it. All these people supporting a good cause to build neighborhoods instead of tearing them down in favor of skyscrapers owned by some faraway corporate entity. Josie and Sean told me all about it.”
I rub the back of my neck. “That’s the problem with texts. Too easy to take the words the wrong way. So you know I’m not a user like your ex, right?”
She looks over my shoulder. “I admit I was confused by our whole conversation.”
“Our fight.”
“It did feel that way, yes.” She meets my eyes, a soft vulnerability lurking there. “I hoped you were different.”
I nod, relief making me relax. She wasn’t jealous I stole her spotlight. It was just a misunderstanding. “So just you and Joe on a hot date?” I jerk my chin at him standing guard. He scratches his cheek with his middle finger. I bite back a laugh. I really like Joe.
Harper doesn’t notice. She’s staring at her untouched champagne, her brows knit together. “Well, after the disastrous way things ended after our date last week, I thought it best not to drag another guy into the spotlight.” She meets my eyes. “Not that the date itself was bad, just the fallout.”
I lean close to her ear. “It wasn’t a disaster, sweetheart.”
She shivers and crosses her arms. “You can stop pretending we’re in a relationship now.”
“No more lamb chop?”
She laughs. “I thought you were mad at me.” She leans close to whisper, “You hung up on me. And then the paparazzi staked out your apartment, which was my fault, and then you told them we were over.”
I shift to whisper in her ear, “We both got a little touchy. I’d like to try again.” I straighten. “How’ve you been?” Josie told me Harper was a little down at work this week. Part of me hopes it’s because she missed me.
She lets out a breath. “Can’t complain.”
“But if you could complain—” I cup a hand by my ear and lean down “—go ahead and whisper it.”
I draw back at her silence. She’s smiling.
I grin. “You missed me, didn’t ya?”
She shakes her head. “I felt guilty as hell. I never want to be a user. I thought that’s what you thought of me, asking you to go with me last minute to the gala, telling you what to say for the cause. And then, well, you know the rest.”
“Hey, what did you really get from me other than a sexy escort?”
“Shh, it sounds like I paid you.” She lowers her voice. “Like a male prostitute.”
“Worst hundred bucks I ever spent. I didn’t even get a kiss.”
“What? You never paid me anything. Besides, I would pay you, not the other way around.” She stops and laughs. “Oh. Sorry, my guilt is getting in the way of your joking.”
“I get it about needing to be careful when you’re in the public eye. My dad was raised to be king and went through a lot of public scrutiny from the day he was born all the way until he abdicated the throne and was banished. Luckily, that was before social media and the internet, but it was still pretty big news.”
“I read a little about it. It sounds like he made a choice he’s happy with.”
“Married the best woman in the world. That’s what he always says about my mom.” I tug a curly lock of her dark brown hair. It’s soft and springy. “Were you looking up stuff about me?”
“I read through some of the press last week, and a bunch of stuff popped up about your family.”
“So yes.”
Her eyes sparkle as she bites back a smile. “Only to see how bad the damage was.”
“No damage. Actually, look at this.” I pull the agent’s card from my pocket and show her. “This guy wants to represent me and get me a commercial. You think I should do it? It seems like a no-brainer with the pay for one day’s work.”
She reads the card, her lips pressed together. “It’s a top agency.”
“Think I should go for it?”
“Have you ever acted before?”
“No, but it’s a commercial. How hard can it be?”
Her eyes narrow. “Acting is a craft. It takes time and many hours of study to hone your skills.”
“To say something like ‘get a close shave with Sharp Edge’? He says he’ll get me in for an aftershave commercial.” I rub my clean-shaven jaw. “Apparently, this jaw is perfection.”
She hides a smile by sipping her champagne. My charm is totally working on her. “Is that so?”
“Sure is. Touch it.”