Page 9 of Players Like Us (Reunion Gap #7)

“ N eal? What are you doing here?”

Interesting question. He’d asked himself that same question last night as he wandered the Westfield Plaza, making conversation he wasn’t interested in, asking questions whose answers he didn’t particularly care about.

.. Always watching...assessing...gathering information, appearing nonchalant and distant from the target a.k.a. Rachel Reese.

Of course, Neal understood why he’d attended the event, but that didn’t mean he liked it.

Still, how could he ever tell Meredith “no”?

He’d disappointed his sister too many times, and this request had appeared inconvenient but not horrible.

But he hadn’t expected the Rachel Reese he remembered from high school to be even more beautiful, more compelling. ..

You have to promise you won’t get involved with her.

His sister’s words pinged his brain, forced him to come up with a plan to expedite the “information gathering” process.

He needed to offer Rachel something she couldn’t refuse.

That’s where Dominic came in. His best friend was part owner of Matilda’s and the restaurant needed a makeover.

Why not offer Rachel a chance to submit a proposal?

It wasn’t like they had to agree to it, Neal just needed time to figure out a few significant details like did she have a job?

Where did she live? How about friends? He’d guess there was no boyfriend since Simon Bainbridge had been all over her last night.

How had she ended up with an arrogant jerk like him?

Money? Compliments that were emptier than a blank piece of paper?

What she did and who she did it with was none of his business.

His job was to gather and deliver information to his sister so she and her new husband could continue living happy lives forever and ever.

Sure, whatever. Neal was glad Meredith had found her person because after watching the disaster their parents called marriage, it was hard to tell what that should look like.

“So, why are you here?” Rachel Reese eyed him as though she thought he might be stalking her.

Neal smiled, slid into the booth opposite her and watched her agitation grow.

He couldn’t reveal the fact that he’d asked Dominic to meet with her, so he’d have to come up with another line.

More believable, no doubt, because she still thought of him as a good-for-nothing playboy with too much money and too little ambition.

That opinion could serve him on occasion.

His smile spread, his voice dipped in what he was certain would draw a scowl.

“I know the owner. There are actually two owners, but one’s more of a silent partner. ” No harm in sharing a little truth.

“I see.” The narrowed gaze and tone said she thought his association had more to do with his wallet and less to do with a friendship.

Wouldn’t she be surprised to hear Dominic was his best friend ? Of course, he couldn’t share that. “I know a lot of people, but then why wouldn’t I, right?” His smile spread. “This is one of the best restaurants in McLean and if you’ve never tried the short ribs, you’re missing a real treat.”

The huff said she wasn’t interested in his recommendations. “Well, it was nice seeing you again, but if you don’t mind…” She glanced behind her, frowned.

“Ah, you want me to disappear.” His gaze landed on the portfolio resting on the table.

No doubt it contained some of her design work.

He’d like to take a look—a quick peek into her work would tell him a lot, spark questions that would lead to more questions, and hopefully answers.

He’d find out all about Rachel Reese but he would not resort to an investigator.

Absolutely not. He’d suffered through years of someone poking around in his business, reporting back to his father, stealing every chance for a normal life.

Neal wouldn’t do that to her, or anyone.

He’d have to play the rich fool who didn’t care about anything but the next good time.

And while he was doing that, he’d conduct his own investigation, gather data, analyze the information.

Nobody other than Dominic and their business associates would guess Neal possessed analytical capabilities.

His family certainly wouldn’t and it wasn’t just his old man who believed he lacked business sense.

His brother, even his sister, assumed he didn’t possess the desire or the skillset to manage his own life—personal or otherwise.

What would they say if they knew one of his restaurants was the most sought after in the city and had won several awards?

He pushed aside the disappointment that he couldn’t share this information with his family, turned back to his current dilemma a.k.a.

Rachel Reese. Neal pointed to the portfolio, curious to study the contents.

“I’m guessing you’re not here to sample the short ribs or the wedding soup?

” The pinched lips said she wasn’t answering.

Fine, no need because he’d tell her why she was here.

That would definitely get a response. “I would say you’re here to talk with Dominic about updating this place. ”

Those amber eyes narrowed to slits. “How would you know that?”

He laughed, intrigued by this woman’s assumptions about him.

“You’re an interior designer. Dominic is looking to give this place a makeover.

Pretty simple math.” He rubbed his jaw, pretended nonchalance when he tossed out the question.

“But I’m curious as to how you knew about this?

Did someone make an introduction?” I made the introduction .

A small piece of him wanted her to see him in a different light, one that didn’t make him look like such an irresponsible, good-for-nothing fool.

Her expression softened, the full lips tilted at the corners and when she spoke, there was real kindness in her voice.

“Yes, I did get an introduction.” Those lips pulled into a genuine smile.

“And no matter what happens, I’ll be forever grateful for this chance.

All a person can ever ask for is as an opportunity, right? ”

Forever grateful? Well. What was he going to do about that?

If she were forever grateful, then that would mean she might agree to dinner with him and he could find out more about her plans, who her friends were, how she made money while trying to get an interior design gig.

“Opportunity should not be squandered.” Neal had finally learned this when he became business partners with Dominic.

That’s when he realized how much he did not want to be the sort of person who wandered from one excess to another—thinking only of himself, his pleasures, and the next event.

Neal had discovered he wanted to do something that mattered and—

“Yes, opportunities and people will often surprise you. don’t you think?” She tilted her head, and he noticed the way her dark hair shone under the lights. She was a beautiful woman… Captivating, intriguing, definitely confusing.

“Are we talking about people in general or someone in particular?” She was toying with him.

Of course, she’d figured out he was behind the meeting with Dominic and now Rachel Reese was engaging in what he recognized as casual flirtation.

Who would have thought all those years ago would lead them to this?

Neal took in the slender column of her neck, the way her—

“You might not think much of Simon Bainbridge, but he’s proven that kindness beats out arrogance any day.”

Neal stared, tried to sift through her words to their meaning.

“Kindness? No one has ever associated that man with words like kindness.” Why would she say that?

The man was a user whose only claim to anything was a future partnership with his family’s law firm.

That was always his lead-in and the fact that he flunked the bar twice—not because he wasn’t smart enough but because he’d been vacationing in Greece when he should have been studying—was a minor detail he left out of conversations.

And what about the two broken engagements, both of which occurred when his fiancées discovered he’d been cheating?

Not with one woman, but multiple women? Yeah, kindness wasn’t a word people associated with Simon Bainbridge.

The only reason the guy hadn’t been kicked out of the country clubs and barred from the night spots had to do with his family name and money.

Old money. Big money. Rachel wouldn’t be aware of any of that because the guy knew how to use his words and make compelling arguments regarding his compassion, generosity, and the desire to do the right thing.

Hardly. Most women couldn’t resist the man’s words or the phony smile that went with it, but too many had been hurt, some almost destroyed.

That would not happen to Rachel. He’d promised his sister he’d find out what Rachel was doing and that implied protecting her if he discovered she needed help.

Great, just what he wanted. A battle with Simon Bainbridge.

The man didn’t believe in fair or compromise.

Neal learned that years ago when Simon slept with Neal’s girlfriend because as the jerk put it, You always get the girl until you don’t want her.

But you wanted this one so I’m taking her.

Neal had wanted Georgianna, had believed they had a future together, even though that went against everything he believed until he met her.

Simon had destroyed that chance, destroyed Neal’s belief that love could exist, that he could trust someone who was not family.

He never let the man see how much he’d cared about Georgianna, and pretended the relationship wasn’t as serious as he’d let on.

He’d even told Georgianna that. She’d cried, begged him for a chance, whatever he could give her.

..for however long... Too late. He’d never trust her again, probably never trust a woman again. ..

“Neal, why don’t you like him?” Rachel placed both hands on the table, leaned toward him. “He’s trying to help me, why can’t you just mind your own business?”

“You think he’s trying to help you? Help you how?” Neal pictured the man’s too-pretty face and persuasive demeanor. “By unzipping your dress? Helping you out of it?”

“By getting me this meeting. Would you have done that?” Those amber eyes burned him.

“I don’t think so. Simon arranged this meeting.

Can you say you would have done that for anyone unless you were getting something in return?

” When he didn’t answer, she sat up straighter, squared her shoulders.

“I think we both know the answer to that.”

If Dominic hadn’t taken that exact moment to reappear, Neal might have forgotten how much he valued his anonymity and told her he’d been the one to arrange the meeting.

And not only that, he was co-owner of Matilda’s.

But Dominic interrupted just as Neal opened his mouth to answer her—almost as if his best friend were watching the interaction between them.

“I see you’ve met Rachel.” Dominic held out a hand. “Nice to see you again.”

The handshake was extra firm, the dark gaze warning.

Neal nodded, blew out a long breath. “I have met her.” His gaze slid to the woman who’d given him a quasi-headache and was pushing him toward indigestion.

“We were just chatting about sincerity and how to tell if a person means what he says or possibly has an ulterior motive.”

“Ah.” Dominic turned to Rachel. “Neal likes to keep people guessing; don’t be fooled by the casual nonchalance.”

What? Why was he saying that? Neal cleared his throat, searched for a distraction. He was the one unearthing information here and Dominic was going to help him. His best friend was not going to provide Rachel Reese with a playbook on Neal’s life.

“No worries here.” Rachel smiled at Dominic, ignored Neal as if he were of no relevance to her or her situation. If she only knew the truth.

Fine, let her think whatever she wanted about him.

He preferred playing the happy-go-lucky fool nobody depended on—less people to disappoint.

“I think I’ll grab a drink.” Neal shrugged out of his jacket, tossed it on the booth and made his way toward the bar.

He was several steps away, well out of what Rachel must have thought was hearing range when she spoke.

“The man really does act like he owns the world, including this place.”