“That's not what he asked.” Scott must understand where the conversation was headed. “If the numbers are good, and you think we can do it, you don't have anything to lose.”
She stared at Scott. “Yes. There's enough there to buy me away.”
Scott grinned. “We'll have you an offer letter on Monday.”
Her smile was more hesitant. “Sounds like a blast. Do I get a spiffy title like the two of you have?”
“You want something better than—what was it Vance called you? Unemployed?” Scott’s tone was teasing.
“Chief Financial Officer.” Zach didn't know where that had come from. Even though they'd let Kelly invest back in the day, she'd always been a silent partner. Why was he willing to give this woman so much trust, less than twenty-four hours after insisting she was insane?
It was a bit much to prove a point, but it was too late to take it back now. Zach looked at Scott. “You're okay with this?”
Scott only paused for a second. “Sounds perfect.”
Zach was on his feet again. He grabbed Rae's hand. “So, listen. We have this friend, right?”
Rae stared blankly at him.
“And she just got this fantastic job offer, and we want to take her to celebrate.”
Scott laughed.
Rae's mouth twisted, but she didn't successfully hide her smile.
Zach ignored both. “That's in the budget, right? Because there's no way we're letting her pay.”
Rae ducked her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her reply was soft, laced with laughter. “I think it'll be all right. Just this once.”
Zach led her toward the door. He glanced over his shoulder at Scott. “That place downtown?”
Scott didn't hesitate. “The Italian one?”
Zach nodded. “Kelly always said they had good wine.” He expected something inside to cringe at the reminder, but the lingering hurt was gone.
****
Zach glanced sideways before turning his attention back to the road. As dinner had worn on, Rae grew more and more quiet, eventually pulling away from the entire conversation. When they'd said good night and Scott had hugged her, she'd looked like it was taking all of her restraint not to bolt from the room.
She had given single word answers to Zach’s questions on the drive to Chloe’s, and spent the rest of her time sliding her watch up and down her wrist. When she spoke, her soft request echoed in the quiet car. “Tell me something?”
Anything, as long as it got rid of the awkward silence. “Sure.”
“Why the change of heart?”
He hadn't expected her to dwell on his earlier reluctance to listen to her idea. She'd gone along with everything, so he assumed she was okay with it. He stalled as he tried to think of a reasonable response. “About?”
She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. “About my plan. You were almost violently opposed to it, and now you're treating it like it's the most precious thing in the world.”
What was a good answer? Shit. He shouldn't be stalling. Why couldn't he come up with something clever? Because he didn't want to lie. Not to her.
She shook her head. “So you really were doing it because of me.”
How did she know that? “No, of course not.”
“Really?” She flopped back, skull slamming into the headrest with a thunk. “So if Scott had come up with the idea, you would have been just as opposed. Or Jordan?”
No. “Of course.” He couldn't hide his cringe at the taste of the lie. “Look, I'm sorry. I just… We got burned once before.”
“By a different awkward little girl?”
“I realized I wasn't being fair to you. It's why I swallowed my pride. I'm glad I did.”
He parked in front of Chloe’s building. How was he going to make this better?
She twisted sideways in her seat, hands on the armrest between them, face inches from his. The coffee she'd had at dessert hung heavy on her breath, mingling with the strawberry shampoo he couldn't help but associate with her. Her lips were close enough for him to feel their heat, but she never touched him.
Holy fuck. He wanted her. The revelation struck him hard, throbbing in his head and lower down.
Her voice was a whisper. “If you think you can win me over by feigning interest in my ideas, if you think that’s how I tick… That it's the best way to get me into bed… You're wrong.”
He kept his expression impassive, eyes searching hers. It wouldn't hurt him to be a little honest. “They're two separate things.” The low tone of his voice matched hers, his lips hovering millimeters away. “How much I want you has nothing to do with whether or not you've got a good idea.”
When she pulled away, something inside him crashed and disintegrated.
She opened her door, and warm air wafted in to mingle with the air conditioning. “I can’t pinpoint why, but I’m not sure I believe you. Maybe it’s because you’re still not telling me everything.”