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Good question. “Honestly? Usually because I’m bored.”
Rhett nodded slowly. “Sound reasoning there.”
“Why do I have to have sound reasoning? I don’t assume the woman wearing a bright-yellow dress is looking for attention. I assume she likes the color yellow, or she’s one of the lucky few who can pull it off in a way that makes her skin glow. I don’t assume the guy with the fire-engine-red glasses is asking for attention. I assume helikes his glasses. Why is what other people wear or how they look any of my business at all?”
Rhett grinned at me, showcasing his nearly perfect teeth while crinkles lined his eyes. The megawatt smile from before was nearly as wide, but this felt different. Like he hadn’t expected to find my sound reasoning acceptable, or maybe he just hadn’t expectedme.
I selected the proper color-correction cream and waited for my righteous indignation to slough from my stiff shoulders. When I turned back to Rhett, he was wearing a contented expression, his lips still turned up in a smile that tugged at me, as if the foggy glass was starting to clear and I was getting bits of clarity on his face. It was unnerving, wondering if this was the real Rhett. Wondering which parts of him were acting and what was authentic.
I needed something to snap us from the weird limbo moment. “You’ll need to drop the smile if you want to avoid weird makeup lines around your eyes.”
“I can’t help it,” he argued. “I love seeing you get fired up.”
Hmm. So maybe his surprise and amusement were authentic then. I rooted around in my kit for his face cream. “Okay. It’s your ruined pictures then when they document your date later tonight.” I squeezed some cream onto the back of my hand and dipped my sponge into it. I moved to apply it to the soft skin beneath his eyes, and his smile vanished. It was eerie how quickly he could move from one expression to the next, but that was why he got paid the big bucks.
“Much better,” I said, taking my powder brush out and dipping it in the correct color before tapping away the excess. I swiped a little powder over his face, then blended it in. “Are you excited for your big date?”
“Will you be there?”
I leaned back and held his gaze, daring him to break the contact first. “Am I needed?”
“There will be cameras, so yes,” he muttered.
“Adalyn told me that once you walk out the door, I’m no longer necessary. According to her, you like minimal fuss.”
“I could use a little fuss right now,” he said, so quietly I wasn’t sure I was supposed to have heard him.
My heart did a little leap at the low tone of his voice—the softness indicating that he didn’t want to be overheard. There was something inordinately alluring about the times when Rhett was speaking toonlyme. When it wasn’t playful banter in front of the entire team, but words that were meant for my ears alone. I could drink that up like a gallon of smooth lemonade on a hot day.
“You’re finished,” I said regretfully.
Rhett tossed me a smile. “Thanks.”
I busied myself with preparing my belted makeup bag for the event, and when I turned around, Rhett was watching me. He dropped his attention to his phone, and I turned away, careful not to ruin the moment by making anything of it.
But that haddefinitelymeant something, right? Hope bloomed softly in my chest. Move over, America. Rhett Myers was about to hit headlines with a new girlfriend. Spoiler alert: it was going to be me.
***
The Chicago evening was balmy and warm when we reached the final destination for the date. Adalyn had gotten dinner for the team, and we sat in the back of the room at the top of Willis Tower, far away from Rhett and his date so we wouldn’t ruin the sound clips with chewing noises or soda slurps. I took a swig of my giant ice water and exhaled as the cold liquid slid down my throat.
“Hey, Chad. Do you feel the need to move any closer?” Adalyn asked.
His gaze flicked to her before he dug into his sandwich, ripping off an enormous bite. “I can see well enough from here,” he said around his food.
She lifted a shoulder. “Miss Chicago is looking a little handsy.”
Chad took another bite, unbothered. “I can see them.”
Handsy? I looked to where the couple in question was eating dinner around a tiny round table, flickering votives and red roses on the white tablecloth between them. It looked like something out ofThe Bachelor,and I half-expected fireworks to shoot off any minute through the tall glass windows.
Buthandsy? Miss Chicago had her almond-shaped acrylic nails tapping against Rhett’s forearm. He smiled cordially, appearing as though the touching didn’t bother him in the least.
It bothered me, though.
I looked to the bodyguard and echoed Adalyn’s concerns. “Are you sure you don’t need to step in?”
Chad shook his head. “They have another four minutes on the clock. I’ll step in then.”
