Page 18 of The Stranger

She squeaks out an abrupt, “No,” at the same time I reply with a firm, “Yes.”

I side-eye her and see pink flood her cheeks.

Logan gives us both a quizzical look. “I saw your Facebook status.”

“You saw that, huh?” I mutter.

“I deleted that post,” Delilah adds, bowing her head and staring down at her feet.She did? When? And why?Her next words answer that last question. “We broke up.”

“We did?” I find myself asking.

A bemused smirk tugs on Logan’s lips. “That’s a shame. I was both surprised and pleased when I saw it. I was like you once,” he says moving his attention back to me. “All work and no play.” He lifts one shoulder. “Then I met Brooke and my life was enriched in ways I never thought possible.”

I roll my eyes when Delilah coos, “Aww,” from beside me.

Women.

A few sweet words from the opposite sex and they melt into a puddle of mush.

I’m not opposed to finding love one day. It’s just not something I’m interested in at the moment. My life is chaotic enough.

“Are you heading back to the office?” my driver asks once we slide into the back seat.

I look down at my watch and see it is almost noon. My meeting took longer than I expected. “Can you drop us off at Aria, please, Damien?”

“Certainly, Mr Prescott.”

“Us? Where are you taking me now?” Delilah gripes.

“Lunch.”

My answer has her doing a double take. “What?”

“It’s midday … I’m hungry.”

“I’m not dining with you, Spencer.”

“You work for me now, Miss St. James. I don’t believe you have a choice.”

“I never agreed to your proposal.”

“I believe on the drive here we agreed if I changed the subject, you’d take the position.”

“I replied with an, ‘Ugh’. That is not a yes.”

“It isn’t a no, either.”

“You’re insufferable … no wonder you’re single.”

“I didn’t even realise I was back on the market until you informed me in front of my lawyer that we had broken up. And for the record, prior to you, I was single by choice.”

“So, you keep claiming,” she mumbles.

“It’s the truth.”

“While we’re on the subject, you realise I witnessed you lie to him?”

“How so?”