Page 75 of Brooklynaire

“Rebecca,” he says, his voice as cool and calm as an iceberg. “Goodevening.”

Gulp. Nate hasn’t spoken to me in a voice so detached in…well, ever. So that’s weird. “Didn’t expect to see you here,” I say. As if that’s notobvious.

“I swung by to chat withHugh.”

“Oh,” I saystupidly.

Heidi Jo is staring across at us with one perfectly manicured little hand covering her mouth. Maybe she’s never met a billionairebefore.

I wiggle my hips and shift on the leather to give Nate a little more room on what I’d assumed was an empty bench. “Sorry,” I say, feeling flustered. I wonder if I’ve chewed off all my lipstick. I hope I don’t have sweat circles under myarms.

How in the world did I become so self-conscious in front ofNate?

“Mr. Kattenberger, I’m Heidi Jo,” she says in a hushed voice. “And I’m such a big fan ofyours.”

Nate looks up from his phone. “Thank you,” he says mildly. I hear a note ofamusement.

“Heidi Jo is an intern in the front office,” I manage tosupply.

“…And I am taking really good care of Miss Rowley!” shegushes.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you, and I’m glad to hearthat.”

Although I notice he doesn’t spare me aglance.

Nate tucks his phone away. “Miss Rowley, do you have tonight’s invite listhandy?”

Miss Rowley? What fresh hell is this? I’ve been last-named? By Nate? Surprise strikes me dumb, and I just blink at him for a long moment. His pale eyes are unreadable behind his readingglasses.

Flustered now, I tear my gaze off his and flop the clipboard onto my knees. My knit dress—purple, the team’s color—is riding up so I do a strange wiggle to yank it down. Then I flip through all the notes to find tonight’s corporate boxattendees.

“Let’s see,” I mumble. “You invited two guys from Goldman Sachs—Kearns and Brown. You invited Stew and Seely and Marsha Ryan. Oh—and Alex Engels.”Shit. If Alex is even the least bit weird to me tonight, I will probably lose mymind.

I run out of steam just thinking about it. And instead of reading the rest of the names on the list, I just hand him the clipboard, feelingdefeated.

He scans it and hands it back without aword.

I take it back andsigh.

The car inches up to another red light and we all wait insilence.

“How was your first week back at work?” Nate surprises me byasking.

Grueling. And now weird. “It was lovely. Thank you forinquiring.”

“I’ve made sure she didn’t work too many hours in Detroit,” Heidi Jo pipes up. “She’s doing firstrate.”

“Ah,” Nate says. “Well done. Whatever we pay you, I’m sure it isn’tenough.”

Heidi Jo giggles. “I think I might need hazard pay when Miss Rowley gets in one of her moods. She’s a grumpy bearsometimes.”

“Is thatso?”

I try to give Heidi Jo a searing death glare from across the car, but she’s not looking at me so all I accomplish is tense eye muscles. She is a dead girl when I get heralone.

Nate gives me another glance, and it’s weirdly cool. I wonder what he sees. A slightly disheveled woman in a clingy purple dress,probably.

Or, a bigmistake?