Page 19 of Forty, Flirty & Fake-ly Yours

I shake his offered hand. “Tonight, Mr. Dixon.”

He never smiles, but his eyes…They seem to say something his mouth won’t.

With his lawyer in tow, he leaves in a rustle of papers and expensive fabric, somehow managing to avoid all evidence of the balloon disaster in our lobby.

I wait exactly thirty seconds after the elevator doors close before grabbing my phone. "Olivia! Fashion emergency!"

But before I can hit dial, the phone rings. Emily Hanning. Again.

“What a goddamned control freak,” I mutter, staring at my phone as it rings. Emily Hanning's name feels like it's flashing in neon. "First my clothes, then my workout schedule—what's next, a spreadsheet for approved conversation topics?"

The phone stops ringing, then immediately starts again. Emily Hanning is nothing if not persistent.

With a sigh that's too tired to resist anymore, I answer the phone. "Heart & Soul Connections, this is?—"

"Rosalind Carpenter? Emily Hanning from TechCast.”

“Yes, I’ve heard. What can I do for you, Ms. Hanning?”

“Well, I’ve been trying to reach you about a feature I'm working on.”She snorts softly. “Well, two features now, given this morning's headlines about you and Grayson Dixon."

“This morning’s headlines?"

"'You didn’t see? It’s called ‘Seattle's Tech Bachelor Finds Love the Old-Fashioned Way.' That's my working title, anyway. But what I really want to discuss is your other incomparable high-profile match."

"Other match?" I hold the phone closer. “Well, we’ve had so many over the years.”

“Of course. But what we’re really interested in Jessica Gordon’s match…”

“I’m sorry. But I don’t know a Jessica Gordon.”

The line goes silent. Several seconds pass before Emily speaks. “She’s…Grayson Dixon’s ex-fiancée.”

The room seems to tilt slightly.

Oh shit. This is the woman Douglas Franklin mentioned last night.

And I hooked her up with her current partner?

It can’t be…

"Ms. Carpenter? Are you there?"

I look at my bank statement again. Then at the massive contract Grayson left behind.

"I'll, uh, need to check my records," I manage. "Client confidentiality, you understand."

"Of course. But this feature could do amazing things for your brand. Really highlight the human element that AI can't replicate. I'm thinking front page, Sunday edition..."

Front page.

The kind of exposure that could save my business.

The kind of exposure that could keep clients rolling in. Or land me in tabloid hell.

I’m sure Dani would say both are great for business.

"Let me get back to you," I hear myself say. “I’m really busy. But I’ll be in touch soon.”

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