“Wait a second...you’re blushing. You like him, don’t you? Liam?”
Why deny it?
“Well, he’s superhot. But I’m just going to ignore it. Or try to.”
“Why?”
“Because if they’re going to invest, it’s best to not mix things. With my bad record at dating, it could turn into a disaster.”
I could write a whole book on bad dates. One that stuck in my memory even today was this guy Lloyd. I caught him asking for the waitress’s number. When I challenged him, he said he wanted to have a backup in case I didn’t go home with him. Guess who didn’t get laid that night. That’s right, Lloyd.
And then there was Francis, who was trying very hard to find out how much I was making at my job and how big my apartment was, because he wanted to make sure I wasn’t looking for a sugar daddy.
“Oh. Okay. Good point.”
“So yeah, tonight is all about making a good impression.”
People who didn’t know me sometimes thought I was strange. But I had to say I was a little concerned about me tonight, whether I was going to say the wrong thing or give off a weird vibe. I usually didn’t care, but this time, I wanted to make a good impression. If this dinner didn’t work out, we’d have to go back to searching for another partner, and we were running out of time.
“Just be yourself,” Skye said. “If they don’t like that, we know they’re not right for us.”
I gave my sister a quick hug, grateful that she just embraced my crazy-pants personality. I knew how much she wanted this partnership, so I was determined not to screw anything up. I rubbed my hands in excitement as the car slowed down, smiling at my sister as we hopped into the Honda.
“Okay, let’s show them we’re everything they didn’t know they want and need.”
Skye laughed. Even the driver chuckled, looking at us in the rearview mirror.
A while later, we arrived at The Edge, one of the posher restaurants on the Upper East Side. I tugged at my dress as I got out of the car, and then we carefully climbed the stone steps to the entrance. I’d heard about this restaurant but had never been inside it. Right next to the entrance was a high round table with a Please wait to be seated sign on it. There was a smaller card with the words Ring the bell if this is unattended. Skye touched the vintage brass bell, and a blonde server hurried toward us right away.
“Are you here for the Harrington & Co. dinner?” she asked breathlessly.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Perfect. The dinner is in the room to the left.”
“Thank you,” Skye said.
“Chin high, shoulders straight,” I told my sister with a grin. She grinned back. That had been my motto ever since kids gave her a hard time in school, and it stuck.
“What’s our tactic? Divide and conquer, right?” she asked.
“Definitely. We need to talk to all three.”
“I’ll leave Harrington to you.” She’d dropped her voice to a whisper, wiggling her eyebrows. I didn’t get a chance to reply before we stepped inside the room.
It was beautiful, if a bit dark. The walls were painted a modern concrete gray, and the light fixtures were vintage brass with yellow light bulbs. It was a very interesting mix, sort of The Great Gatsby meets modern-day New York.
There were about a dozen high round bar tables scattered around the room, and everyone was standing around them. The chatter was audible even over the faint jazz music. Although the room was crowded, I immediately spotted Liam. It was impossible not to notice him. His presence was just too intense and larger than life. Everyone in the group he was talking to stood a few feet away, as if too intimidated to get too close.
At that moment, he turned around, zeroing in on me. The second our gazes crossed, I felt rooted to my spot.
He headed our way, and that sensation of being tied to him by an invisible cord intensified with every step he took. I was tempted to avert my gaze, but that was just impolite. My breath caught and my palms became a little sweaty just as Skye shook hands with him.
“Welcome, Skye. And Tess.”
He reached for my hand, and the second we touched, it was as if electricity traveled throughout my body. An inexplicable urge to be closer to him slammed into me. That time, I did avert my gaze. I swear I noticed him smile at my shyness out of the corner of my eye.
Rebecca immediately joined us, and Skye started a conversation with her, moving deeper inside the room.
Divide and conquer. That’s right. I was here to impress, not melt in a puddle just because I was standing within touching distance of the hottest man on the planet.
I had no idea when I upgraded him from hot as hell to hottest man on the planet, but I had a hunch it happened in the few seconds it took him to cross the room. In my defense, in the dimly lit room, his gorgeous eyes popped even more. And he was wearing a white shirt that fit him far too perfectly for my peace of mind. I could vividly imagine all those muscles hiding underneath the fabric—and all the ways in which I’d show my appreciation for them.
“It’s not as crowded as I expected,” I said.
“We’ve divided the applicants in three groups, so not everyone is here tonight. We wanted to get a chance to really interact with everyone.”
“That makes sense.”
He flashed me his dimpled smile again, and I had to remind myself not to ogle him.
“Between you and me, I was mostly looking forward to seeing you,” he said in a conspiratorial tone.
I swallowed, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Liam! Is this you trying hard to behave?”
“This is me trying very hard,” he said with a mock serious expression. “But as you can see, I’m failing already.”
I breathed in and out quickly, feeling lightheaded. How could a little flirting affect me so much?
“Well, let’s see if I can keep you on the straight and narrow,” I said boldly, hoping he couldn’t tell just how much I liked his flirty side. “Give me a rundown of what’s going to happen.”
“Tonight is all about getting to know each other,” he said after a few seconds. “It’s important in a collaboration for the parties to click. From your pitch, I could tell you’re very passionate about what you do and that your business is very personal for you. I like that. Always gives business owners the motivation to go the extra mile, even when things are tough.”
I nodded, happy he noticed and appreciated that. “It is very personal. It’s something my sister and I built together. We’re very close. Our whole family is.”
“I can imagine that.”
“Are you close to your family?” I had no idea why I asked that. It wasn’t relevant, and yet I wanted to know the answer.
Liam’s smile grew more pronounced. “That’s very personal.”
Damn, I knew I overstepped. “I thought that was the point of tonight. Getting to know each other.”
He laughed. “True, but I can’t say I saw that question coming. And to answer, yes, I’m close to my grandmother.”
He didn’t say anything about other family members, and even I knew it was impolite to press on the topic.
“Come on, Tess. I can tell you want to ask more. I have nothing to hide. What else do you want to know?”