Page 39 of The Bad Boy Prince in Love

Hallie looked down on her plaid shirt only to find a big white toothpaste stain.

“Oh, thanks for telling me!”She took off the shirt, only to realize that the tank top underneath was the one she rarely wore in public these days because it was old and fraying, as well as having a picture of a cartoon squirrel on the front.So much for looking professional and put together.

She tied her plaid shirt around her waist and proceeded upstairs to Eloise’s room.She had been here several times, though she and Eloise were never particularly close friends, and she knew the way.

Feeling like she was about to enter a classroom for an exam, Hallie knocked on the door, which was slightly ajar.

Thank goodness, Luke and Eloise were only sitting at a desk, papers and flyers spread on its oak surface.

The room itself was wholesome, bland, and boring, just like Eloise.Other than the desk where they were working, everything was inhumanly tidy, with inspiring quotes hanging on the wall.

But just for a split second, the mask slipped, and Hallie saw the look of disappointment of Eloise’s face.

So Terry’s suspicions were probably not far off the mark: the sweet, charity-minded young lady with the pretty pink bow in her hair was quietly trying to steal her boyfriend.

Chapter 19: Fried Chicken Tactics

Of course, the do-gooderquickly plastered on her usual perky smile, greeting Hallie with warmth and enthusiasm.“So good to see you, Hallie!”

“Hello, darling,” Luke added, “I thought you were taking a siesta.Nice shirt.”She didn’t catch his initial reaction, but now his eyes were crinkling and misting over at the same time as he seemed to be ogling her figure, or maybe just examining the cartoon squirrel on her tank top.

“So, you two have been working on the charity project?”Hallie began.

“Luke has so many good ideas!”Eloise gushed.

“Maybe I can put in my two cents’ worth,” Hallie offered.

“Of course, you’re welcome to,” Eloise said, though her ability to sound enthused seemed to fail.“I thought you said you didn’t have time for meetings anymore.”

“A woman’s allowed to change her mind.I thought maybe I could help with marketing since that’s my area,” Hallie suggested, as she pulled up a small stool to sit between them.“What colors are you using for your branding?”

“I don’t have any branding,” Eloise replied.

“You should,” Hallie said.“It’s going to make people take notice, and they will see your materials as professional.Luckily, I’ve got my set of markers right here, so we can try out some colors.You can also use an online picture editor to give you much more variety.”

“Are you sure we should be coloring when we have so many more important things to discuss?”Eloise asked.