I giggle behind my hand. “I promise it won’t break.”
He shoots me a grin, then positions himself in a series of awkward poses.
“Just relax. No need to pose.” I suppress another giggle at his attempt to look like Rodin’sThe Thinker.
He chuckles yet sounds nervous. “Just a little sport there.”
After starting the recording on my phone, I grab my camera and go over my process with Payton so he knows what to expect. He relaxes visibly and answers my questions with that smooth accent of his. I can tell this interview will go much easier than Luke’s did. For one, he’s more engaging, although he didn’t seem to want to talk about his family in Britain. He would redirect and ask me a question, which I found fascinating. Another mystery to solve, perhaps?
I place my camera on my desk as we finish. “Great. I think I have everything I need. Did you have any questions?”
He gets to his feet but pauses in front of me like a shy first-grader. “Just one, if I may.”
“Sure.” I nod to encourage him to go on.
“Are you free for dinner tonight?”
Before I can answer, the sound of someone clearing his throat from behind me brings both mine and Payton’s attention to the doorway.
Luke walks into the opening, his facial expression bordering on the dark side. At least I’m not the one on the receiving end of his impaling stare this time.
Payton bounces his gaze from Luke to me. “Right. Let’s just forget I said that, and I’ll be on my way.”
He darts out the door so fast I think my bangs fluttered. I didn’t realize a hockey player could move as fast off the ice as on. Look out, Flash. You have some serious competition.
I don my fiercest expression to give Luke an indicator of how I feel. “What was that?”
His terminator impression shifts to confusion as he walks into my office, making the limited space feel even smaller. “What was what?”
“I was in the middle of an interview?—”
“Sounded as if you finished.” He smirks, as if he thinks he has me cornered like a cat chasing after a mouse.
Well, this mouse just found her teeth. I cross my arms. “How long exactly were you standing there? In case you didn’t notice, you’re not a small man, which means your hulk filling the doorway is very noticeable. So that makes me wonder if you were listening in before you made your presence known?”
There. Take that, Mr. Cat.
His eyes sparkle with amusement as one side of his mouth quirks up. “So, you think I’m noticeable?”
I drop my arms, tempted to squeak for help. “Is that all you took away from that?”
He does a curt shrug. “All that matters.”
I point to my door. “You can leave now.”
“But I just got here.”
“Okay, then, whyareyou here? Are you ready to finish your interview?”
For the first time since he made his presence known, his gaze wavers, dropping to his feet, then up to some spot over my shoulder.
I’ll take that as a no. I’m tempted to turn around and see what he’s looking at, but I have a feeling it’s the photo I just hung this morning of my dad and me at my college graduation.
“Is that your father?” He gestures to the picture.
I keep my gaze forward. “Yes.”
“He looks proud of you.”
