I hand him the shake with a smile. “Here you are, Mr. Sterling. I put a little broccoli in for extra folate.”
“Oh, good. Thank you, Ms. Parker.” He takes it with an appreciative smile, then drinks it like a champion.
When he’s finished, I take the empty glass. Then I take a deep breath and start. “You know, I gave what you said a lot of thought.”
“Which ‘what I said’?”
“What?”
“I’ve said a lot of things since you started working for me, Ms. Parker.”
It’s been so long that he probably forgot what I’m talking about. “About Elizabeth King’s bachelor auction.”
“Ah. That.”
“Yes. Have you, um, found somebody to help you?” Maybe it’s presumptuous of me to assume he’s been sitting on his hands. He might not be capable of picking his own outfits, but he’s still a billionaire with more connections than the Internet.
He glances at the coffee on the counter, and I pass it to him immediately. He probably needs some caffeine now.
He takes a slow sip, his eyes on mine. “I asked Court’s girlfriend to bid on me, although that annoyed Court quite a bit. So I owe him a kidney if he ever needs one.”
Court is one of a very few people Nate counts as a true friend. So it makes sense he asked, and I feel bad that Nate feels like he’s going to owe Court a huge favor later.
A kidney-level favor, Evie. All because you turned him down earlier.
Nate adds, “But maybe none of that matters, because they broke up.”
Now I feel doubly bad. Both about Court’s breakup and the fact that Nate is back to square one. But it also tells me I made the right decision. “Well, then. I’ll do it.”
“Do what?” he asks, then takes another sip of coffee.
The caffeine probably hasn’t hit his bloodstream yet. Normally he’s sharper than this. “Bid on you at the auction.”
He goes still in the middle of lowering the coffee mug. A smile slowly breaks on his face. It’s so radiant, so beautiful, like the heavens opening up, that air catches in my throat. Holy shit, I always knew he was gorgeous, but right now, he’s stunning.
“Thank you, Ms. Parker. You’re a gem.”
You’re welcome. My pleasure. If I can see you smile like this again, yeah. Sure. No problem.
“Ms. Parker?”
I realize I’ve been staring without saying a word. I clear my throat. What the hell’s wrong with me? I’ve never spaced out like this before at work. “Yes, Mr. Sterling?”
“I was just saying you need to take a day off.”
“I do? But why?”
He looks mildly confused. “Don’t you have to get ready?”
“For what?”
“The auction. I distinctly remember you telling me you have nothing to wear. So you’re going to need to shop.”
Oh, that. I flush. “Yes, but I don’t need to take any time off for that. It won’t take long.”
He shoots me a dubious look. “Are you sure? Don’t you also need shoes and other stuff?”
I take a quick mental inventory of my closet. Yeah, I’m definitely going to need to buy everything else that goes with the new dress. “Yes, but I can do it on Friday after work.”