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"Is it good news, Lori?" Landon asked, his face and tone both honed to a razor sharp edge.
Lori fidgeted with the strand of pearls around her neck. "Now look Landon, we talked about this. It all has to do with your image. You don’t have to date her or even have a relationship with her if the right person pops up in the meantime. Right now, we’re just putting ideas out there, letting the public start seeing you as the relationship type of guy."
Landon looked over at Katie, his eyes boring into her like he expected her to step up and say something. She died a little inside knowing he believed she was part of all of this. A media parade, a fake show, all the things he’d confided in her about. Of course she said nothing.
He shook his head in disgust. "What a fucking cluster fuck. I need another drink."
"What happened? What did you say to him?" Lori asked after he'd stomped off.
Katie didn’t have to pretend to be flustered. "I don’t know, he asked me about the Rumor Loves Gossip story and I didn’t know what to say. I’m sorry, if I’d known…I didn’t know you planted that story."
Lori sighed and gave her pearls another tug. "He’s been in a mood lately. I’ll deal with him. You’re on Layla. Make sure she’s happy all night. There are also some last minute seating changes. Move Jerry Dalton to my table and Jennifer Wu from the press pool into his spot. Oh, and remind the chef to stay on track. Then you’re running backup for Ellis during the auction. I want photos of each of the auction winners with the artwork, the artist,andthe player."
"Consider it done," Katie said, but she couldn’t say for sure if she was talking about the work or her relationship with Landon.
chapter 34
Getting photos of the auction winners with the players turned out to be as arduous of a task as Katie expected. Ellis, bless his soul, took care of Landon’s, but it took some prodding, begging, and ego stroking to get the others done. Neither of Lori’s assistants got a chance to breathe again until the remnants of dinner were being cleared away and the dessert table was mostly empty, but Ellis wrangled two plates of cake and they flopped into seats around a vacant table.
It took all of two seconds for Katie to recognize her mistake: She had a perfectly clear line of sight to Landon and Layla’s table. He was leaning back in his chair, bow tie already undone and hanging around his neck. Layla had her phone out and she leaned in to show him something on the screen. Landon’s smile twisted in Katie’s guts like a knife.
She looked down at her plate, cutting her cake into several pieces with her fork and pushing them around because she couldn’t muster the appetite. Ellis didn’t help matters any.
"Did you see who won the VIP box for the double header?" he asked.
Katie shook her head, dread already seeping in.
"Dr. Edwin Rhodes and his lovely bride, Stella."
"Aghhhh, nooooo." Kate made a sobbing noise and banged a palm against her forehead. "It really isn’t going to get easier after the banquet is it?"
"I keep telling you…."
Ding.
Katie groaned, the alert clearly coming from her phone. "Ugh, I knew it. You heard her, right? Lori clearly said, 'Go get some food.' I shouldhave known she didn’t mean actually sit here and...eat...it."
"What is it?" Ellis asked. "What does her madame need?"
"It’s not her. It’s...an old friend."
She looked across the ballroom at Landon who was staring right back, waiting for her reaction to his text. Layla’s chair was empty. Heart pounding, Katie switched her phone to silent, then swiped open the message.
That dress…are you trying to torture me?
The dimple popped up on Katie’s left cheek and she bit down on her lower lip to hold it back. But she couldn’t hold back the ecstasy that flooded her system, drowning out anythoughts based in common sense or reality. She’d been dying without him.Her fingers typed out the best response she could come up with under his penetrating gaze.
You clean up pretty good yourself I guess
You guess?
Well your date certainly seems enamored...
That much was true. Landon appeared to be the only person in theroom Layla deemed on her level. She’d found every opportunity throughout the evening to brush up against him, rub his arm, and whisper in his ear. She was so needy Katie almost felt sorry for her.Almost.
Landon rolled his eyes and tilted his head at her in a move that said, "C’mon, really?" Then he typed out another message:
Is that a joke? You should tell your boss what a shitty idea this is
