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“Do you?” Lance asked. “Honestly?”
Fucking asshole. If he kept this up, there wouldn’t be a friendship to save. Fury took him a step closer. Ethan jumped in to grab his forearm before he could smack their friend in the face.
“Okay,” Ethan said. “Maybe we cool off on the Rainie talk for a while. Just until everyone’s back in the rhythm.”
“I know he’s pissed at me,” Lance said. “That’s fucking obvious, but who is this girl? Do we know? Have we checked?”
“Are you for real?” he asked, then looked at Ethan. “Is he for real?”
“Lance,” Ethan said. “We’re in uncharted territory here. I’ve never met Rainie, I can’t speak to who she is or her intentions, but Xander is serious about her. We have to trust our friend. That’s all we can do.”
Lance met his eye. If his so-called buddy wanted to make something of it, he would. It was on him. If Lance accepted Rainie, Xander would keep the peace, only because his woman’s directive was clear. She wanted him to get back on track with his cohorts.
Lance sighed. “I wouldn’t get bent out of shape if I didn’t care. I want you to be happy and if Rainie’s it…” He offered his hand to shake. “Congratulations, man.”
His friends were accepting his judgment. They did it every day in business, yet the moment was profound. He put his hand in Lance’s to shake. He’d convinced everyone important in his life that Rainie was his future. All he had to do was convince Rainie too.
27
Saturday. The weekend. She’d been to the gym, showered in Xander’s apartment, now… what would she do with the rest of her weekend?
Coming out of the bathroom, she expected to be alone. But, huh, she wasn’t.
A woman at the kitchen island had her back to her, which gave her a few seconds to scrutinize the petite brunette.
Who was this person and why did she—
The woman whirled around. Wearing a broad smile, with sparkle in her eye, she was immediately recognizable.
“Roxanna Kyst,” she said in a rush of breath.
“Right first time. Casanova will like you,” Roxie said and raised a wineglass. “Drink with me?”
“It’s two thirty in the afternoon.”
“It’s always happy hour somewhere in the world,” Roxie said and swept up a second glass. “No to the alcohol, got it.” She glided over to the sink and poured out the liquid. “Coffee?”
“There’s a coffee shop across the street,” she said and squeezed her eyes closed. “But… what are you doing here? Are you looking for Xander? He isn’t here.”
“I know, he’s Down Under. And my guy is in California. We’re free!” With wide arms, Roxie whirled to face her, grabbing the counter at her back to support herself on tippy toes. “What do you say? Tokyo? London? Buenos Aires? Pick a continent!”
The woman’s exuberance was contagious.
She laughed. “Thank you, Ms. Kyst, but I don’t have a passport.”
“New York it is then,” Roxie said, boosting herself closer. “We’ll get you a passport for next week. Not that it matters. Who cares about customs? I have the jet and Dennis works for me.”
“Dennis?”
“Our pilot.”
“You have your own pilot?”
“He’s Zairn’s pilot… or he was. Z trusts Dennis more than any other pilot, so now he’s permanently assigned to me. I guess that means Z needs a new flyboy… or would he be a wingman?” Roxie laughed at her own joke and extended a hand to her while strolling to the door. “Show me this coffee shop. Did Gauge get you security yet? If he did, they suck, ‘cause I haven’t seen them once. A sniper doesn’t count as standard security, I already asked about that one. Zairn thinks having my own personal sniper would be overkill.” Her grin was instant and came with an eye roll. “Ha, overkill. I am on fire today. Can’t beat Chicago air.”
“Security?”
Roxie stopped. Her hand dropped. “Oh, if you go outside with me, you’ll get your picture taken. You okay with that? Do your friends and family know about your boyfriend? Colleagues? Acquaintances? As soon as that first picture hits the internet, your phone will blow up. Every old boyfriend’s next-door neighbor’s great auntie will start calling you their BFF.”
