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“So, Mia,” he said, getting his iPad from his bag. “You’re the one who runs the company?”

Mia chuckled. “Pretty much. He may be the head, but I happen to turn the neck.”

I laughed. “I always thought Mia would run the world someday.”

She smiled at Pascale, saying, “I can't wait to see what you came up with for the photo shoot.”

He nodded, swiveling the iPad so we could see it. Then he tapped on the screen with his tattooed fingers, pulling up a presentation that said THE RETREAT.

Pascale took a few minutes explaining the concept of the photo shoot to us. A refresher for me, but a crash course for Mia. When he was done, I saw the smile on her face.

“I love it,” she said. “It’s going to be perfect for this place.”

Pascale asked her, “You know Gage really well... Do you think he'll do okay with this kind of thing?”

“Oh, he's great in front of a camera,” she said. “I think the attention makes him uncomfortable, but he's really photogenic.”

Pascale asked, “What about portraying emotions? Do you think he’ll be able to do that even if he and Farrah aren’t in a relationship? I want it to look authentic in front of the camera.”

Mia smirked. “This might be TMI, but he just asked me to buy women’s lingerie for a woman he’s seeing. I’m sure he can pretend Farrah is whoever this mystery woman is.”

I choked again, coughing loudly as the liquid stung my windpipe. Mia patted my back, laughing. “Farrah’s a little shy.”

Thank God that’s what she assumed, because I felt like I was seconds away from getting busted. How many plus-size women could Gage be sleeping with? Because if Mia knew about the lingerie order, she knew what size he requested. Weren’t executives and billionaires supposed to be into women with toned bodies and personal trainers who only drank green juice? Whatever the hell that was.

I finally recovered and croaked out, “Pascale, I'd love to see the photos.”

With a slight chuckle, he nodded and said, “Let's get started.” He swiped his finger over the screen, showing one photo after another. Pictures of toes dangling out of the bathtub or room service trays covering a bed. And I already knew without a doubt that this was exactly the feel Gage wanted. And to be honest, I was so excited that I would get free family pictures while I was at it.

Caleb always thought that group photography was stupid and that the pictures I took on my phone were good enough. But the problem was that I was hardly ever in them. The fact that Pascale would be capturing my children and me in happy moments, even if they were posed, was something I really looked forward to.

“This is incredible,” Mia said. “I'm not sure how Gage will feel about putting a towel on his head, but other than that, it's great. He can inconvenience himself for a couple of hours for great art that will last years.”

Smiling, Pascale nodded. “I think that's a great idea.”

“Although...” Mia said. The look on her face was one she'd only worn when we were in college and trying to get into bars while underage. What was she up to?

“Yeah?” Pascale said.

“Well, you're an artist... And Farrah is an artist.”

Where was she going with this?

Mia tapped her chin. “I'm wondering if you two could get together and talk about your shared interest? Could be a great networking opportunity for both of you.”

Just as I was about to tell Pascale that he didn't have to “network” with me, he said, “That sounds like a great idea, as long as we can add a little red wine.”

Mia nodded enthusiastically. “I can babysit the kids, Farrah. Maybe next Friday after work?”

“I’m actually free that day at seven, and my friend recently opened a wine bar...” Pascale said.

They both looked at me expectantly, and I hoped the smile on my face didn't look too forced. I couldn’t turn down this date when it was such a good distraction away from Gage and me. “Sounds great.”

Pascale scribbled his personal number on the back of his business card and passed it to me with a wink. “See you soon.”

As soon as he left, I turned on Mia. “What the hell was that?”

She grinned smugly. “Only the world's finest wingwoman at work.”