Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 90009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
“I never said it was—”
She cuts him off, turning back to Evelyn with an overly bright smile. “Actually, you’re right. If Beau’s interested, give him my number.”
Evelyn claps her hands together. “Wonderful! He mentioned the possibility of featuring your desserts at his restaurants. This could be a huge opportunity for Lakeshore Sweets.”
“Thank you,” Callie says, voice steady even though her arms tighten around Nora. “I appreciate you always looking out for me.”
“Of course. You’re like family.”
River shifts his weight before running a hand through his blond hair. “Callie, can we talk?”
She takes another step in retreat. “Sorry, I need to get back to the bakery. Sloane’s probably swamped with customers by now.”
Without waiting for a response, she turns and heads toward the elevators with Nora still clutched tightly against her.
River watches her go, frustration radiating off him in suffocating waves, but he doesn’t follow. Instead, he forces a smile. “Guess I should get going. I’ll see you both later.”
And then he’s gone, disappearing down the hall.
Evelyn watches him retreat with a speculative look. “Seems River’s got his heart set on someone.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Not that she’s going to make it easy on him.”
Evelyn’s smile is slow and knowing. “Maybe she just needs a little nudge in the right direction.”
I narrow my eyes. “If you’re plotting something, you might want to rethink it.”
“Oh, but meddling is half the fun,” she says with a mischievous grin.
A laugh bursts from me before I can stop it. “Which brings us back to your date on Friday. Come on, I need details.”
She waves a dismissive hand. “If he earns a second one, we’ll talk.”
Before I can dig for more, she changes the subject. “Are you here for Steele?”
“Actually, I wanted to run his calendar by Rina in person.”
“Oh, you just missed her. She had to clean up one of Oliver’s messes. I believe she said something about being five seconds away from strangling the man.”
I laugh. “Yeah, that sounds about right. Steele and I went to college with his brother, Hayes. He was the same way until a feisty ice skater straightened him out.”
“Isn’t it amazing how the love of a good woman can work miracles?”
“We’ll see about that,” I tease. “If Oliver ever finds one who can keep him in line.”
Evelyn’s eyes twinkle like she knows a secret. “Yes. We will definitely see.”
I glance at my watch. “Hmm. Maybe I’ll wait around for Steele to finish up.”
I take a step back and immediately slam into a solid chest. Strong hands catch my shoulders, steadying me. For a second, my heart leaps, thinking it’s Steele, but then the unfamiliar scent of expensive cologne hits me, and I turn to find Knox McNichols flashing a sheepish grin.
“Sorry about that,” he says. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s fine.” I adjust my footing, noting how close he still is.
The man is attractive, for sure. But his brand of handsome doesn’t stir anything inside me.
He shifts. “Actually, this is perfect. I was hoping we might run into each other.”
I lift a brow. “Oh?”
“If you’re free, do you want to grab lunch?”
Before I can answer, Evelyn jumps in. “Why, Knox, what a fabulous idea. Lilah would absolutely love that.”
I blink. “I would?”
“Of course.” The older woman beams before turning to Knox. “Didn’t you mention the other day that you needed a new assistant?”
Knox’s smile fades slightly. “Yeah. I had to fire the last one after I found out she was selling stories to that Railers gossip site.”
“Well,” Evelyn says breezily, “you couldn’t find someone more trustworthy than Lilah.”
I glance between them. “I’m not sure I can juggle two players’ schedules.”
“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Evelyn says, already dismissing my concerns.
Knox grins. “We can talk about it over lunch. I know a great spot nearby.”
I open my mouth to argue, but Evelyn’s already glancing at her watch. “Perfect! There’s no time like the present.”
As soon as her sparkling eyes meet mine, I realize I’ve been Evelyn’d.
Knox gestures to the elevator, oblivious to the older woman’s machinations. “Come on, I’ll fill you in on the way.”
As I fall into step beside him, I glance back at my godmother.
“Have fun, you two!” she says with a wink. “And don’t worry about Steele. I’ll fill him in.”
32
STEELE
Itap my fingers against the locker room bench, my phone resting in my palm, the screen glowing with an unread message count of zero.
Lilah hasn’t texted me back.
She always responds.
Even if it’s just a thumbs-up emoji or a sarcastic I’ll be there, stop being needy, Sanderson.
But today?
Nothing.
With a scowl, I fire off another message before I can stop myself.
Me:
Hey, did you want me to pick you up and we can grab something to eat?
Still nothing.
Me:
Or should I just bring something home?
An uneasy feeling gnaws at me, clawing at my ribs. What if I pushed her too far and she changed her mind about our arrangement? Or what if she decided that we really are better off as friends?