Page 52 of Players Like Us
His gaze narrowed the tiniest bit as he took in her words. “Mind if I sit and wait?”
This might be the closest she’d get to the man, so why not permit herself to enjoy a few seconds of what she could never have? “Of course.” He slid into the booth, eyed her wine. Neal had once told her a solid cabernet could get you through just about anything. Rachel lifted her glass, saluted him. “I figured I might need it.”
The raised brow said he wanted to hear more. “That bad?”
A shrug. “I don’t know. Claudia signed me up with some mystery man and he’s been paying me for my time, but I’ve yet to meet him. Tonight was supposed to be the night.”
“Sounds interesting and a little odd.”
The look on his face made her laugh. “You once said Claudia’s was a haven for the desperate. Women desperate for money, men desperate for companionship, people desperate to prove something. At the time, I thought it was just another Neal Alexander sarcasm and judgment, but you were right.”
Those blue eyes flickered, his voice dipped. “I was?”
“I was desperate because I needed the money and then when the mystery-man opportunity came along, all I could see was my bank account balance. So I agreed and when I never had to actually do anything for the money, even better, right?” She frowned, toyed with the stem of her wine glass. “Except it wasn’t. It was worse, and it felt like… I don’t know… It felt wrong. Maybe I looked like the man’s dead wife or he couldn’t find companionship on his own, or he was sad and lonely… Desperate.” She let out a long sigh. “If it were desperation, I could not take advantage of that. I told Claudia I wouldn’t be renewing any future contracts with him or with the company.” Pause and then “I resigned.”
“Resigned.” Several seconds passed before Neal asked, “Don’t you want to at least meet the man? Aren’t you a little curious about him?”
“No, not really. I was, but I’ve done a lot of thinking and staying with Claudia’s isn’t an authentic path for me, even if the money is great. I’m going to work on my design projects and if money gets tight, I’ll start selling my repurposed clothing. Meredith said she’d help me.” Another shrug, “We’ll see.”
The waiter appeared, delivered a glass of wine. “Mr. Alexander. Nice to see you this evening.”
“Thank you, Todd. You, too.”
“Do you know everyone here?”
He offered a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Only the important ones. Staff is always important. Often overlooked, definitely overworked. I just want them to know I appreciate them. The generous tips help them as well.”
Why had she not opened her eyes earlier and seen all of the good qualities in this man? “It’s very kind of you.”
“If we were all kinder to each other, think what that would look like? Think what it would feel like?” He sipped his wine, set the glass on the table, and met her gaze. “Have you ever considered the mystery man is desperate to meet you, but doesn’t quite have the courage?”
“I don’t think that’s it.”
This time when he smiled, it reached his eyes, made them bluer. “I think you don’t understand your powers.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why are you really here, Neal? You did not just happen to walk into this restaurant the night I’m going to be here and land in this particular booth. What do you want?” She gripped her wine glass, forced out the questions. “You made it very clear how you felt about me, so… What’s going on? Did you pay off Claudia to get information on me? Again, why? Would you please say what’s on your mind and be done?”
His face paled beneath his tan and when he spoke, his voice was smothered in confusion and misery. “Claudia is Dominic’s friend. I helped invest in her business, but I’ve never been a client…” Those eyes turned bright, his voice quiet. “Except for one time.”
It was too much information to process, and she was not going to read between the lines. “Can you for once just spell it all out? No games or subterfuge?”
“I’m the mystery man.”
“You? Impossible. You always said you’d never subscribe to that concept.”
“I did say that and I meant it, but...it seemed the only way to protect you from Simon Bainbridge. But truth? I didn’t want you going out with strangers, and it didn’t matter if it was a dinner date, or a play, or a symphony. I didn’t like the whole idea. I thought you were too innocent, too trusting to spot the less-than-reputable types. Sure, Claudia has an excellent vetting program, but people can pretend they’re anyone and they can look great on paper but, who are they really? You can’t know until you spend time with them...get to know them…”
Rachel stared at him, tried to make sense of his words. “What do you want with me, Neal?” She’d waited and hoped he’d give her another chance but there’d been nothing but silence.
“Your brother called me the other night and we had a very interesting conversation.” A tiny smile, a laugh. “Seems he needed a little help deciphering Meredith’s ailments.”
“Daniel called you about Meredith? What’s wrong and why would he call you?”
Those blue eyes sparkled. “If my guess is correct, it’s nothing that another eight months or so won’t fix.”
“She’s pregnant?” Rachel placed her hands on the table, leaned forward. “Really?” Was that why she’d been poking at her food, taking puny bites, and spending a lot of time in the bathroom?
A shrug and then “I told Daniel he should think about picking up a pregnancy test.”
