His eyes cut away, and he taps on the keyboard, shutting down all the apps. “Do you talk to her much?”
“Almost every day, why?”
He gives me what can only be described as a sad smile. “If she ever asks, tell her I said hi.”
Swallowing the knot in my throat, I want to ask him how he knows her. I want to ask him if he knows why she left. I feel like one of those archaeologists who’s just uncovered the fingernail of an ancient dinosaur skeleton.
“Were you friends?”
His jaw moves, and I watch as this handsome, deeply troubled man searches for an answer. “I think so.” He clears his throat. “I’m sorry… she left. I hope she’s doing well.”
“She’s just down in Savannah. I think she’s really happy there.”
He nods and heads for the door, leaving me with a million questions.
16
Patton
Three hours of schmoozing, answering questions, shaking hands, and Abu Dhabi is in the bag. I’m feeling pretty good right now—ready to go back to Stephen Hastings and slide his UAE requirement under his cynical nose. It would only be sweeter if we didn’t need him.
“Did you get anything to eat?” Taron has the contracts in hand, and Raquel is boxing up the few items of food left.
He ate most of the appetizers with our guests, who arrived in an entourage of three CEOs and several bodyguards. Raquel and I were the only ones not eating. I was biding my time, waiting to see if this deal was going to happen. Raquel was running around making sure no one’s cups or plates were empty.
“I’ll get something at home.” She looks tired, and I have a thought as Taron passes me the contracts to put in the safe.
“You never got that hot chicken you wanted.” I guess my satisfact
ion is clear in my voice. She looks up at me as if I startled her. It’s also the first time I’ve spoken to her since this morning, when I might have been a bit irritable. “Prince’s is open until ten if you want to go.”
She doesn’t answer right away, closing the box of grape leaves slowly. “I don’t really like grape leaves. Too vinegary.”
“Great work, guys.” Taron slaps me a high five on the way to the door. “I’m heading home. I’ll touch base with Remi first thing tomorrow. We’re in.”
I can’t hold back a smile. Our high five turns into a hand clasp, and I give his shoulder a squeeze to boot. “Good work on this one.”
He heads out, and I look over at Raquel, who’s lingering over the leftovers. After the way she ran out on me, I’m not planning to ask her twice, but I’m feeling good enough to give her one more chance. “My car’s out front if you want to go.”
“Okay.” She blinks up at me as if suddenly deciding. Still, I can’t read her. If she started rambling, maybe I’d know, but she seems to have locked that down.
She puts the few leftovers in the breakroom fridge and collects her things while I secure the contracts in the safe in my office. Then we head down, quiet in the elevator. I remember our first kiss and my eyes go to her glossy lips. I don’t move, and her eyes stay fixed on the doors.
It takes less than five minutes for us to be in my car, headed southwest to SoBro. Raquel sits quietly beside me with her hands in her lap. Her skirt is just above her knees, and my eyes drift to them under the passing streetlights.
“I had no idea Jerry was going to LA today.” She blurts out the words, breaking the silence. Her tone almost seems challenging.
It’s not a question, so I don’t respond, downshifting to third. We’re almost there, and I’m looking for a place to park my BMW in the light.
“I feel like he would’ve told me if he knew.” She’s still taunting me with this Jerry thing.
I find a spot and guide us into it. “I didn’t know you had that kind of relationship with him.”
“We didn’t have any kind of relationship.” Her voice goes high like she’s offended. I can work with this. “I just thought something like that would’ve been a big deal. Moving across the country—”
“I can’t believe you hooked up with a guy named Jerry.”
“I never hooked up with him!”