Page 10 of Saving the CEO

“It’s not an insult at all. I’m speaking the truth, which is what you’re paying me to do. Trust me, you don’t want me to lie and flatter you. That wouldn’t be of any benefit to you or to this process.” Her tone turned serious. “Everything I’m doing is to help you. People who are self-aware have an easier time in their relationships.”

Why did every meeting with Scarlett seem like a therapy session? She somehow always found a way to turn the tables and make him feel like he was the problem and that he was the one who needed to change. But what about her?

“Isn’t it your job to find me a woman I’m compatible with? If you do your job right, I should have no problem getting along with her.”Definitely a lot better than you and I get along,he thought to himself. If he’d learned anything from Scarlett so far, it was the type of woman toavoid, namely someone like her. He could do without her smart-alecky attitude and incessant comebacks.

“I don’t know what world you’ve been living in, Devin, but every relationship on earth, whether it’s with family members or friends or colleagues, requires work. We’re all sinners and works in progress. Nobody’s perfect, not even you.”

“So you’ve told me before.” His foot shook in annoyance. What was it with this woman? For someone who supposedly thought he was handsome, she didn’t seem so enamored with him. Was this her way of playing it cool and being intentional about setting professional boundaries? Why was she so difficult to understand?

He narrowed his eyes and locked gazes with Scarlett across the desk. Her expression softened the longer they stared. After about five seconds, she looked away and cleared her throat.

“How about we try the next activity?” she suggested. “You might like it more. It’s called Truth or Lie. You list twelve things about yourself, but make half of them lies, and I’ll try to guess which ones those are.”

He took the pen she handed him. “I can write anything I want?”

“Anything you want.”

Devin glanced down at the blank spaces on the paper, wondering where to begin. It wasn’t often that he needed to make up lies about himself. This would require some brainstorming, especially if he wanted to win.

Scarlett was right. Hewouldenjoy this more.

For the next ten minutes, he jotted down his twelve facts. When he was done, he slid the paper back to Scarlett’s side.

She read it in complete silence. It was a good minute before she looked up. “This is good, Devin. I’m impressed at how hard you made it for me.”

He couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from curving up. “I mean business. Go ahead and make your guesses.”

“Okay. I think these are the lies—you went bungee jumping on your eighteenth birthday, you go to the gym every other day, you love mushrooms, you wanted to be a zookeeper when you were young, you don’t know how to ice skate, and you were in a band when you were in college. Am I right?”

“Close.” He couldn’t resist grinning at the shock on her face. “One out of six isn’t bad.”

“No, what?! Only one of them is a lie and the rest are true? How can that be?” Shaking her head in disbelief, she studied the paper again. “Youdoknow how to ice skate?”

“Wrong. I’ve never ice skated in my life.”

“Never? You never went when you were a kid?”

“Never.” His childhood had been spent keeping the house in order and his siblings fed while his dad worked day and night. There had been little time for playing. He gave a quick shake of his head, not willing to divulge more. “I didn’t have any interest in going.”

“You should give it a try sometime! You never know, you might be a natural on the ice.”

“I don’t have the time.”

“That’s just an excuse. You can always make time.”

“I would if that was something I wanted to do, but I don’t.”

She nodded. “Okay, that’s fair.”

He expected her to interject abut,however, there was only silence. “You’re letting me win this one?”

“This isn’t a competition, Devin. We’re on the same team.”

“So you like to remind me.”

Her long lashes fluttered as she grinned. “You sound like you don’t believe me.”

“I just find you to be—how shall I put it—quite spirited in your responses to me. You seem to enjoy putting me in my place.”

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