Page 54 of Discretion

Her eyes widened, and she sat up. “Um. Excuse me. What?”

“Jasper adopted a puppy a while back, and Kai is obsessed with her.”

Zara stared at me, mouth agog. “I don’t know what’s more surprising. The fact that Craig actually followed through on his visit. Or the idea that your ex-husband is dog-sitting for your boss slash ex-lover.” She leaned forward. “Heisstill your ex-lover, right?”

“Craig?” I laughed, intentionally misinterpreting her question. “Of course.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Jasper. I thought you were trying to avoid him. How the hell did you end up dog-sitting for him?”

“I’m not. Kai is.” I bit back a grin.

And I couldn’t be more grateful to Jasper for suggesting it. Kai often got anxious when I traveled, and I knew Jasper’s dog, Rosie, would be both a good companion and a good distraction.

“And Craig was okay with that? And Jasper and Kai…” She furrowed her brow. “…have spent time together?”

“Craig only knows that Jasper is my boss. They’ve never met. And Kai hung out with Jasper after he asked me to select some artwork for his penthouse. I guess I forgot to tell you that.”

“Forgot?” she scoffed. “Um, yeah, you definitelyneglectedto mention that. How did that come about?”

I gave her a condensed version of the story. By the end,she was grinning. “Ooh, babes. An unlimited art budget and the freedom to choose whatever you wanted?”

I laughed. “It was amazing.”

“It orhim?” she asked.

“It,” I said in a firm tone. “As in the art shopping. That’s all.”

“Mm-hmm.” I sensed that she was holding back a laugh. I pretended to be too busy applying makeup to notice.

“We agreed to focus on work,” I said, hating how defensive I sounded. “And we’ve both adhered to that.”

“Mm.” She didn’t sound convinced. She leaned forward, squinting at the screen. “Is that your dress?”

I gestured over my shoulder to where the gown was hanging. “Yeah. I have to get going soon, but do you want to see it on?”

“Um, yes. Is that even a question?”

“Be right back.”

I grabbed the dress and stepped out of the frame, donning it before staring at myself in the mirror. I wasn’t even sure I recognized myself.

This dress was an architectural wonder. I’d never worn something so exquisite, not even on my wedding day. The emerald silk fabric hugged me in all the right places, emphasizing my best attributes. As if that weren’t enough, it was actually fairly comfortable. And, best of all, it had pockets.

I could’ve kissed Sloan’s stylist, Jay Crowe, for selecting this for me. He’d nailed it. I’d never felt more beautiful or powerful.

I’d gotten a blowout earlier in the day at the hotel salon, and my hair cascaded down my back in loose waves. And while I’d tried to tell myself I was merely following Jay’s styling suggestion, I knew how much Jasper loved it when I wore my hair down.

I stepped into my heels and smiled, surprising myself.Then, shoulders back, head held high, I sauntered toward my phone to let Zara see the full effect.

“Holy shit.” Zara gaped at me. “Turn.” I did so, letting her see the dress from all angles. “Babes, you look hot.”

“Isn’t this dress amazing?” I asked, showing off the pockets.

“It is, but I love your confidence even more.” She smiled. “Jasper won’t know what hit him.” When I glared at her, she quickly added, “Not that you’re trying to impress him or anything.”

“I’m not,” I said, though even I could admit that was a lie.

Jasper had been nothing but professional lately. Yes, he’d asked Kai if he wanted to dog-sit. But I’d definitely seen less of him the past few weeks. It almost felt as if he’d been avoiding me.