“Wow. People really have no clue,” she said. “And how is your real love life?”
“Well, not good. I was actually talking to someone, but she hates being in the limelight, so it got complicated and she broke things off.” His shoulders dropped and he ate his bread. “What about you?”
Her face instantly flamed. “What about me?”
His eyes popped wide. “Oh, I know that face. You’ve been a naughty girl. What have you done, Parker?”
She shook her head and waved a hand dismissively at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Did you meet someone?” he asked and thanked the waiter after their food was delivered.
“I guess. Yeah.” Fuck. Why was she thinking of him? She should forget the man. Her life was a mess and she had no idea what she was going to do with herself. The last thing she needed was to get involved with anyone.
“When?”
“Two days ago? At Jade’s wedding.” She stabbed her pasta and shrimp with enough force to make Liam clear his throat.
“Did you have sex?”
“Liam!”
“What?” he asked as if he’d said nothing wrong. “It’s been two days. It’s known to happen.”
“Yeah, okay. We did,” she told him and ate her food.
“Oh, man. You like him. More than just the sex. I can tell. Look at your face. It’s like you’re frustrated that we’re even talking about this.” He laughed and ate a meatball. “Why are you so annoyed by this? You haven’t had a real relationship in…ever.”
“Exactly,” she said gruffly. “I don’t have time for one. I don’t need it now of all times. I’m trying to figure out my life. I’ve been out of this country for most of the past ten years. I’m going to have to establish my life and job before I even consider dating.”
“Wait,” Liam asked with a frown. “What do you mean establish a job? You have a job at Nolan Foundation. You’re the fucking head of the place.”
She shook her head, forking more of her shrimp. “I gave my dad an ultimatum. I’ve been doing the job of the president without the recognition or title. I have to run everything by him. He picks apart all my ideas and I’m tired of it. I am thirty-five years old. I’m not twenty-two and fresh out of college. I don’t need him to tell me what to do with my job.” She shrugged. “I don’t think he’s going to let go of the foundation and I’m not willing to stay there without having the right to make the best decisions for its future.”
“I’m so sorry, Parker,” Liam said and grabbed her hand on the table, a sad look on his face. “You’re the most giving person I’ve ever met. You deserve that position. You’ve busted your ass for it.”
She nodded. She knew. But would her father see that? She didn’t think so.
“It’s all good,” she sighed and glanced around the restaurant, her attention caught on a gorgeous redhead and a man that looked familiar. She watched his profile and frowned. He looked like…Ryan.
She took a drink of her wine and then glanced at Liam, who stared at her expectantly. “I’m sorry, what’d you say?”
“I asked if you have any prospects in the job department in case the stuff with your dad doesn’t work out.”
She glanced at the couple again, watching the man hold the other woman’s hand on the table and squeeze. She beamed a smile at him and offered him a bite of her dessert. “I…I…uh.” She glanced away. It was Ryan. The same Ryan she’d had sex with two night ago. The same one she couldn’t stop thinking about. He’d definitely moved on fast. She blinked and shook her head. “Yeah. I think so.”
“That’s good,” Liam glanced in the same direction she’d been looking. “Do you know them?”
“No. He looked familiar, but clearly he’s not the man I thought.” She sucked down her wine and hated that it bothered her to see Ryan with another woman. So what if what they’d had was only a night of passion. Damn it, she was still thinking of him. She’d secretly been hoping he would search her out. Find her and want to start something. But from the looks of it, he’d found someone new.
“Well, I’ll keep my ear out for any other non-profit that needs new leadership,” he said. “I know my mom stays in charge of the children’s hospital, but I’ll let her know you’re available if she needs any help.”
She smiled weakly at him. “Thanks.”
With her appetite gone, all she wanted to do was get the fuck out of there. She needed to leave and forget all about Ryan. This was the universe letting her know she had to focus on herself and her life.
“Dessert?” the waiter asked.
“Of course,” Liam laughed. “Since when do we ever come here and not have your delicious tiramisu, Charles?”
The waiter nodded with a smile and left. A busboy came and removed their plates, cleared off their table and soon the dessert and coffee were brought to them.
She dumped too much sugar and cream in her coffee due to her distraction but drank it anyway.
“I’m not going to eat this alone,” Liam said, offering her a fork for the large piece of tiramisu they usually shared.
She took a bite and dared another glance at the other table. They had gotten up and were ready to leave. Ryan put his arm around the beautiful woman and turned his face toward them. She got a clear look at his face. There was no mistaking it. It was him.
Her heart hurt. He kissed the woman and followed her out. She wanted to stomp over there and smack him. To demand to know who she was and how dare he be with someone else already. But she’d been raised with enough manners that she had to bite her tongue and smile at Liam while eating the dessert she wasn’t in the mood for.
“You know, in Brunei, this little island in Borneo, cheating is considered a federal offense and adultery is punishable by death,” she stated and slipped her fork in her mouth.
Liam stopped his fork midway to his mouth and put it back on the place. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I’m fine.”
Nope. No, she wasn’t. For her to even remember that small factoid about Brunei, a small island she’d visited several years ago on her travels, made her wince. Ryan wasn’t cheating on her. He wasn’t even in a relationship with her. My god. I need to get a fucking life. I’m losing it here. It was a single fucking night, Parker. Get over yourself.
“I’m going to look for another job and I’m going to be okay.”
“Hey, Mom did say she might need help in a few months at the cancer fundraisers,” he smiled with hope in his eyes. “Maybe that’s something you can talk to her about.”
She nodded. First things first. She was going to that meeting at Tristar Security and knocking the socks off whoever was hiring, because she needed to move on with her life. Being reliant on her family made her feel lost and confused. Her identity was at stake and she needed to do her own thing. Be a leader in her own right.
After lunch, she rushed home to change. She got an email that the owner of Tristar Security wanted to meet with her that day. This was it. She needed this job. Independence was something she had to work hard for with such controlling parents.