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Jamie and Nora had been platonic companions now for over a year. And not only was Nora gorgeous, she was a goddamned hoot, and the only person Hale knew who was more pathologically loyal than Nora was Chloe.
They got more cheek brushes, and then she declared, “If you both don’t push bidding on silent auction items into the stratosphere, I’ll never forgive you. The bid sheets are in the lounge. There’s a family and friends rest station in the Oak Room, both your names are on the list for entry. Ta-ra.”
With that, she strutted away.
“I think we have our orders,” Ned said then tipped his head to the side to ask what Hale wanted, since Ned had made it to the bar
“Gin and tonic, with lemon and lime.”
They got their drinks and did their duty at the silent auction, putting starting bids on items that hadn’t had any bids yet, with Hale noting Jamie, Duncan and Tom had clearly gotten the same instruction, because their names were already on many of the sheets.
Once they accomplished their mission, Hale eventually gravitated away from Ned, touched base with Judge and Chloe, Sasha and Matt, and he was standing, chatting with Tom and Mika, when he saw her.
And when he did, he went perfectly still.
“Hale?” Tom called.
Hale didn’t move as he watched Elsa greet Rix and Alex wearing a dress that was totally her, at the same time it was oddly not, but what it definitely had was the ability to make the crotch of his trousers suddenly too tight and his head want to explode.
“I’ll just…” Mika murmured.
“Yes, honey,” Tom murmured back, then again, more sharply this time, “Hale.”
Hale’s body jolted, he tore his eyes off Elsa and looked to Tom.
“You okay?” Tom asked.
He sucked back the dregs of his G&T and forced out, “Fine.”
Tom looked to Elsa, then back to Hale, and he asked, “Is there something I don’t know?”
“Yeah. After the interview, Elsa and I went on a date. It was a great date. Then she did everything but say it straight that she was using me to get more followers and career-defining deals. Deals she signed within weeks of that interview airing. And I knew that because she was all business after I left her in her apartment. I don’t know what she was playing at with the date, though she was using me for that too, since her family is a disaster, she’s the target of their dysfunction, and she needed someone to run interference. Her friend set it up, but she didn’t work too hard at pretending she wasn’t down with the plan.”
“You seem surprised when she hasn’t really hidden her ambition,” Tom noted cautiously.
“You didn’t sit on Pebble Beach with her for three hours staring at the lights of Manhattan and talking about how overrated Quentin Tarantino is, how the Supreme Court should have term limits, arguing whether surfing and hiking or living the city life walking everywhere was better exercise, and everything else you can think of to get to know someone who’s gorgeous, smart as fuck, interesting as hell, and surprisingly funny.”
“Right,” Tom said quietly.
“I’m getting another drink. You need one?” Hale asked.
“Hale—”
He knew that fatherly tone. He loved that tone. He loved Tom. He could talk to him about anything. And did.
But…
“Now’s not the time, Tommy,” he said.
“Okay. Mika and I are in New York for a while. Come over for dinner before you leave.”
“Will do.”
Tom’s expression changed. “I mean it, Hale. Don’t blow me off. We have more to talk about than a promising date turning sour.”
For a moment, Hale was concerned Jamie had told Tom about the emails.
That was something he didn’t want Tom to know. Not only because they’d stopped coming, but because Tom would worry. He’d tell Genny. Genny would worry more. Genny might then tell Chloe, and Chloe would lose her mind and leave no stone unturned in finding whoever was sending that shit and then going about neutralizing them.
