Page 25 of Their After Hours Playbook

“He has a point. It doesn’t have to be a problem. If that’s what you want.”

She knew what she wanted—something that didn’t actually exist—a trouble-free way of getting to be naked with Zach Armstrong as much as she could handle. But was there a way for her to have at least a little bit of that? “I wouldn’t mind seeing him again. And we did agree to be friends.”

“So? There you go. Friends reach out. Friends call each other. Just come up with a reason to chat. Then see where things go. If it’s awkward or strained, just skip it. But if there’s any sign that it can be fun, I say go for it. Just don’t let your feelings get mixed up in it and you’ll be fine.”

“That’s the thing I worry about most. Emotions. They always become a problem for me.”

“Honey. Listen to me. You are a strong woman. So, be strong. Let him in, but only far enough to make you happy.”

The very thought of that filled Paige with both excitement and trepidation. Could she manage that? She wanted to try. “I suppose that’s doable.”

April snickered. “It sounds to me like Zach is very doable, too.”

“Now that was a bad joke.”

“I know. That’s part of why you love me.”

“I do love you. Thank you for indulging my more nonsensical moments.”

“Hey. I get you. It all makes sense to me.” From the other end of the line, there was the sound of voices. “I actually need to run, Paige, but keep me posted, okay?”

“Will do.”

Paige and April said their goodbyes, leaving Paige to think of a reason to call Zach. She even wrote down a list, but most of her ideas seemed incredibly lame, especially considering that she’d been the one who was so adamant about not continuing with their physical relationship. And then, as if the universe heard her plea, she got a phone call.

Henry buzzed her line. “Ms. Moss. Enzo Bartolli from Maverick Motors is on the phone for you.”

Paige had been waiting on this call. She’d left a message for Enzo on Monday and hadn’t heard back. “Great. Thank you.” Paige hit the blinking button on her phone. “Enzo. Hello. How are you?”

“Very well, Ms. Moss. How are you?”

“I’m great. And please call me Paige.”

“Okay, Paige. I’m sorry it took me a few days to return your call. I forget how busy it can be after you return from a trip.”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Also, I wanted some time to do some research on you and your client roster. I spent some time on your agency’s website. It’s very impressive.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ve spoken to our marketing team and we’d like to make an offer on a social media collaboration for one of your clients. Take the partnership for a test drive, so to speak. See if our two companies work well together.”

Paige’s heart was beating fast. She’d waited so long for something like this to actually pan out. It was going to feel like such a triumph to bring an opportunity like this to Alexis. “For Alexis Simmons, I assume?”

“Actually, I don’t think Alexis is the right one for this campaign. I was hoping we could discuss Gabby Cooper. The tennis player? We’re debuting a brand-new small SUV and we think she’s the perfect personality to be associated with the launch.”

Paige’s excitement was now tamped down quite a bit. “Oh. I see.”

“There’d be financial compensation, of course, but we’d also love to give her a car. She could pick out the colors and options.”

“That sounds amazing. Can you send me the details so I can discuss it with Gabby?”

“Yes. Of course.” Enzo cleared his throat. “You sound disappointed, Paige.”

“I’m not at all. I would just really like you to take a long hard look at Alexis. She’s a star. I believe that.”

“Oh, we will. We definitely will. We just didn’t think this was the right project for her. This particular car is quite small and Alexis is so tall. Buyers like to see a spacious interior. It won’t look right if she’s behind the wheel and her head is practically rubbing the roof.”

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