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“She applied for the internship program,” I say.
Luke whistles and shakes his head. “No way. Didn’t you say she looked loaded though?”
I nod. “She did. But now I think her fiancé was the one with the money.”
Thinkis a bit of an understatement, considering I hired a private investigator to full-on sniff out these specific details about Mia. I was determined to figure out whether this was a farce on my own but her insistence on not answering my questions, along with her comments about possible rumors, had my curiosity and imagination running rampant. I needed to know the truth.
Her ex-fiancé is Michael Albrecht, a creative executive I knowofbut haven’t formally met. Apparently, he comes from wealth. His parents are multi-millionaires. Mia, on the other hand, was born and raised by a middle-class family in Hudson. It’s safe to assume she had to work for a lot of her opportunities throughout her life.
“Did you end up hiring her?” Luke asks, taking a sip from his glass of water.
“She was the most qualified for the job,” I say with a defeated shrug as if I had no other choice. “Considering the series is loosely inspired by my encounter with her, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have her around. Her input is invaluable.” I don’t mention my worry about this whole thing being a prank.
“This all sounds pretty convenient to me,” he says, seemingly unsure of what my problem could possibly be.
“The issue is she drives me fucking crazy. She was engaged to a creative executive at her last job,” I say. “It makes me think she might have dated him to work her way up. What if she wants to do the same now that she works with me?”
Luke huffs, another smile crossing his face. “Do you really think she would do something like that?”
“I’m the one who knows her, not you.”
I know I’m being a bit over the top—making scenarios is my bread and butter—but I just can’t pinpoint what sets me off about her so much.
“But I also know you wouldn’t help someone who had bad intentions,” he says as he sets his documents down on the table.
“Careful not to mix those up,” I point out, but he ignores me.
“Carter, you need to face it. You’ve gotten pretty good at spotting people with ulterior motives. Why are you acting like you can’t figure the girl out?”
I mull this over. I suppose Luke has a point. After the shit I’ve been through, Iwouldknow if Mia was genuine or not. So why am I uncertain now? Why is Mia of all people so difficult to read?
“I think you just need to learn how to trust people more,” Luke says. “Especially when it comes to matters of the heart.”
I furrow my brows. “Excuse me?”
Luke chuckles. “Do you like this woman?”
“No,” I say right away. Probably too quickly to sound truthful.
I do admit I likeaspectsof Mia.
Like her long, smooth legs. The round of her ass through her fitted skirts. And the way she’s filled out in all the right places.
That means nothing, though. There are plenty of women who look just as good. I’ve been so busy with work since I met her that I just haven’t had the time to meet with any of them.
That’s it. I need to go back to some of my old habits.
“Right. If you say so. Also, the trust part extends to your best friend, too, you know,” Luke says, aware of my lie. “Open up a bit more with her, and she might do the same. That’s how you’ll get the answers you’re looking for.”
I nod, accepting that he has a point. I just hate being seen through. It makes me feel so exposed in all the worst ways, and I’ve spent plenty of years like that. My parents would often use their personal life—and me as a result—for more publicity, and it took a lot of effort to get my privacy back.
“Do you have everything you need?” I ask, feeling ready to get out of here before Luke starts reading my mind some more.
Luke nods. “Everything I need and more.”
“I’m going to head out then,” I say, rising from my seat. I slide my hands into the pockets of my gray slacks. “Thanks again for dinner.”
“Thanks for your functional legs.”
