Page 33 of Forget Me

“Ah, but that’s never happening,” Mateo said, a grin cracking his serious expression. His big hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed it right where a knot of tension had formed. “I knew from the first time I saw her that Mimi would be my forever love.”

I blinked up at him. Why was he doing this for me? What did he have to gain from taking on the additional responsibility of the gala planning? From telling that lie about hisforever loveto keep me in the running for the foundation job?

“Wow,” Natalie said. “I think that’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard outside of a movie.”

Her phone buzzed on the table, and she picked it up. She frowned at it. “Nine-one-one text from my brother Andrew. I’ve got to go. But I think we were done?” She raised her eyebrows at Larissa, and when she didn’t object, straightened her papers then shoved them into her tote.

Larissa frowned. “But we were going to the driving range tonight.”

“Sorry. My low-maintenance brother is having some high-maintenance issues. I have to keep him from doing something he’ll regret.” Natalie strode to the door. “See you next time.”

I wished I had the confidence to tell Larissa no. To turn my back on her like Natalie did. But I needed Larissa more than she needed me. I couldn’t refuse her anything if I wanted to be considered for the assistant director job.

Larissa pasted on a smile as false as her lashes. “What about you two? I’ve got the station reserved already. Why don’t you join me? My treat to show there are no hard feelings.”

I didn’t buy her repentant expression for a minute. Besides, she’d definitely see through the pretense of our relationship if she watched Mateo and me interact one-on-one. She’d know that once the contracts with the band and the caterer were signed, she could boot both Mateo and me from the committee without any repercussions.

“I don’t play,” I said.

Mateo splayed his hands. “I don’t, either.”

My shoulders eased down in relief. I’d been half-afraid Mateo would want to go with Larissa. Now he and I would go our separate ways. After we talked through theforever lovenonsense.

Larissa rose from her chair. “You don’t have to know how to play golf to hit at a driving range. Come on, it’ll be fun. And, Miriam, golf is a skill you should learn if you ever want to succeed in business.”

“Wha—why?” Communication skills, I understood. Accounting, marketing, operations knowledge, I got. But why was knowing how to hit a little white ball a prerequisite for career advancement?

She raised an eyebrow. “You and I don’t have Jackson and Natalie’s privilege of having doors open because of our names. We have to find more subtle ways of influencing people. People make more deals on golf courses than in boardrooms.”

“That doesn’t seem right.”Or fair.

She shrugged. “It is what it is. Your mother’s a lawyer, right?”

“How did you know that?”

“I make it my business to learn about the people I work with. I bet she plays golf.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Actually, she does.” Did Mom believe what Larissa said? Did she enjoy golf not for the sport but for the influence it gave her? I’d have to ask her on Friday at dinner.

“Now come on. I’ll show you everything you need to know.”

Her gaze lingered on Mateo, and even though we weren’t actually dating, my hands curled into fists. Then I flattened them against my black slacks and stood. He could flirt with anyone he wanted. Whatever was going on between us wasn’t real.

Besides, I had a bigger problem: golf. I wasn’t going to influence anyone positively by making an idiot of myself at the driving range. But if my best attempt at hitting a golf ball would smooth the way to the job I wanted at the foundation, I’d even wear one of those silly tam hats with a pom-pom.

Mateo probably would, too. He’d make it look sexy.

* * *

In the parking garage,Mateo opened the door of his Jeep for me and helped me clamber up.

Pausing at the back of the vehicle, he lifted his phone to his ear. He spoke briefly into it, listened for a moment, and ran his hand through his hair. His lips moved again, then he disconnected the call. Was he canceling his plans? Did he have a date tonight?

He opened the driver-side door and stepped effortlessly into the tall vehicle.

“Look, I—I’m sorry about this.” I twisted my fingers in my lap. “It’s probably going to be miserable.”

“Eh.” He shrugged while he backed out of the space. “Like Larissa said, it is what it is.”

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