Page 21 of That Friendzone Feeling

Ifwe can pull this off, apart from meaning we can complete the resort and save the business, there is another enormous upside to gettingChaseCooperon board.

“Myparents couldn’t fail to love this,”Icall back toWalker.

7

WALKER

“I

’mfairly sure that moving that pen an inch to the left isn’t going to make the difference as to whetherChaseCooperwants to go into business with us or not.”

Emilylooks up at me over her extra-wide curved computer monitor. “Ijust want it to go well, that’s all.”

“Metoo.Butyou’ve wiped down every surface in this office tillIcould eat my dinner off them, and rearrangedthe things on your desk and mine so many timesIfeel likeI’mbeing conned by one of those guys on a street corner with three upturned cups and a small squishy red ball.”

“Justtrying to create a good impression.”

Herbackside, which is hugged particularly closely by today’s all-business black dress, lifts off her chair as she jumps at the ping of her phone.

“He’stexted me.He’shere.”

“Chase?He’stexted youhimself?”

“Yes.Itsays, ‘HiEmily, this isChase.I’mhere.’Hisassistant must have given him my number.”Shestands up,wipes her hands down the sides of the figure-clinging garment and looks at me. “Sohe’s here.Here.He’shere.”

“Yup.Gotit first time.AndIhope you’ll construct better sentences than that in front of him.You’resupposed to be the brains of this operation, someone who can make good use of several million of his movie dollars, not someone he wouldn’t trust with his grocery list.”

Shepicks up an eraser shaped like a pink cupcake.Asshe draws back her arm to throw it vaguely in my direction,Ihold up my hands to stop her. “Hey, put that back or you’ll disrupt the feng shui of the room.”

“Ah, into feng shui?” says the person who’s appeared as if by magic in the doorway.

Heis—and this is not somethingIever expected to think about anyone—the most handsome manIhave ever set eyes on.I’mamazed his entrance isn’t announced by a choir of angels and accompanied by a blinding white heavenly glow.

“Ihad my place inMalibufeng shui’d,”ChaseCoopersays.

Obviouslymore money than sense, though.Oneof those richCalifornia“spiritual” types.I’dalways suspected he might be a bit of a dick under the glossyHollywoodfacade.

“Yeah,” he continues. “Itlooks great, but all the woo-woo stuff is a load of nonsense.”

Oh, okay.Butthere’s bound to be some other reason he’s a dick.

Leonsqueezes past him through the doorway. “Sorry,Ishould have come up first.Chase, let me introduce you.”He’sgushing.Andblushing.Anda little flustered. “ThisisEmilyLombardoandWalkerDashwood, our owners.”

Emilywalks around her desk and tosses her hair overher shoulder in confident entrepreneur style asChaseoffers his hand for a shake.

“Hi,I’veheard a lot about you guys,” he says.

Lessprofessional is her giant starry-eyed grin.Ihaven’t seen her smile that wide since after an end-of-term exam when she figured out she hadn’t confused theUnityofCommandandUnityofDirectionprinciples of management and wasn’t going to flunk it after all.AsifEmilyflunking anything would ever be in the cards.

ShetakesChase’shand. “Greatto meet you.Thankyou for coming.”

Shedips slightly at the knees.Kindof like a curtsy.Didshe just curtsy toChaseCooper?

Iturn my gaze to the man himself, who looks like he might never be able to take his eyes off her.Ifthis were a cartoon, a heart shape would be thumping from his chest.

Tobe fair to him, whichI’mnot predisposed to be,Emilyis dazzling.Butshe’s always dazzling.Whycan she never see how amazing she is?She’dwipe the floor with her sister in a charisma contest, yet she endlessly feels less than her.

Andshe looks gorgeous.Thatdress highlights every curve, her high heels show off her shapely legs, and her face is flawless in perfect makeup.Butshe’s just as beautiful bare-faced, crusty-eyed, and with her hair in a random bundle on her head first thing in the morning.