Page 15 of An Enchanted Spring

Aidan’s eyes narrowed. “No, you didn’t.”

Colin’s voice became downright jovial. “Oh, I’m sure I did. She popped up in my database while I was searching for potential matches for a client, and I thought she’d be a perfect match. You know. For the client.”

Aidan snorted in disbelief. “I know your game, Colin. You think tomatchme? You reallyarea right bastard.”

“I would never match without consent,” Colin declared. He ruined it with a chuckle. “But if she’s as amazing as you think she is, get her to sign on with you, then introduce usand I’ll do the rest as far as getting her on my team. You’ll be on your own when it comes to wooing her.”

“No one will be wooing anyone,” Aidan countered.

“Hey, that’s your decision to make. But get her to sign on. I really do need a PR manager, and none of the folks I’ve interviewed have given me a good reason to hire them. I’m in over my head with all these press releases, trying to get the London office set up.” Colin paused. “I need someone who I can trust. Do you think she could be that person?”

Aidan rolled his eyes. “Damn you.”

Sounding relieved, Colin laughed. “Then finish the job, lad, and get the woman to my office already.”

Aidan tucked the phone back into his pocket and gritted his teeth.

He should’ve known that Colin wouldn’t have sent him to New York City just to scope out a potential hire. But then again, he’d been so disconnected from everything for a while—his world had seemed rather gray and boring lately, and he’d welcomed the opportunity for a change of scene.

And heading back into the restaurant, Aidan privately acknowledged that Ms. Emmaline Perkins was the brightest spot he’d seen in longer than he cared to admit.

He cursed Colin’s matchmaking tendencies again. He would pay for this—but right now, Aidan had bigger issues to work out.

Such as not allowing the lovely, feisty woman currently waiting for him at their table to walk out of his life quite yet.

Chapter 3

The next morning, Emma stared at her computer screen in disbelief, as though the negative balance in her bank account would somehow fix itself.

So far, it remained in the red.

The bank representative she spoke with was very nice. She said it looked as though someone had withdrawn all of Emma’s money. Because it was a debit transaction, the representative explained, they’d have to look into it before reimbursing her. That could take up to ten business days. And the charges had overdrawn her checking balance, so it pulled out her entire savings as well.

That warranted its own investigation, which could take up to three months.

But, the overly cheerful representative informed her, they’d certainly look into it just as soon as they could, and she’d receive a letter in the mail about the decision five to ten business days after the decision had been reached…

Emma had nineteen dollars and seventy-two cents to her name, because that was all that was in her wallet.

She tried not to panic.

Ben ruined her credit when he went off the deep end. Allher credit cards had been joint accounts with his; they’d been together since college, except for a few months when they’d been on a break a few years ago, and it never occurred to her to open her own separate accounts.

Someone must’ve stolen his cards. How else would her money have disappeared? There wasn’t any way to withdraw money from jail.

Her rent was due in three days, her electric bill was already overdue because she’d forgotten to pay it last month, and all she had in her kitchen was half a gallon of milk, a box of cereal, and a bottle of soy sauce.

And now she had to worry that someone had stolen the identity of her ex, whom she had never taken off her account? She was going to have to call the credit bureaus and make sure her own identity was safe.

Emma dug around in her purse for her cell phone, but her fingers instead closed on a smooth, firm rectangle. She pulled it out and stared at it for a moment, then absently twirled Aidan MacWilliam’s card between her fingers, remembering his offer. Ten thousand dollars, direct deposited to an account…she could certainly go grocery shopping.

She wouldn’t be evicted.

She would have enough money to live for more than the next couple of months. She didn’t have anyone to ask for a loan, and her landlord was not an understanding sort.

She glanced down at the card again:

Aidan MacWilliam, Entrepreneur

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