Danny whirled to face her, a look of shock and relief on his face. “Really?”
“Really.” She smiled at him. “If you’re willing to trust this old lady.”
His smile lit up the room. “I don’t see any old lady here.”
And that was why she wanted him.
“I’ll take you to Alice to get the contract and fees taken care of,” Jamie said. “You and Lottie can arrange when you want to meet for your first session.”
“Let’s start Monday,” she said. That’d give her a few days to figure out how she wanted to approach this. She smiled hopefully at Danny. “If that works for you.”
“It’s perfect.”
She held her hand out to him.
He took it in both of his, engulfing her with his enormous palms. “Thank you,” he said softly, looking her directly in the eye.
She patted his arm. “We’re going to do good things.”
“I’ll take you to Alice,” Jamie said, escorting Danny from the room.
Lottie waited a sold ten count to make sure she was alone before she pumped her fist in the air. “Yes!”
* * *
To celebrate her new status, Jamie and Didier offered to take her out for a drink. “Clancy’s?” she asked hopefully, her pulse picking up at the thought of seeing Otto. He spent most of his evenings there, doodling.
“Mais bien sûr, Clancy’s,” Didier said, wrapping his scarf around his neck.
Jamie helped her into her coat. “Rachel and Alice are going to meet us there in a bit. They have some paperwork to go over.”
She smiled her thanks at him. “I can’t complain about being escorted by two hunky men. Just imagine.”
He took her hand. “Ms. Lottie, it’s not hard to imagine at all.”
She laughed. The way she was feeling today, she believed him. Feeling overwhelming gratitude for him, she gave him an impulsive hug and then gave Didier one for good measure. “On y va!” she exclaimed.
“Oui.” The Frenchman got up and extended his hand to Lottie. “But you will be my date tonight.”
She put her hand in his. “I am most honored.”
They took a car to Clancy’s. Jamie had an account with a company that had cars at their disposal twenty-four seven. Jamie insisted that she use the service, saying that it was a perk of the job. She knew he was looking out for her—her neighborhood wasn’t as nice as it once was, and it got dark very early these days—so she played along.
But she liked it. It felt very decadent taking it.
She’d been thinking of selling her house and moving closer to the office, maybe in one of the nice high-rises. She loved her house, but it was old and needed a makeover even more than she did.
If she moved, she’d miss going to Clancy’s though. She and her deceased husband used to go there on their date nights, eons ago. Now Chris, Rachel’s best friend, ran it, having inherited it from his grandfather. Chris was as good as her grandson and she loved going and having him pour her a drink.
Of course, she also went so she could flirt with Otto.
As they walked into the bar, Jamie and Didier flanking her on both sides, her gaze went to the far-left end of the bar.
Like always, Otto sat there, a pint in front of him, bent low over his notebook as he sketched. He wore dark cords with a puffy jacket zipped all the way up in deference to the winter chill, a hat pulled low on his head and a plaid wool scarf around his neck. He was tall—taller than her husband had been—with a craggy masculine face. Kind of like Clint Eastwood. He even had a similar brusque expression.
She’d always liked the look of Clint Eastwood. He was a dish.
Otto glanced over at her, and his frown deepened.