Page 3 of Body Check

The man laughed, the sound curling around Dakota like a physical touch, rich and warm. “That may be true.”

“Maybe,” she scoffed, obviously disbelieving.

“It’s weird though, right? That his sister had any sway in the hiring?”

Dakota straightened, glancing over at Violet who was wide-eyed, staring back at him.

“YouknowNed’s always had a soft spot for Violet, Gavin.”

“And whyisthat?” the man—Gavin, apparently—argued.

Oh shit,Dakota realized with a jolt. That was probably Gavin Racine.

Dakota had done a video interview with him.

Well, he’d tried.

The connection had been bad on his end, and he’d been forced to do a phone interview instead. Honestly, after that shitshow, Dakota had been surprised he’d been hired at all.

Then again, if Gavin was right, it sounded like Ned was the whole reason it had gone through. So much for Violet only getting his foot in the door …

Dakota tuned back in to the conversation.

“—I don’t know. She’s been lovely every time I’ve encountered her though,” the woman pointed out.

“Oh, she is,” Gavin said. “She was perfectly nice when we met too. But she’s a fuckingaccountant, Amelia. What kind of hold does she have over Ned to get this guy hired? The whole thing’s kinda shady, no?”

Dakota bristled at the insult to his sister, and he stepped forward as Gavin and Amelia passed the door to the studio.

The look of startled horror on Gavin’s face was almost gratifying. Or, it would have been if Dakota wasn’t boiling mad at the implications of what Gavin had said.

“Excuseme?” Dakota snapped.

“I’m sorry,” Gavin said, holding up his hands, palms out. “I didn’t realize anyone else was here?—”

“Yeah, no shit.” Dakota sneered. “That’s not the kind of thing you say to a person’s face.”

“I didn’t mean?—”

“Oh, youmeanit. You might not have meant for Violet and me to overhear you, but you meant those words. You aren’t happy with my hiring, and you think there’s somethingshadyabout it.”

Gavin winced. “I spoke without thinking. I apologize.”

Violet cleared her throat, stepping forward. “While I understand going to Ned to try to get my brother hired has raised some red flags for you, Gavin, I can assure you there’s nothing shady about it at all. I don’t have anyholdover him, if that’s what you’re concerned about. We’re merely friendly.”

“Friendly,” Gavin said, looking her up and down. “Indeed.”

Violet’s tone turned icy, probably for being reduced to her looks. “If you must know, one morning shortly after I was hired, I was walking through the employee parking area on my way into work. Someone whipped their vehicle around a corner at a high speed and nearly ran over an older man. He had to jump back to avoid being hit and lost his grip on the portfolio he carried. His paperwork went everywhere. I hurried over to check on him and helped him gather up his papers before the wind made them disappear. He was touched I’d stopped to help him, offered to buy me a coffee at the café in the lobby in thanks, and we had a lovely chat. Since then, Ned stops by the accounting office every so often to say hello, ask about my husband and kids, and bring me a coffee. Are you so suspicious of everyone that mutualkindnesssounds shady to you?”

“Ahh.” Gavin looked chagrined. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have leaped to any conclusions there.”

She pursed her lips but nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate the apology.”

Gavin turned to Dakota. “And I am sorry I assumed?—”

“You can assume whatever you want about me,” Dakota said, straightening, refusing to be quailed by another handsome, self-important man. God, he was sick of them. Sick of them always underestimating him and what he could do. “But I have the training and experience needed to do this job and I don’t appreciate you undermining my position here.”

“I never intended?—”

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