Page 43 of Players Like Us
“I think that’s a conversation you need to have with my brother. This call is to inquire as to your level of interest and availability to do work for our new restaurant. We could set up a time for you to meet Jameson, check out the place, and hear our ideas.”
“Goodness, thank you. Yes, I’m very interested.”
“Great. I can’t guarantee you’ll get the job, but if Neal recommended you, that says a lot. I’m learning my brother has a very keen business sense.”
“Yes, it seems he does.” She could not resist her next comment. “Too bad he knows nothing about relationships.”
When Rachel finished speaking with Tate, she took a long walk and went over every detail of their conversation. The most confusing part was Neal’s recommendation. Why would he do that? He’d treated her like a stranger yesterday, as though he didn’t want to see or hear from her again. Maybe guilt was the reason behind it all...because she’d spent so much time on the restaurant designs and now that was all gone. Sure, he told her she’d be paid for her designs, but what did that even mean? She hadn’t wanted to sell her ideas; she’d wanted to be involved in the entire project. At least he hadn’t pretended they could still work together. Reunion Gap looked pretty welcoming right now, a place where she could hide out and think about life, opportunity, and the many ways a person wasn’t always who he seemed to be.
And Neal Alexander was the biggest surprise of all. Tate mentioned that his brother owned businesses, not a single business, and yet he’d acted as though he didn’t know the difference between a dollar and a thousand dollars. Apparently, he did. Her walk turned into a run as she tried to clear her brain and make sense of life since Neal Alexander walked into it. No luck.
By the time she returned home, she was more confused, more unsettled and agitated than when she left her house. She couldn’t just wait for her life to change, for the disappointment and hurt to go away. How long would it take? A few weeks, a month? A year? Never? The idea that her feelings for the man who’d broken her heart would never completely disappear made her desperate. She should have asked him if he were the one responsible for setting up the initial meeting with Dominic, but she’d been so shocked when he revealed his affiliation with Matilda’s that she hadn’t thought about it.
Rachel had assumed Simon Bainbridge was behind everything related to the restaurant introduction, but now she wanted 100% confirmation and the only way to do that was to gather information. Dominic would never tell her and she was not confronting Neal Alexander, so that left only one person…the one who’d implied he’d been the reason behind the introduction. She grabbed her phone, punched out his number and waited.
“Hello?”
Rachel forced a lighthearted tone and pushed out the words that could lead to the truth. “Hi, Simon. This is Rachel Reese. How’ve you been?”
A short pause, and then “Great! And you?”
She didn’t miss the hesitancy or the curiosity. “I was wondering if we might get together for dinner. It’s been a while.”
“Sure. But...you’re not with anyone?”
“No, why do you ask?”
Another pause, followed by a laugh. “No reason, it’s just hard to think somebody like you is still unattached.”
There was something buried in that comment that said he knew something she didn’t. A vision of dark curls and blue eyes flitted through her brain, squeezed her soul. “Nope. Not attached.”
His voice dipped, filled the line with a low rumble. “Then I’d like to take you to dinner. Are you free tonight?”
“Tonight would be lovely. I’ve been thinking about Matilda’s. Any chance you could get reservations?” With a man like Simon Bainbridge, doubting his abilities would make him find a way.
“If that’s where you want to go, then I’ll make it happen. Pick you up at seven.”
After, Rachel almost called Simon back and asked him to choose a different restaurant. Why had she selected that restaurant? It had been a reckless, foolish choice, one she regretted the second she hung up. But to change the location now might make Simon suspicious and she couldn’t afford that, not when she needed answers.
“You look beautiful tonight.” Simon reached across the table, clasped her hand, his expression covered in admiration. “Did anyone ever tell you that you should be on the cover of a magazine?”
Really? That was the best line the guy had? Rachel eased her hand away, worked up a smile. “No, no one’s ever told me that.”
“It’s true. The high cheekbones, the almond-shaped eyes, the full lips.” His gaze settled on her lips as though he were imagining a kiss. “And your hair? I’ll bet it’s silky and…” His voice thrummed with heat. “Incredible.”
Neal had been right. The man was superficial and annoying and she regretted asking him here, but she needed information and he had it. “I know you never straight-out admitted that you provided the introduction with Dominic Lombardi for me, but now that I’ve got the job, there’s no need to pretend.”
Simon hesitated, cleared his throat. “Whatever I did or didn’t do to help you gain an introduction, you earned it.”
How would he know? He’d never inquired about her work or asked to see her portfolio. The man had never even asked if she designed office space, restaurants, museums.…because he didn’t care. Simon Bainbridge wasn’t the one to gain the introduction with Dominic and he was going to admit it.
“Simon we both know you didn’t broker the meeting with Dominic.”
The man’s cheeks turned red beneath his tan, and he stumbled for his next words. “Why would you say that?”
She placed her hands on the table, leaned forward. “Because you didn’t? Because you don’t personally know the man?” He was so arrogant, so self-centered. Rachel smiled, raised a brow. “I won’t hold it against you. I get it, you were trying to impress me. It worked.” Hardly, but the man was too in love with himself to realize how inappropriate it was to take credit for something he didn’t do. “You wanted to get my attention, and when I asked if you were behind Dominic’s phone call, it was the perfect opportunity to take credit. Why not, especially since the real person behind the introduction wasn’t coming forward? You saw an opening and you took it.”
Simon blew out a long sigh, offered a wide smile. “You got me. That’s exactly what I did, but I wanted to spend time with you. Is it so wrong to want to catch and keep your attention?”
