“So…I’ll see you tomorrow.” She lifted her hand in an awkward wave.
“Sable.”
At the soft pronunciation of her nickname, chills trickled along her arms under her sleeved blouse. She smoothed her damp palms down her slim skirt and turned to face him.
“Yes, Eli?”
His eyes warmed when she said his name. The air between them didn’t crackle so much as hummed. She enjoyed the quiet, amicable moment of shared appreciation. It was rare and had been absent from her life for years. Even when she and Josh were dating, she hadn’t felt this particular pull. With Eli, there had always been a buzz, hum, or crackle between them. Being near him was like slipping into a really warm bath.
Mmm.
“Where am I picking you up?” he asked.
“Oh no. That’s not necessary.” This wasn’t a date so much as an arrangement. “I can meet you at the event. I e-mailed you the address. It’s really easy. It’s the Vancouver Hotel on—”
“I assumed you wanted me to pretend to be a romantic date, not a colleague.” His face broadcasted sincere curiosity.
Her parents would assume he was a romantic date. Isa was hoping Eli would play the part of both boyfriend—thwarting Josh’s advances—and colleague, acting as a go-between while she mingled with wealthy business owners. She hadn’t told him that part yet. She hadn’t really told him anything.
“A date would pick you up where you live.” Eli hadn’t let up in his assessing stare. “A date would know what you expected of him.”
Right.
“We should talk about how the evening will go,” he said. “Specifically what you need me to do.”
She swallowed thickly, not wanting to admit she needed him to stand in the way of her ex.
“Is this supposed to look like a romantic coupling?” he sort of repeated.
“I guess so.” Eli was to be the big ole scary buffer between her and her parents’ machinations to get her and Josh back together. “But also a professional one.”
Eli stood, walking toward her on steady legs, which was more than she could say for her own. “Then I’m arriving with you.”
“It’s not necessary.”
“It is.” He took a step closer to her. “Your place?”
It was like she’d been hypnotized by his dark blue gaze—the way he moved toward her with purpose and control. Before she knew what she was doing, she felt her head jerk up and down in a nod.
“I’ll need your address,” he said, his voice warm.
“I’ll text it to you.” She watched his tempting, contoured lips when he spoke next.
“And this is a…wedding? Dinner?”
“It’s a business thing,” she hedged, snapping out of her stupor.
“A business thing. Thanks for clearing that up for me.” His dry joke caught her off guard and the heat between them bloomed into something friendlier.
“A…uh…former employer of mine is naming a new president of their company.” She was fudging for a very good reason: she didn’t want Eli to back out. Mentioning him meeting her parents might result in just that. Plus, picturing the look on Josh’s face when she arrived on another man’s arm was a pleasant thought. “It’s pretty dry, really.”
“And you need me because…?”
She couldn’t tell Eli she was looking to him to help her schmooze. Not until he learned she wasn’t an employee of Sable Concierge—she was Sable Concierge.
“Because if you’re with me, I can avoid being hit on all night,” she said.
“I’m not surprised.” Eli said, then floored her with a compliment. “You’re someone I would have hit on in a former life.”