Another smile. “And it’s been such a pleasure to get to know her.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Willa needs good female figures in her life, and you’re definitely providing that.”
“So…that means you’re keeping me around?”
“Yes. And—”
Before I could continue, my phone buzzed on the desk. It was another text from Shauna, this one reading “Date for ball???”
The next words came out of my mouth as though out of my control.
“What are you doing this Friday?”
April looked surprised, clearly not expecting me to ask something like that.
What the hell? Not thinking before you speak these days?
I shut off my internal monologue. Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to say it, but it was out.
“What am I…doing this Friday? What do you mean?”
No sense in trying to walk it back. “Anton, the man you met?”
A strange expression flashed on her face before vanishing. “What about him?”
“He runs a pretty large charity around town, works with underprivileged kids.”
“Is that right?”
“Sure is.” Sure, it was a cover for my company’s illegal dealings, but minor detail.
“Anyway, he does a charity ball every year. Something of a big to-do, and I’m expected to attend, of course.”
“Right…”
God, this was a bad idea. But it was like I couldn’t help myself.
“And I’ll be needing a date.”
“You haven’t found one yet?”
“You sound surprised.”
“I mean, I am, a little. You’re…you.”
I grinned. “More a matter of being too busy to even think about dating. Anyway, I’m wondering if you’d like to go with me. Purely in a platonic sense, of course.”
“Of course. But…you want me to be your date at a charity ball? Won’t that be kind of a strange, you showing up with your kid’s nanny?”
“Not at all. People take their friends to these events all the time.”
“And we’re friends?”
More than that, hopefully.
I banished the thought. God, I was totally out of control.
“Of course. It’s been a real pleasure getting to know you.”