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Great. Now everyone’s looking this way.
“My name is Claire Winthrop. You were at a charity event last week my father was chairing in Boston.”
“Then it’s a pleasure to meet you again,” Bryce says. “I apologize for the lapse in memory. I meet so many people.”
“I’m sure you do,” Claire says. “And the pleasure is all mine.”
“Mr. Van Der Linden, it is indeed a pleasure. My name is Timothy Wilson Winthrop III, Claire’s husband.” Timothy joins his wife in gushing over Bryce like groupies.
The men shake hands.
Claire’s blue eyes shift from mine to Bryce’s. “How do you know Mr. Van Der Linden?”
I open my mouth and close it, incapable of finding the words to save my ass. My mind goes blank.
“May I call you Claire?” Bryce asks.
“Oh, please do,” she says.
“I remember you now, Claire,” Bryce says, and I can tell he’s fibbing.
“You do?” Clare flutters her lashes.
“Yes, I do. And here you are having lunch with my new director of international business. What a small world.”
He just saved my ass!
“Oh,” Claire clutches her necklace. She lasers her attention on me. “Here we are catching up, and you didn’t even tell us you were Mr. Van Der Linden’s new director of international business. You’ve always been so modest,” she says. “Talk about moving forward in a big way.”
Timothy chimes in, flashing me a smile. “I have to agree with my wife. What an amazing opportunity.”
Please, please, please, God. They can’t say my name out loud, and Bryce can’t call me Amanda in front of them.
“I’d offer to pay for drinks, but it seems you’re already fixed up,” Bryce says.
I avoid his gaze, too afraid one look will betray me, and give Claire a really good reason to think she’s superior to me.
“We’ll have to take a rain check,” Claire says. “Timothy and I have to catch a flight back to Boston.” She looks down at her diamond-encrusted watch. “Oh, gosh, Timothy, we have to run. Go settle the bill, and let’s grab a taxi.”
“Timothy, it’s my treat,” Bryce says. “Any friend of my director of international business, is a friend of mine.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet,” Claire gushes.
“Thank you,” Timothy says.
They look at each other as if the POTUS had just invited them to the White House for afternoon tea.
Claire meets my gaze. “The next time I’m in New York, you must, must, must tell me all about this fabulous new career of yours.” She looks impressed by my seemingly huge success.
If she only knew…
I play along. “Let’s have lunch again when you’re back in the city, and I can tell you all about my position at Linden Corporation,” I say with a tinge of sarcasm.
“It’s a date!” Claire says. “Come on, get up, I might not see you for a long time.”
Reluctantly, I stand up. I hold on to the back of my chair for balance. I’m nauseated by this conversation and I pray for Claire and Timothy to get out of New York before figuring out the truth about how I know Bryce.
Claire and I air kiss, and Timothy and I hug.
