“Excuse me?”said Reece. “Foryou? I’m barely workingwithyou.”
Frodo had excitedly gotten to his feet. “Come work for me instead.” He gestured at a trophy on the desk, a huge novelty affair proclaiming him to be theWorld’s Greatest Boss. “I’d be a better boss than Scary McAccent here.”
Grayson shook his head. “He’s not interested.”
“He’s not my boss and I can speak for myself,” Reece snapped. “Maybe Iaminterested. I haven’t even heard what the job is.”
“Suit yourself,” said Grayson. “But I hadn’t pegged you as the type to get half-naked and take advantage of lonely fetishists for money.”
Reece stared at him. Then he turned his stare on Frodo. “McFeely’s,” he said slowly, as horrifying realization set in. “No. You can’t possibly be—”
“The only club offering empath companionship in the whole country,” Frodo said proudly. “We are a judgment-free zone of acceptance, open to all.”
“He means he’s a purveyor of feelings and bisexuality,” said Grayson.
Frodo stuck his nose in the air. “I don’t think I like your tone.”
“I don’t like this whole club!” Reece cut in. “And I don’t understand. There are only two of us in Seattle and we sure as hell don’t work here, so who are your empath companions?”
“Actors,” said Grayson. “In fake gloves.”
Reece’s jaw dropped.
“Back this up to the important bit.” Frodo pointed at Reece. “You said two ofus. Does that mean you’re—”
“One-hundred-percent genuine Care Bear,” Grayson said for him, while Reece struggled to find words. “You should see him drive.”
Frodo clapped his hands, looking more excited than ever. “Now I have to have you. Whatever he’s paying, I’ll pay you more.”
“You could buy lots of car batteries,” said Grayson.
Reece rolled his eyes. “He doesn’t pay me. And he’s not funny,” he said to Frodo.Lie. Reece raised his eyes to the ceiling. “You know impersonating an empath is illegal?”
“We’ve had empaths for a whole generation,” said Frodo. “Someone was eventually going to monetize empathy. Why shouldn’t it be me?”
Reece rubbed his forehead. “I don’t suppose you’d listen to the argument,because it’s wrong?”
“Look how insightful you are.” Frodo grinned. “You must be a real empath.” He leaned forward. “It’s an easy job. Nothing weird.”
“Oh sure,” Reece said, sarcasm tinged with hysteria, “because there’snothingweirdabout aclubforempath companionship.”
“Just look cute,” Frodo continued cheerfully, right over Reece. “Listen to customers bitch, and pretend to care about their feelings—”
“Like hers?” Grayson held up his phone with a picture of Senator Hathaway on-screen.
Frodo glanced at it for less than a second. “Oh. The senator. Yeah, she was here last night.”
Not a lie. “You’re going to tell us she was here, just like that?” said Reece.
“I didn’t vote for her.” Frodo leaned back in his leather chair. “I always thought she had some nerve, trash-talking empaths all day, then sneaking into my club at night.”
Reece threw up his hands. “But no one here is a real empath!”
“She didn’t know that.” Frodo gave a derisive sniff. “Not to disrespect the dead, but I can’t stand hypocrites.”
“I thought this was a judgment-free zone,” Grayson said dryly.
“You had to have heard what happened to her,” Reece said. “Why didn’t you call the police?”
