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He glances down at me. “Nervous?”
“Very.”
He keeps hold of my hand while he swipes a keycard with the other. “Don’t be. We can just chat since you were determined to cheer me up at the beginning of the night. I was glad to get out of there after all the questions about…”
He trails off and doesn’t finish his sentence, although I sense what he was going to say since his ex is here. If he mentions her name, I’ll probably blurt out sorry and say something about the proposal, and then he’ll know I ruined his relationship. I know I wasn’t the sole reason, but I can’t help feeling partly responsible.
Franklin holds the door open for me to step inside his hotel room, and I stop thinking about everything else when I see the size of his bed.
King-size.
I force myself to look anywhere but the bed because my thoughts race, and I’m thinking of us naked when he said we could just chat. There’s a small refrigerator and a minibar. A lounge chair and desk are in the corner, with an office chair against the opposite wall. A table lamp provides the only lighting. The wall behind the bed is wallpapered in a green and red geometric pattern. I nod to it. “Woah.”
He grins. “I wouldn’t hire their decorator to style my home.”
I giggle. “I feel like I’m turning cross-eyed.”
He chuckles. “That would be the effect of the wine.” He points to the lounge. “Take a seat.” He opens the refrigerator, retrieves two bottles of water, and then hands one to me. “Can I get you anything else?”
I shake my head.
We fall silent for a moment, and I appreciate him being a gentleman and giving me space as though I’m going to change my mind. The sensible part of me is yelling to get out of here. My hormones argue otherwise.
“Are you sure we haven’t met somewhere, Penny?” He sits on the desk chair and swivels so he’s directly facing me. “There’s something about you.” He hesitates. “It’s a feeling I never get when I first meet someone. In my line of work, I don’t lower my guardifI don’t know someone.”
And he’s lowering his guard for me. I guzzle a few mouthfuls of water. “You seem as though you’re a man who would never forget a face.”
He eyes me carefully. “This is true. Why did you make it your mission if you didn’t know who I was?”
“I spotted you from the other side of the room and thought, why is he so sad? Sometimes, I react on instinct, and it’s not always the wisest decision.”
He tips his bottle of water to me. “Some decisions require instinct to make quick decisions. Your gut can steer you in the right direction, and tonight, I think it was a good choice.”
“Yet you didn’t tell me why you were sad.” Guilt fills me, knowing why, and I’m keeping it from him.
“You interrupted me while responding to emails.” I know he won’t be smiling while working, only I know the real reason. Franklin leans back in the chair and rubs his chin. “I didn’t tell you that my ex is here.”
I sit forward, shocked at his admission. “We were together for a long time and split two years ago. We’ve barely spoken since, and it hurts because she was also my friend.”
My guard lowers at the way he says shewasmy friend. “You’re a better person than me. I despise my ex.”
He stares at me for too long.
I’m not interested in expanding this conversation. “Let’s make a pact not to talk about our exes tonight.” I stand and stare out the window at the light snow fall shining from the pathway lights. “Or how we could be stuck in this place if there’s a snowstorm.” I turn to him.
“I overheard you talking to your friend about San Fran. Is that where you live?”
“Are you spying on me, Franklin?” I like that he’s interested. “No, I live in LA. We hope to work with a client in San Fran.”
“In what line of work?” He crosses his legs, assessing me. “Or am I being intrusive?”
“Not intrusive.” I flop back onto the lounge. “I have a career in making people smile.” I grin at him. “First, I get tipsy and then annoy them at bars.”
“You could make millions…” His eyes darken and travel down my body to my bare legs, where my cocktail dress ends and then to my feet in red heels to match my dress. Despite the freezing weather outside, it’s warm and toasty inside, and the temperature in this room is about to reach boiling point. “The pay isn’t great, so I also have a job on the side working for an interior remodeling and decorating company. I guess by the time I finish with people’s homes, they are smiling, so it’s not a lie.”
Franklin’s smirk is slow and deliberate, and he doesn’t take his eyes off me.
“See? My work here is done.” I go to stand, and Franklin snags my hand before I take the first step.
