It could have gone on forever. Literally. Nick Hunter was the most stubborn person I’d ever met, and I had been literally trained never to back down until people saw things my way. It wasn’t until I heard the phrase ‘pirate dancing’ that I was forced to tune back in.
“I’m sorry,” my head throbbed painfully, “what?”
Ella’s eyes lit up, eager to explain.
“Okay, now try to keep an open mind. You start in a—”
“No, you know what—I’m going to have to stop you there.” I held up an apologetic hand as the other scrambled around in my desk for aspirin. Nick was literally shaking with silent laughter, and there was only so much I could take. “It sounds wonderful, this...pirate thing. But I’m afraid, when you’re in Nick’s social circle, it’s no longer an acceptable use of time. That being said, before we dive in, I think that he and I should probably work a few things out—”
“What’s there to work out, Abby?” Nick’s eyes twinkled as he stared into mine, fighting all the while to keep a straight face. “We settled on Ella, right? After all...you picked her.”
His face glowed triumphantly, but in that very moment, the same thought dawned on me.
You know what...I most certainly did. And since she was here...
Like flipping a magical light switch, my headache suddenly went away. The world cleared back into sharp focus, and my lips curved up in a smile.
He wanted to play this game? See who could outlast who? That was fine by me. Nick had always been a rather impulsive gambler, and he seemed to have forgotten a critical component.
I wasn’t the one who had to date her.
“I certainly did.” My smile widened as I bestowed it upon each of the happy couple in turn. “And you know what...I think Ella’s right. You guys need to get out there! Get seen! And I, for one, can think of plenty of things to keep you busy...”
Ella nodded and began immediately prattling on again, but Nick lifted his chin with a secret smile. His new girlfriend might be completely unaware, but there was a game afoot.
And it was a game that neither one of us intended to lose...
Chapter 18
The first move was mine.
After calling in Jake to work with Nick and Ella on drafting a press release, I slipped out into the hall to make some calls of my own. The first was to a local moving company. The second was to the doorman at Nick’s building. The third was to a landlord up in Queens.
By the time I headed back into the office, the meeting was just breaking up.
“You get everything you needed?” I asked Jake.
He glanced reflexively at Ella, before nodding his head.
“More than enough.”
Yeah—I bet she had a bit to say.
I dismissed him with a thank you, and proceeded to walk the two of them back down to the lobby. There was still probably a fifth of liquor churning away in my stomach, but for the first time all morning, I felt like I didn’t have a care in the world.
Plotting will do that to you. It’s why I got into this line of work.
“So, it’s just dinner tonight at the Solay?” Nick asked when we got outside.
“Yep,” I flashed them each a smile, “I made a reservation for two. You guys should have just enough time to make it across town.”
Ella nodded and started scampering towards the car, but Nick held her back—looking like some of his own drinking had suddenly caught up with him.
“A reservation...for two?”
There was an unmistakable note of panic in his voice. As if he’d just now realized that in dating this woman, the two of them would occasionally have to spend time alone. He cast a quick look down at her, before pulling out his phone.
“Why don’t I see if I can’t make it for a few more people—”