“Yeah,” he said. His face was grave. “I just want to get ahead. See if I can get through this paperwork. You know how it is.”
“Sure.” I ran a hand back through my unruly red hair, trying to tame it into a ponytail. “Well, if you change your mind, text me.”
“Okay. Have fun.” But he didn’t look up when he said it.
And I was pretty sure he wasn’t leaving.
“You ready?” Demi asked as I left Sam’s office behind.
“Yeah,” I said, trying for cheer.
“Great. Let’s go, girlfriend.”
Then I followed them out, trying to wrap my head around what had just happened in Sam’s office.
It was another week later before I ventured back into Sam’s office. The announcement had just come through. Ronald Reyes, the owner of one of the biggest tech conglomerates, had just announced that he was going to challenge Leslie in the mayoral primary.
I was sick about it. Even though we’d guessed that it was coming, it was harder to hear it. Even harder to know that he looked like a favorable candidate. He had a fortune to rival the Kensington name. He was a rather attractive Hispanic man in his early fifties and still happily married to his wife of almost thirty years. As far as we knew, he didn’t have any scandals or children who were going to try to ruin his campaign.
But if he did, we’d find it. We had opposition researchers for a reason.
I had one hand on my aching stomach when I knocked on Sam’s door. I’d felt sick all day once the news broke. I’d taken medicine, and nothing helped. The stress was gnawing at me.
“Come in,” Sam called.
I stepped into the office. I knew I was pale and shaky. I was determined that we’d still win this, but the first wave of anxiety never suited me.
He glanced up at me and then frowned. “Hey, are you all right?”
“Uh, you know, just the announcement about Reyes.”
“Yeah. That’s shitty. But we’ll get through it.”
I nodded, trying to find relief in his words. It was the first thing we’d said to each other that wasn’t stilted in weeks.
“You’re probably right. I think I just need to get out of the office. English said she’d meet me for lunch. Any interest?”
He opened his mouth as if he was going to say yes and then shook his head. As if his brain and body were out of alignment.
“I think I’m needed here,” he said. “Plus, I brought a lunch.”
“Oh.”
Another rejection. Even worse than when he hadn’t wanted to go out for drinks last week. I’d thought we were friends. Friends did these sorts of things. We had normal conversations. We got lunch together. Had something changed?
“Next time,” he assured me.
But I didn’t believe him. I didn’t think he had any intention of going out with me again.
“Okay…yeah, next time.”
I waved good-bye and then left the office, meeting English at a seafood place that boasted the best scallops in the city.
“No Sam?” she asked as we were seated against the window looking out onto the New York City street.
“Nope. He wanted to stay and work.”
“So…do you think he’s purposely brushing you off? Do you think this has something to do with Claire?”
“Could be. Maybe she found out we’d dated in the past?” I suggested. “I mean…I don’t know how she’d find out unless he told her. And it didn’t seem like he was interested in letting her know about that.”
“Yeah. If he wasn’t up-front with her about it before the banquet, then I can’t see him bringing it up now.”
I shrugged, at a loss. “Maybe all that stuff about being friends was bullshit. He could have decided I wasn’t worth the hassle.”
English rolled her eyes. “What I think is that you need to get over Sam. Get over him, Lark.” She said it as if it were that easy. “Who are you bringing to Court’s charity event? It’s coming up, and you need a date.”
I frowned. “I wasn’t planning on bringing a date. I thought we were just all going together to support Court and his donation.”
“Katherine and Camden have both confirmed they’re coming.”
“Which is strange since they’re not even living together right now,” I grumbled. “I can’t believe that douche made her move out.”
English sighed. “Yeah. That’s…out of my wheel house. I fix people who want—or at least, desperately need—to be fixed. They’re so far gone. I don’t know what will put them together.”
“Yeah. It’s sad.”
“It is. But they’ll be there. I guess they’re trying to keep up appearances. Whitley said she’s bringing a plus-one but hasn’t narrowed it down between her three choices yet.”
“Typical.”
“Gavin said he’s bringing a date.” She pulled her phone up and scrolled through a list of names. “Charlotte Warren. Why does that sound familiar?”
I guffawed. “You remember my friend Lewis? He’s part of my high school crew?”
English nodded. “Sure. I’ve met him before. Tall, super-hot, black guy? Impeccable taste in suits?”
“That’s him,” I said with a laugh. “Well, Charlotte is his much younger sister. She’s a model for Elizabeth Cunningham and a junior at Harvard. She must be back for the summer.”
“Is she…a problem?”
“No, she’s actually wonderful. Though I hear she plays the field.”
English shrugged, unconcerned. “That’s fine. As long as she can handle herself.”
“Oh, she can,” I assured her.
“Great. So, you need a date.” English switched to another list and passed it toward me. “I’m not saying that I made a list of eligible bachelors in the city, but…”
I snatched the phone up and scrolled through the list of guys she’d put together for me. It wasn’t just names either. It included photos, current job, hobbies, and even, in some cases…net worth.
“How the hell did you get this information?”
She winked at me. “It’s part of my job. Now, look at this guy…”
“No way. I already went through this with my parents. I don’t want to date a guy that someone else picks out for me. I don’t want to blind-date anyone. I want no part of it. I am too busy to take anyone serious right now. It would just end so poorly.”
“I thought you might say that. So, I took the liberty of inviting them all. That way, you can mingle and meet them as you go. And then you can decide if you like any of them!”
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. “You’re as bad as my mother. You know that, right?”
“Honey, Hope St. Vincent has got nothing on me.”
I snorted and then raised my hand for a waiter, done with this conversation. Having a bunch of eligible bachelors waiting to meet me sounded like a dream. Except that it was really a nightmare. One I already wanted to wake up from.
18
Sam