Page 46 of To the Chase

“You disappeared,” he remarked. “Dean wasn’t impressed.”

“I had nothing left to say. Besides, you always do fine without me.” I started for the dessert table again, Sam hot on my heels. “You should try the macarons.”

Then again, on second thought, I’d rather he not. It might have been crazy, but I didn’t want him tasting something Bea had made. In fact, if it wouldn’t have made me look like a lunatic, I would have packed up all the macarons and mousse cups to keep for myself.

“I’m not really a fan,” Sam stated.

I turned toward him sharply, my gut knotted in barbed wire. “Of macarons in general or these in particular?”

He held his hands up. “Hey, don’t give me that pissy look. I’m not insulting your waitress. It’s not personal. I’ve never been a fan.”

“Mywaitress? Her name is Bea, as you well know.”

Sam chuckled. “Right. Bea. Did you know she’d be here? Is that why you showed?”

“Of course it is.”

I never lied to Sam. There was no point—he knew me too well to fall for anything less than the full truth. Besides, I had nothing to hide from him. Well, except for theAt Your Serviceapp. But he didn’t know it existed, so he wouldn’t ask.

He exhaled a long breath. “Are you seeing her?”

“Not yet.”

“Now’s not a great time for distractions. You have enough of those already.”

Those words landed wrong. “My family isn’t a distraction.”

He instantly backpedaled. “I didn’t mean it that way. Of course, they’re not, and I get it’s important to spend time with them. But we’re on the cusp of the next level, and right now isn’t—”

“Sam”—I leveled him with a long, hard look—“this is not a conversation I’m willing to have.”

He started to argue, but the CFO of another tech company brushed by, giving us a nod. Once she passed, Sam focused on me.

“You’re right. This isn’t the time nor the place for this conversation.” He patted my shoulder. “We’ll talk more on Monday.”

“We can,” I agreed, “but not about Bea. She isn’t up for discussion, and neither is my personal life.”

He jerked back. “So we’re not friends anymore? We can’t talk about anything personal?”

“We are. But I have boundaries, and this is one of them. If I talk to you about Bea, it’ll be as my friend, not my business partner.”

A million emotions flashed across his face, but none stayed long enough for me to decipher. Finally, he settled on an affable smirk, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Lately, we’d been at odds more than not. It was worrying.

“Got the message, loud and clear.” He chuckled. “Though the way she was looking at you, you might have your work cut out for you.”

He wasn’t wrong about that…

I was looking forward to every minute of it.

Chapter Seventeen

Salvatore

BeforeTiadied,lifehad been centered around my work. No restrictions on my hours, spending more weekends glued to my computer than not. It was all I’d known, and though my world remained small, I’d never thought to change it.

Losing her had forced me to rearrangeeverything. That process had been excruciating in almost every way, but now, two years into this new life, things ran as smoothly as possible.

Attending the charity luncheon had been a rare break in my routine, so when I stepped into the foyer of our new house, I was immediately bombarded with questions.