“You have your MBA, now? I’m so proud of you. I’m not really surprised, though. You were always the smart one.”
Laurie let his comment slide. They both knew Jerome had graduated magna cum laude with a political science degree and had a guaranteed acceptance in law school when he was ready to retire from football.
“I like my job, actually.”
“If you say so. I wouldn’t want to work for him.”
“Be nice, brother. He’s a good guy. Phantom Enterprises pumps a lot of money into Limitless, and they help a lot of kids with disabilities.”
“Phantom Enterprises is behind this? I thought you said it was called Limited.”
“No, I said, Limit-less. That’s the non-profit arm of Phantom Enterprises. Finn is one of the four guys who started the company.”
“I know Phantom Enterprises. I just got a PE control system for the house.” He frowned, tapping a finger on his chin. “I guess I’ve probably heard Finn’s name before, then.”
“You probably have, unless you have your head in the sand. He’s been on a few magazine covers.” She gave him a playful poke in the side. “Not as many as you, of course.”
“About that…” Jerome’s face went serious. “I’ve dealt with reporters all my life. The media attention is nothing new for me.” He reached out to squeeze her hand. “But I’m worried you’re going to hate it.”
Something hurt inside her chest. “Me, too,” she whispered.
He glanced around and lowered his voice. “I’m just glad you invited me to come tonight. It’s been way too long. I’ve been thinking about calling you ever since Dad made his announcement, but I wasn’t sure how you felt about the marriage.”
“I don’t know how I feel, either.” She swallowed a hard lump.
“Speaking of marriage, I’ve been meaning to tell you… I’m getting engaged.”
“To that girl you mentioned a couple of months ago?”
“Six months ago,” he corrected, beaming from ear to ear. “We don’t want to waste any time. Of course, we haven’t made it public yet. I want to surprise her with the ring, and all. Her name’s Charisse,” he said, with reverence.
“Congratulations!” She hugged his neck. “Will I be invited to the wedding?”
“Of course. Especially since the whole world is going to know we’re related, now.”
“That’s one way to put a positive spin on it.” She sighed, closing her eyes, and wishing she could escape from reality. “I’ve got a lot to tell you.”
“Well, I’m all ears. But I don’t think Finn likes me talking to you. Don’t look now, but he’s on his way back. And his face is all pinched, like he swallowed something rotten.”
A gentle hand touched her back, and she turned to Finn, who wore a concerned expression. “I arranged a place for Jerome at our table.”
“Thanks for doing that. I forgot he had a table assignment across the room.” It was a thoughtful gesture, but she was disappointed. She’d hoped he would be a little jealous. Arranging for them to sit together sure didn’t seem like the action of a jealous man.
“Also, the Avanzas would like to see you making the rounds in that jewelry. Be sure the cameras get some good shots of the diamonds.”
“Cameras?” Jerome shot Laurie an alarmed look. “Are there reporters here?”
“Absolutely,” Finn said. “We’ve learned the more cameras there are, the higher the auction prices. We even put the internet bidders up on the screens, unless they ask to be anonymous.”
Jerome sent Laurie a grimace. “I think it’s too soon for us to be together with reporters around.”
“You’re probably right.” She gave his arm a parting touch. “See ya at dinner.”
With a worried expression, Finn watched him walk away. “Why avoid media attention?”
What could she say without revealing too much? “Let’s just say there are people who might wonder why we’re together. I don’t want to start any rumors.”
“Okay, I won’t pry.”