“Oh. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s not something I’m secretive about.”
I leaned back in my chair, watching her look at the photo. There was reverence on her face when she spoke again. “I may not look like my mom, but we’re a lot alike.”
“Oh yeah? So she’s a pain in the ass, too?”
She pretended to be offended. “I’m not a pain the ass.”
“I’ve known you barely a week. Day one you were stealing office space and tried to kick my ass when I caught you. A few days later you started a fight because I made an innocent comment about some bad advice you were feeding a client, and today, I almost got into a fist fight because of you.”
“My advice wasn’t bad.” She sighed. “But I guess the rest is true. I have been a pain in the ass, haven’t I?”
I finished my drink and poured two fingers more into the tumbler, then topped off Emerie’s glass. “You’re in luck. I like pains in the asses.”
We talked for a while longer. Emerie told me about her parents’ hardware store back in Oklahoma and was in the middle of some story about selling supplies to a guy who was arrested for locking his wife in an underground bunker for two weeks when my office phone rang. I went to grab it, but she reached for it first.
“Mr. Jagger’s office. How may I assist you?” She answered in a sexy, flirty voice.
The two drinks had loosened her up, made her playful. I liked it.
“May I ask who’s calling?” She picked up a ballpoint pen and paused to listen, mindlessly rubbing the top along her bottom lip.
My eyes followed. I bet they taste good. I had the sudden urge to lean over the desk and bite one. Shit. Not a good thought.
Yet I was still staring at her lips when she looked back up at me. I should have stopped, but the way they moved when she started to speak held me captive.
“Okay, Mrs. Logan. Let me see if he’s available.”
That broke my gaze. I waved both hands in front of me, motioning to her that I wasn’t available. She put the phone on hold for five seconds and then returned to the call.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Logan. He seems to have stepped out.” A pause. “No, I’m sorry. I’m not at liberty to give out Mr. Jagger’s cell phone number. But I will tell him you called.”
After she hung up, she said, “You know what I just realized?”
“That your voice sounds sexier after a few drinks?”
She blinked. “My voice sounds sexier?”
I gulped a mouthful of my second drink. “Yeah. You were flirting answering the phone.”
“I wasn’t flirting.”
I shrugged. “Whatever. I liked it. What were you going to say you realized?”
“I don’t even remember now. I think those two little drinks went right to my head.”
“And your lips,” I grumbled.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh! I remember what I was going to say.” She pointed a finger at me. “I’ve taken at least twenty phone calls in three days and saw a ton of appointments on your calendar. That was the first Mrs. that called. You don’t have any clients named Jane, Jessica, or Julie.”
“That’s because I only take male clients.”
“What?” She looked at me like I’d just told her the sky was purple.
“Male clients. You know, they’re like women, except with less drama and bigger di—” I quieted mid-word, hearing the front door open. “Are you expecting someone?”
“No. Why?”
“I just heard the front door open.” I stood and walked to the hallway. “Hello?”
A guy I’d never seen before popped his head around the corner from the lobby. “Hi. I’m looking for Emerie Rose?”
I squinted. “Who are you?” I was concerned that the Dawson douchebag had come back to start trouble. But this guy looked like the last trouble he saw was when the kids picked on him in elementary school.
I turned back to Emerie, who was already heading toward me. She joined me in the doorway.
“Baldwin? I thought that was your voice. What are you doing here?”
“Thought I would surprise you.”
The guy raised flowers I hadn’t noticed at his side; their color matched his crooked bow tie. They were lame—looked like he bought them at the Chinese market down the block for $7.99.
“That’s so sweet.”
Emerie stepped out of the doorway where we were nice and close and walked to the guy, giving him a hug and kiss. For some reason, I stayed put, watching it all.
After she took the flowers, she remembered I was behind her. “Baldwin, this is Drew. Drew, Baldwin is the friend I told you about the other day.”
I was confused, and she read it on my face.
“My TA in college. Remember, I told you all about him?”
Really? That guy? “Oh. Yeah.” I extended my hand. “Nice to meet you. Drew Jagger.”
“Likewise. Baldwin Marcum.”
There was an odd, awkward silence before Emerie broke it. “Isn’t the office beautiful?”
“Very nice.”
“Are you on your way to meet Rachel?”