when his daily presence was withdrawn completely from her life. According to Rosie, Logan was traveling constantly, so there was little chance that Amanda would run into him even accidentally at work.
He kept his word and didn't seek her out at all. Sometimes she saw him at a staff meeting, but he scarcely looked at her. He avoided asking her for the in-person reports he used to request. Their business transactions were handled via email.
Worst of all, Amanda had to assume he'd found himself an escort from that service he used, and she felt a bitter jealousy that was totally inappropriate given the circumstances. It was hard to remember she had insisted on ending the relationship, when she felt as if she'd been abandoned by him.
Rosie was the one bright spot in Amanda's existence. She insisted on continuing the shopping expeditions, pointing out that she hadn't received orders from Logan to stop them, and she really wanted to earn a chance to get backing from one of Logan's contacts. Amanda didn't have the heart to shop, but she did want to help Rosie.
However, it was completely inappropriate and unnecessary for Logan to continue to buy her clothes since Amanda wasn't attending business events with him. They switched their focus to sewing clothes. Rosie bought tons of supplies—gorgeous fabrics, beadings and trims, perfect accessories. She begged Amanda to participate in fittings.
"I really don't need more clothes," Amanda said one Saturday afternoon as Rosie pinned a bolero-type jacket around her.
"I know. But Logan keeps payin' the bills so he doesn't mind." Rosie raised her blue eyes to Amanda. "I'll never have another break like this."
"When is your aunt coming back to work?"
Rosie's eyes shifted. "I don't know. The rehab isn't going so well."
"Are things okay with you and Logan?" Amanda didn't want her actions to cause trouble for her friend.
Rosie stopped pinning. "I messed up an interview yesterday. He was so mad!"
"He didn't fire you, did he?"
"Oh, no." She shook her head and her red curls bounced. "It was worse. He just looked at me and called me Ms. Taylor and said he hoped the job wasn't too much for me." She shivered dramatically.
"That doesn't sound too bad."
"Then you don't know how he can give you a stare that makes you want to apologize just for bein' alive."
Amanda laughed. "Now you're exaggerating."
"Am not. I don't know how he does it, but I purely hate to disappoint that man." She poked another pin through the green fabric. "Which is silly because lately he's as surly as a cabbie in gridlock."
"That's his normal personality, Rosie. Don't take it personally."
"Hey!" Rosie straightened up. "Why don't I see you around the office any more? You two have a fight?"
Amanda jerked involuntarily. "Sorry," she said. "A pin."
Rosie regarded her. "You didn't answer my question."
"Of course we didn't have a fight. We aren't working on any deals right now that require face-to-face interaction."
Rosie snorted. "If you say so. But I say half his bad temper is due to the fact that he's not getting any."
"Rosie!"
"Well, no one can call you a frump now that I'm dressing you," Rosie said with a gratified air. "As for the other part…I thought for sure he'd get you in the sack. The man is nothin' if not determined."
Which only proved he wasn't that interested in her, Amanda reminded herself. Something she had to remember on those long nights when she lay in her lonely bed, thinking of his hands roving over her, his lips pressing against her, his tongue doing all kinds of delicious things to her.
"No," she said to Rosie, her voice squeaking around the lie. "I told you that you were exaggerating his interest in me."
Rosie snorted. "Got eyes in my head, don't I?"
"Besides," Amanda said, venturing into dicey territory, "he must have found himself a—a girlfriend by now."
"Nope." Rosie snapped off the word with certainty. "I've never sent anyone in for an interview for that position. Not since I sent you in by mistake." She giggled, and Amanda regretted the impulse that had made her share the story with Rosie.
"How do you know?" Amanda asked. "I'm sure he doesn't advertise that Hookers 4You is knocking on the door."
"My aunt told me exactly what to look for. She warned me never to make any assumptions about who went into his office, no matter how slutty they looked."
"You haven't heard that awful nickname about me going around the office lately, have you?" Amanda tried to speak casually, but she wasn't surprised