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Carter snapped his eyes up to mine. His mouth opened.
My legs trembled and what little courage I had broke into a million pieces. “Have a nice day,” I blurted out in a rush, my words blurring together. I whirled and ran from him into the back, and threw myself into a bathroom stall. I fumbled with the lock for a few seconds and finally slammed it home.
My heart raced, my breath shuddering in my throat. “He knows,” I mumbled. “He knows it was me.”
CHAPTER13
CARTER
I’d had secret doubts about Brian hooking up with that Maggie girl until I saw them interact. She came into the restaurant, a sauntering blonde woman standing nearly six feet tall, and came right over in a hurry, right into Brian’s arms. She smiled wider with her approach, full-on grinning as he pulled her in and kissed her forehead. Her knees wobbled and she pressed closer to him, rubbing her cheek on his.
Brian lay his head on hers, smiling in a soft way I’d never seen before.
Damn,I thought, watching them.If they ever break up, I don’t think I can believe in love.
Brian turned and gestured to me. “Maggie, this is Carter Bryant. You know him, of course.”
Maggie slipped away from her man and approached with her hand out to shake. Her grip surprised me with its strength. “I don’t know how I couldnotknow him.”
“You’d be surprised,” I told her, shaking her hand. “I might be a billionaire, but I keep a relatively small circle.”
She sat down in the booth across from me and scooted over to make room for Brian. Leaning on her elbows, she said, “NYC’s five boroughs is what you consider small?”
“Relatively,” I repeated.
Maggie flashed a smile and nodded, like I’d done something to impress her. “At least you’re self-aware,” she said, which I didn’t quite get. I had a feeling there would be a lot of that where she was involved.
A waitress came over. I stuck to water, while Brian ordered a soda, and Maggie requested a non-alcoholic piña colada.
“I love coconut,” she informed me. “But that’s not the reason we’re here. You don’t want to know about me.”
I looked at Brian accusingly. “You told her?”
“What?” he exclaimed. “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t tell her anything.”
“Then how does she know?”
Brian shrugged, lifting his hands. “She’s smart?”
Maggie cleared her throat, interrupting us. “While I’m flattered, I have to tell you I don’t have any idea what this is about, Carter. It’s just common sense. You aren’t trying to suss out if I’m a good match for Brian. Men usually go about that in a sneakier way, though it’s not really any of your business anyway. I think you’re a powerful guy and you want information that I have. It’s logical.”
“You didn’t tell me she was a genius,” I remarked to Brian.
He leaned in and stage-whispered, “I’m more interested in her other assets.”
I smiled, though I knew that wasn’t true. Maybe herassets had caught his attention in the first place, but the two were well on their way to falling in love. Even I could tell that.
The waitress came back and we ordered our meals, a tropical salad for Maggie, to match her piña colada. I settled for a steak sandwich and Brian asked for the special, a cheeseburger omelet.
When we were alone again, Maggie pierced me with her sharp eyes. “So, spill it. I know why I’m here. Get down to the specifics.”
I folded my hands on the top of our table, suddenly filled with nerves, like a manager giving his first job interview. “I think you know someone I want to learn more about. I’d like to learn what you know, if I’m correct. If I’m not, well, free lunch.”
Maggie didn’t take her eyes off mine, didn’t even give the slightest smile. “Alright.”
“I’m sure Brian’s told you about the princess I danced with at the Halloween party, how I lost track of her and tried to find her. You were there, though a bit occupied.”
Maggie still said nothing, her expression frozen. I pictured her as a sort of snake, poised to strike if I strayed too far in the wrong direction.