card and sank back into my chair. Alex would be at dinner?
How? Why?
“Wait, is this Alex Alex? Your Alex?” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “LeFranc’s Alex?”
I nodded. “But why is he going to be at dinner with my brother?”
“Uh, more importantly, why didn’t you tell me you ran into him at Java Jean’s?”
Chase had been Alex’s friend as much as he was mine. Which was maybe the reason I hadn’t told him. He knew too much. And he knew me too well. He’d hear in my words exactly how unmoored I felt, like a skiff in a flood tide. I sat, unmoving, so Chase reached for the flowers, carefully lifting the lid off the box. He whistled and handed the box to me. A dozen roses lay inside, their petals a vibrant orange.
“I think you need to tell me what happened,” Chase said.
I shrugged and shook my head. “There isn’t much to tell. I ordered coffee, he came in behind me. We spoke for twenty seconds, he tried to apologize, I told him to stop, then I ran away.”
“Right into the Cappuccino machine,” Chase said, his voice light.
“Shut up.”
“So how was it to see him again?” Chase asked. “How did he look?”
I sighed. “He was wearing Armani.”
Chase echoed my sigh with his own. “Armani,” he repeated softly.
“I guess this is for you,” I said, holding up the cash. “For the dry cleaning.”
Chase pushed it away. “I don’t want it. I’ll never catch Darius at this rate.”
I grinned. “Catch Darius in the imagined niceness competition that doesn’t actually matter because I love you both the same?” I held up one of the bills. “Split it with me?”
He rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He tucked the money into his pocket. “It wasn’t him you ran into, right? It was nice of him to think of the dry cleaning.”
“It was a random guy at the door. But if I hadn’t been running away . . .”
“Hmm. Good point. Alex always was thoughtful, wasn’t he?”
I held up a finger. “Don’t get distracted. We are not reminiscing here.” I pushed the flowers aside and pulled my cell phone out of my top drawer. “I can at least figure out the answer to one question.” Determination filled my voice.
I tapped out a text to Isaac. Why is Alex Randall coming to dinner tonight?
B/C I invited him, Isaac immediately replied.
I rolled my eyes. Thanks for the information, genius. WHY did you invite him?
I drummed my fingers on the desk waiting for Isaac to respond. He works for me, he finally texted. I told you that right after I hired him.
He had to be kidding. TO BE YOUR TAX ACCOUNTANT. Are you the reason he’s in New York?
He’s not my tax accountant. He’s my business manager.
I froze. Why did Isaac need a business manager? WTH??? Why? Doing what?
Making the Nutella sandwiches, Isaac said. Why are you being weird about this?
“So?” Chase asked. “What’s the verdict?”
I put my phone down, my brows drawn close together in confusion. “He’s my brother’s business manager.”
Sasha’s door opened and she appeared. “Dani, have you—” She paused. “Oh. Hello, Chase. Nice to see you working so hard.” As a senior designer, Sasha technically outranked Chase, but she wasn’t his boss. Other than her influence with Alicio, she couldn’t do much to hurt him.
He stood, shooting her a look I’d never have the nerve to give and sauntered past her. “I’ll go toe to toe with you any day,” he said. “Later, Dani.”
“A little less socializing, a little more working, Dani,” Sasha said. “Don’t make me ask you again.”
I hastily replaced the lid on the flower box and shifted it to the back of my desk. “Of course. Sorry about that.”
“Did you take care of the navy dress?”
I nodded. “Everything’s all set.”
“And you checked on my appointment for tomorrow morning? If I’m not out of here by noon, it will ruin the entire weekend.”
“Everything is confirmed,” I said. “The writer from Elite will be here at nine. And I’ve arranged for the samples from the spring line to be brought to your office by five today so they’re ready for her preview in the morning.”
“Perfect. That’s what I wanted to hear.” She pulled her handbag onto her shoulder and slipped a pair of sunglasses onto her face. “If that’s all taken care of, I’m going to head out early.”
“One quick reminder,” I said before she’d gotten passed me. “I have the day off tomorrow.”
She paused and lifted her sunglasses, her lips pursed into a