Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Cammie shook her head. “I wish.”
His eyes opened wide in surprise.
“Not in a stalkerish way or anything like that,” she rushed to add. “I just admire her work. She runs one of the most successful PR firms in the city and it’s a dream of mine to work for her.”
He glanced around the coffee shop, and she had no doubt he wondered what exactly a barista could do for his sister’s company. That is what she’d be thinking if she were in his shoes.
“This is a just a job for me, a way to pay the bills,” she explained. “My passion is graphic design, and not to brag or anything but I’m good. I studied it at NYU, but something happened, and I couldn’t complete my degree.” Not knowing if she was losing him, she went on. “I believe I have the talent needed, but I can’t land an interview with any respectable firm because I don’t have a diploma.”
She knew she was oversharing, but she couldn’t help it. The inability to land a job in graphic design had been a huge disappointment, and she could rant about it for hours.
Not that she would.
Probably not.
But Leo studied her with what she could only describe as a calculating look in his eyes. “What if I got you an interview with Jenny?” he asked.
Her own eyes widened. “What? Can you do that?”
“She’s my sister, and we’re close. So, yes, I can do that. I’ll give you one better. I guarantee you an interview and in return, you can help me out at the party. Look at it like we’re trading favors.” He leaned forward, the gleam in those chocolate brown eyes oh so tempting.
She didn’t even have to think about it. That interview was all she’d wanted for months, and if one evening of playing pretend with a handsome man would earn her the opportunity to get her foot in the door, she’d be out of her mind to refuse. She truly believed that if given the chance to show Jenny Watson her portfolio, the other woman would consider hiring her.
Cammie rested her elbows on the table and leaned toward him. “How about we think of it as a gift exchange? That’s more in the spirit of the holiday,” she said, chuckling as he rolled his eyes.
“Okay, Mrs. Claus. We’ll call it a gift exchange.” He shook his head, obviously exasperated, but his grin told her he was amused. “So, do we have a deal?”
She nodded. “We do.” But then she took him in, the expensive suit, the gold cufflinks, and she realized she had a problem. “Just how fancy is this party, exactly?”
He shrugged. “Black-tie. My boss is using the event to impress current and potential clients, so to use your words, it’ll be very fancy.”
She’d been afraid of that. “Then, I think we should add a few terms to our deal, Mr. Businessman. I’m going to need a formal dress for this party. I haven’t attended a black-tie event before, but somehow, I doubt any of the sundresses in my closet will work.”
One side of his mouth lifted in a half-grin. “I’ll get you a dress.”
“And some shoes!” Mona called out from behind the counter. Cammie looked around and realized that most of the other customers in the shop had cleared out while they were talking, and the quiet allowed Mona to overhear their conversation.
Cammie laughed and shook her head at her friend.
“Shoes, too,” Leo agreed, rubbing his palms together, obviously pleased.
He held his hand out again, and she had the ridiculous thought that she’d prefer to seal the deal with a kiss, but she buried that idea in the back of her mind. This wasn’t a real date. It was a business arrangement, no matter how she tried to dress it up with a Christmas bow.
She firmly shook his hand, ignoring the heat of his touch and the sparks she could swear lit up her skin.
Before he left, Leo handed her his embossed business card so they could make arrangements to meet up a couple of times before the party next week and get to know one another. If she was going to pull off this charade, she needed to know more about Leo Watson than his coffee order.
But she wouldn’t allow herself to fall for him. Not at all. She was smarter than that.
Chapter Three
Leo drove his SUV through Cammie’s neighborhood, taking in his surroundings through a narrowed gaze. The GPS built into the dash told him her apartment building was on the corner up ahead, but the thought made him cringe.
The house to his right had bars on the windows and an overgrown yard with garbage strewn across the dead lawn. The building across the street was dark, and because the streetlight at the end of the block was out, he couldn’t be certain, but thought he saw graffiti on the side of the building.