. At least this gives them something to do.”
“It isn’t very romantic.”
She moves closer and looks up at me through her lashes. “I’ve never done this before.” Her voice turns soft and breathy. “Will you show me how to hold the ball?”
I choke on my drink.
Chloe sits back, pleased with herself. “Men like feeling useful. He stands behind you, shows you where to put your fingers, and gets to feel big and strong. Then he falls in love.”
“That’s your professional advice?”
