“I saw you on TV! Are you dating that movie star, Finley McAlister?” her mom asked.
“What? Oh god.” Alex rarely watched TV. All her news came from printed sources, websites, or the radio. And she never watched those silly entertainment news shows. Office gossip had made her life miserable early in her career, so she refused to contribute to the problem by taking part. In her mind, watching those entertainment shows was another version of participating, and she wouldn’t support them with her patronage.
“So, it’s true?” her mom persisted. “You won’t date normal men, but movie stars are okay? What is going on?”
“Mom,” Alex said, “we’re not dating. I sat beside him on the airplane coming home from London. He asked me to dinner. I thought dinner with him would be entertaining. I was wrong. The end.”
When her mom launched into a list of movies Fin had starred in, Alex closed her eyes and pinched her nose, attempting to stave off the headache developing behind her right eye. The older woman began adding her personal critiques, and Alex realized she had to stop her.
“Mom, I’ve got to go. I have a meeting. We’ll talk later, okay?”
“Alex, I’m worried about you. Do not brush me off on this. I mean it,” she threatened.
Alex hung up and leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling. She loved her mom and had wonderful memories from growing up on the ranch, but their worlds were so far apart that they had little in common as adult women. She made a mental note to call her back as soon as she got a quiet moment.
She still had twenty minutes available before the meeting, so she searched the Internet for Finley McAlister. The pictures of them fleeing the restaurant came up right away. Fin’s jaw was clenched and his gaze locked forward, his right arm wrapped protectively around her while his left stretched out to block unwanted advances. Alex’s own face was pale and drawn, and her eyes appeared glazed over in shock.
She found other photos as well. The two of them sitting at the dinner table together, laughing, touching each other. Those images screamed cozy and romantic. The photographer must have been hiding in the bushes left of the balcony. Alex groaned and closed her browser, mentally shoving the images aside, then gathered her things for her meeting.
A few minutes later in the conference room she’d reserved, she projected the meeting agenda on the screen and opened the conference call as the first attendees walked into the room. She greeted the callers on the line and turned back to her laptop as one of the IT admins who frequently worked with her team sauntered over to where she was sitting.
“So, Alex… Anything you want to tell us?” He stuck his hands in his front pockets and looked up at the ceiling, then cut his eyes back to her.
“Yes, I’m proud of you for arriving on time for once to a project meeting. Good job,” she said with a smile, returning her attention to her laptop.
“Well, I wanted to show up early and get the gossip on Mr. ‘Hottest Man Ever.’”
Alex stopped typing and met his gaze. Beyond him, the other attendees stood still, staring at her and awaiting her response. A beep on the conference phone announcing a new arrival saved Alex from answering. She addressed the room and told them they were waiting a few minutes for everyone to arrive and would begin soon.
To give herself time to recover from the jarring question, Alex got up to shut the door to the conference room.Good lord,she thought as she walked to the door,do people actually follow celebrities this closely? Seriously?
Alex kept the meeting on track, finished early, and left the room before anyone else could ask about her personal life.
She’d worked hard her entire career to keep her personal life separate from her work. When you were the only woman among a sea of male managers, it became second nature to tuck away anything that reminded them you were different. This strategy had worked well for many years. Suddenly having her private life exposed for everyone to disseminate unnerved her. She feared losing the traction she’d made in her career over a stupid dinner date with some temporary guy.
Her stomach growled and Alex checked her phone. A lunch break would give her time to collect herself and she had enough time in her schedule to venture off premises.
Normally, Alex liked to use her lunch hour to leave work behind. She usually went out with friends or colleagues, where they avoided talking about any current job-related issues they were working on. The human interaction was good for her soul and the break from work helped her revitalize for the afternoon. Today, however, she wanted some quiet time alone. She collected her purse and let Grace know she was going offsite for lunch should anyone come looking for her.
Her phone rang as she crossed the block-sized park outside her office building and headed to a nearby delicatessen. She glanced at the caller and grimaced when Fin’s name popped up.Nope,she thought,not ready forthatconversation.She put her phone away and walked inside the deli.
She paid for her muffuletta sandwich and found a narrow table outside in a spot that faced the park. She loved how much green space Houston had within the city, even in the downtown area. From her seat, she could see both the park and the inside of the deli. The view allowed her to enjoy nature while watching for colleagues who had the same idea. She did not want company right now.
Alex forced herself to relax and enjoy the fall weather. She watched two birds fight over a piece of bread while she ate. A flash of color caught her eye on the television inside the deli. She focused on the image and gasped, nearly choking on the bite she had in her mouth. The image showed Fin, stunningly handsome in a red-carpet tux, with the headline, “Hottest Man No Longer Available?” Her mouth went dry, and she had to force herself to swallow the now unappealing sandwich bite. When her stomach gurgled, she waited to see if the nausea would pass.At least if I threw up, the pigeons would have more to fight over. Alex cringed and acknowledged she was finished with lunch. She wrapped up the leftovers, cleaned off the table, and headed back to the office, hoping her stomach would settle down before the next meeting.
Fin had risenearly that morning, gotten in a full workout and swim, and had eaten a hardy breakfast. As he showered, his mind drifted to the manuscript and where he’d left off the night before. He was eager to get back to it.
Fin’s phone pinged as he buttoned his shirt. His mother loved this shirt. According to her, the navy color brought out the deep blue in his eyes. He liked it because the soft poplin button-down with the tapered cut made him feel stylishly comfortable.
He tucked the shirt into his tan chinos and read the text from Addie. “Got something for you.”
She picked up as soon as he dialed.
“I saw the pictures. You look great, by the way, and so does your lady friend,” Addie said without preamble. “Needless to say, we do have some recourse. Do you have her dress? We can use it for evidence.”
“Er, no, I’ll have to fetch it from her,” Fin answered. “What’s the deal?”
“First, tell me what happened. I can take a guess but want to hear it in your words.”
