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But he wasn’t finished. ‘Isn’t it a bit strange to come and stay with your boss?’
She should have stopped to think for a second. But thinking wasn’t really Lara’s style—particularly not when she’d just had a glimpse of mind-numbing abs. ‘I haven’t been in London that long. I originally came from Sheffield so all my friends are up there. And because of the job—looking after Tristan—I haven’t really had time to make any good friends since I got here.’ She bit the inside of her cheek. ‘To be honest, I’m not quite sure what I would have done if Addison had said I couldn’t stay.’
She could feel the rush of heat into her cheeks. She felt a bit embarrassed and was definitely squirming. This was rubbish. She wasn’t the person who had done anything wrong here. Not like Josh-gets-into-bed-with-the-wrong-woman or Reuben-breaks-into-houses-Tyler. It was time to turn the tables.
‘Reuben?’
‘Yeah?’ He was trying to appear casual as he finished his coffee.
‘How, exactly, do you know Caleb?’
She’d stood up to clear the plates away and started loading the dishwasher.
‘Why do you want to know?’
‘I guess I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to let you stay, or if I’m going to phone the police again.’
He rolled his eyes and gave a casual wave of his hand. ‘I knew him years ago.’
She banged the dishwasher closed and pressed a few buttons before sliding back onto the stool across from him. ‘Where did you know him?’
He sighed. ‘What’s with the interrogation? Isn’t it about time to go to bed?’ He didn’t mean it to come out that way but his voice just naturally inclined upwards as he spoke. It gave the sentence a hint of cheekiness.
Lara’s cheeks flushed with colour as she pointedly ignored his comment. ‘You asked me how I got the job. It’s only fair I ask you how you know Caleb—particularly when I’ve never seen you around here before.’
Reuben held onto the worktop and leaned back on the stool. His back was beginning to seize up. He really needed to lie down.
‘Caleb and I went to school together.’
‘Really? What school?’
He cringed. He knew exactly what came next. ‘Eton.’
Her mouth fell open. ‘Eton?’ He should feel insulted. The surprise wasn’t because Caleb had gone to Eton, the surprise was definitely directed at him.
He shrugged his shoulders. ‘What can I say? I was a posh boy.’
The colour was starting to die down in her cheeks. It was obvious she was curious. ‘It’s a long way from Ireland,’ she said. It was a natural thing to say but he barely blinked.
‘Yes, it is.’ It was almost as if he were drawing a line in the sand.
She put her elbows on the worktop and leaned towards him. ‘You said you just got back from the US on business. What is it that you do?’
‘A bit of this, a bit of that.’
She waggled her finger at him. ‘Oh, no. Don’t give me that. What is your job title exactly?’
‘I’m a businessman.’
She waved her hands. ‘And so says the entire population of London.’
‘I’m a sports agent.’ He said quickly, in the hope it would stop her asking questions.
Her eyes widened. ‘You mean you’re Jerry Maguire?’
He shook his head. ‘If I had a pound for every time I’ve heard that...’
She perched back up on the stool. ‘I like movies but I’m not what you’d call a sports fan. Well, truth be told, I hate sport, but will I know anyone you manage?’
He shrugged. ‘If you hate sport, probably not. A few footballers, a few cricketers. One tennis player. Also some basketball and baseball players. A few big-name American footballers.’
She gave him a curious stare. ‘So that’s why you jet around?’
He paused for a second. ‘Most of the time. I have clients in the US, Italy, Spain and England right now. And I’m always looking for the next big signing. Things get a bit crazy at times. It’s a mad world out there and sometimes the whole business of a team is based on who they sign—and more importantly how that person behaves. One stupid interview comment can make a team’s shares plummet. I sometimes have to do some troubleshooting or some collateral damage limitation. That can take me pretty much anywhere. The US this week, Spain last week. For the next two weeks I’m in London.’
‘Lucky me,’ she said quickly. He sucked in a breath. For a second he wasn’t sure if it had been sarcasm or wit, but then the edges of her mouth turned upwards.
She leaned her head on one of her hands. ‘So, if you and Caleb are such lifelong friends, how come you haven’t been to see him once in all the time I’ve worked here?’
