Page 7 of The Fallen Man

“Obviously,” he agreed, a smile lighting up his face once more. “Of course, that means angels are too. Or at least mine is, anyway.”

“So, how are you going to purpose?” she asked, now impressed by his creativity.

“I rented out the courtyard.”

“Oh my God, that was you? We’ve been swooning over that all day. It’s gorgeous!”

“Do you think so?” he asked, looking pleased. “She studies squid. I thought maybe the squid lanterns were over the top, though.”

“She is going to love it,” said Caitlin sincerely. “It’s like being under the ocean. You knocked it out of the park.”

He grinned. “Thanks for saying that. And thanks for your help.”

The unexpectedthank youmade her nervous, and Caitlin tensed for thewe should meet up later to discuss this thing that’s going on between usor whatever line was going to come out of his mouth. There was bound to be a sleazy offer at some point. She had yet to meet a Nice Guy™ in her line of work that didn’t make a pass.

“Seriously, I really appreciate you taking time out of your jobto help me,” he said sincerely.

“You’re welcome,” said Caitlin, feeling slightly stunned. Of course, this guy was taken. The good ones always got snatched up like a TV on a Black Friday sale.

“OK,” he straightened his suit jacket. “Wish me luck.”

“As long as you avoid the shrimp cocktail, you won’t need it,” said Caitlin.

“Good advice,” he said with a laugh and headed for the door, just as Jessica was coming in fiddling with her camera.

“Ooh,” said Jessica. “Who was that, and can I have him when you’re done?”

“That is the very nice man who rented the courtyard so he could propose to his girlfriend in private,” said Caitlin.

Jessica blew out a raspberry of disdain. “Losers.”

“Marriage is not for losers.”

“Ha!” said Jessica. “I will believe it when I see it.”

“I mean, I’m not sure I believe in it,” said Caitlin. “But I don’t think it’s a bad idea necessarily.”

“Disagree,” said Jessica.

Caitlin shrugged. “I can’t really argue with you. But this guy looked over the moon about it. Don’t rain on his parade.”

“Hey,” said Jessica, and there was a carefully casual note in her voice that made Caitlin tense, “I got tickets to a concert next week, and I have a spare if you want one.”

Caitlin laughed. “I’m eating leftovers here for the rest of the week until my paycheck from the agency comes in. I can’t afford to re-up my metro card, let alone a concert ticket. I’m probably going to be hopping turnstiles on the way home.”

“Still paying on your mom’s medical bills?” asked Jessica, grimacing.

“Probably for the next decade,” said Caitlin. She didn’t bother to mention her problems with the IRS. Vince was the only one who knew all the reasons for her abrupt tumble from Columbiastudent to bartender. “I qualified for medical relief, but I have to keep paying until we finalize negotiations on a deal.”

Jessica made a face. “That super sucks. Look, the ticket is a spare. Jordan chipped in but can’t use it and doesn’t want his money back. You could take it. It wouldn’t cost you anything.”

Caitlin was tempted, but she suspected that Jessica had either bought the ticket for her or was trying to set her up on another blind date.

“What day is it, again?” asked Caitlin.

“Wednesday. It’s your regular night off. Come on. It’ll be fun.”

“Yeah,” said Caitlin, thinking that having fun sounded exhausting. “Maybe. I’ll think about it.”