“You’re kidding,” she murmured. She didn’t know whether she should be excited to hear his reasoning or pissed.
“I helped the owner of Lucia’s out of a jam a few years back and she’s always been fond of me. So I asked if we could fiddle with the security feed in the store for the day. Now any tapes pulled will show the timestamp for a week ago up until about twenty minutes before you and Bar had your little run-in.”
“But why wouldn’t I have released these tapes right away? Why wouldn’t I tell them about our relationship? I tried defending myself before. Nothing worked.”
He waved a hand carelessly in the air as though her concerns were nothing. “People love video evidence. That’s why you got screwed over. They had a few photos that could possibly put you in a compromising position and jumped on it. So I’m going to leak this video tomorrow along with a statement that we were trying to keep our relationship under wraps, but I decided to come public once the lies Bar was putting out affected your reputation. Paint you as the victim and Bar as the asshole he is.”
Grace leaned back in her seat, debating the merits of his plan. She wasn’t too fond of playing a victim, but she’d love Senator Bar to have his ass pinned to the wall and exposed for all his lies. “What about our relationship? The nonexistent one?”
The waiter appeared and made a big show of uncorking the wine bottle and allowing Simon and Grace to both sniff for approval. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Really, all she wanted was her wine and some privacy. But she went through the motions and thanked the waiter as he went off to fulfill other duties.
Simon set his glass down and turned back to her. “Our fake relationship won’t last long. The press has never cared much about me, and, to them at least, your most interesting attribute was your affair with Bar. So once they realize you’re not a home wrecker, they’ll stop paying you much attention. But everyone thinking we’re together will help me get closer to DuFord. It will give me a reason to be following you around.”
Grace almost forgot Simon’s true motive in her rush of excitement. His hatred of her ex. “I’m driving out there Thursday evening. The client has a small guesthouse about a mile from the event site that I stay at. I’ll be finalizing a bunch of things that Friday, but maybe you could meet me Friday night or early Saturday? It won’t be hard to get the client to agree to offer you an invitation, since your reputation precedes you.”
She took a sip of wine and studied his reaction. He didn’t seem overjoyed at the talk of his stellar reputation. So professional flattery wasn’t a weak spot. Always good to know.
“I figure we can drive together. It will strengthen our relationship story and give me some time to scope out DuFord while you’re working.”
Grace felt the blood rush from her face. “Scope out? I thought I wasn’t doing anything illegal.”
“Well, I never said I wouldn’t be doing anything illegal. But to clarify, I meant checking out where he lives and who he sees while he’s living the high life in the Hamptons.”
She nodded, relieved to hear his answer. “I think we should drive separately. I’m bringing my dog, and the alone time lets me focus on work.”
He raised a brow. “You bring your dog?”
“Yeah. Princess is well behaved, and with everything that’s been going on, I’ve barely seen her. I was looking forward to the two of us getting away for a few days, even if it is a work trip.”
“Alone as in not with me?” asked Simon with a grin.
Grace refused to regret her choice of words. They weren’t dating, and she didn’t need to feel bad about not wanting him around.
“So you have a dog named Princess, huh?” His eyes narrowed as though he was judging her reaction to him judging her.
But Grace didn’t mind. Everyone laughed at Princess’s name to begin with, but the second they met her, they realized it made total sense. “She’s been with me for six years and is spoiled rotten. Princess just fits her.”
He nodded. “Well, I don’t mind dogs and I’m a quiet driver. Why don’t I pick you up Thursday and that way you won’t even have driving to distract you from work?”
She sighed, not sure she could say no. This was her end of the deal and she wasn’t about to renege. “Don’t you have work to do yourself?”
“More than I want to think about at the moment, but that’s my own fault since I’m my own boss. I can do a majority of my work remotely, and I’m paid by the hour, so as long as I don’t bill for the time I’m running around with you, I’ll be okay.”
“We’re not
running around
together,” she insisted.
“That’s what it will look like. Me and my hot new girl escaping to the Hamptons for ‘work.’”
She tried to stop the grin that formed. “Great. I’m going to go from a home wrecker to a trollop who puts her lovers over her job.”
“You are the one who brought up my reputation. What exactly have you heard about me before this morning?”
Grace let out a laugh. “I’m sure you know. Can turn any business around, but is, um, lacking in people skills even though he can read almost anyone.”
“So tell me, Ms. Bell, how do you think someone with a reputation for being a dick gets as much work as I do?”
She scoffed. “Tell me your secrets.”
“I have the reputation for being a brilliant dick. As long as you do your job better than everyone around you, you can get away with murder. So no one will care you’re screwing your boyfriend senseless this weekend as long as your event goes off without a hitch.”
Grace felt the blush climb up her cheeks. “It’s all an act, though. There won’t be any screwing happening.”
Instead of laughing at the thought, Simon only considered her with those dark eyes of his that made her wonder how much of this crazy scheme was an act.
“Why not?” His voice was low even though there was no one around within hearing distance.
Her mouth went dry. “We’re working together,” she sputtered as she inched away.
His hand covered hers. “Don’t forget the cameras,” he whispered. “And please don’t get freaked out. It was a simple question. I find you attractive, and, correct me if I’m wrong, I think you don’t mind looking at me. If we’re going to be working in close proximity, why not have fun?”
She obligingly slid in closer, but pulled her hand from his. She didn’t think she could speak clearly with his hands on her and didn’t even want to delve into her psyche to figure out what that meant. “I only met you today, and, to be honest, you’ve pissed me off more times in that one day than people I’ve known for years have done in the past decade. So you’re not on the top of my list.”
He smiled at her, not seemingly affected by the rejection. “I appreciate the honesty.”
The waiter and some assistants arrived with the food, and Grace beamed up at the waiter for giving her an excuse to change the topic.
Once the salads were set in front of them, Simon eagerly started to dig in. “On to more important topics. Tell me everything you think I need to know about Bell Planning.”
Simon pulled his Cadillac to a halt at a spot about a block away from Grace’s Brooklyn apartment. The street appeared well kept and he didn’t notice a ton of bars on the lower windows. Most of the apartments had pretty flower pots lining the windowsills to add color and a pleasant feel to the street.
He thought back to the financials she’d sent over. Grace sunk a lot of the profits back into the company, but she still ended up with a decent wage. It had been slowly climbing the past few years as she’d made a bigger name for herself and her reputation grew. She’d lucked out by scoring an apprenticeship with Renard Chapin. After she’d learned all his secrets and tricks, he’d retired to go live in France with his family and recommended that all his clients use her as their consultant.
Simon sent her a text message to tell her where he was parked and stared in the direction of her apartment. She didn’t seem like the type to be late, but this was a woman getting ready for a huge work function and a weekend away. If stereotypes proved accurate, he might be waiting awhile.
The corner of his mouth ticked up when he saw Grace push open the door to her building. The sun made her blonde hair, tucked back into a ponytail, shine, and her navy and white striped shirt and khaki shorts were the perfect nautical theme for the Hamptons.
She definitely liked to dress the part. Which probably explained her luggage. Although she was on time, she sure packed a lot. She had an oversized suitcase rolling behind her, with another duffel packed to the point of practically bursting on top of the bag. And walking on her left was the oddest dog he’d ever seen.
She was muscular and stout; her tiny legs worked to move her big torso and keep up with Grace. Her ears were almost nonexistent, and he could see that whoever had cropped them had no clue what they were doing, but her massive grin and bright eyes gave her that slight twinge of cute that most dogs seemed to have.
Grace set her luggage down outside the car and he hopped out to help, popping the trunk as he moved. “Morning.” He lifted the large bag and tried not to grunt at the weight.
“Good morning.” Her cheerful voice and wide grin were good signs. “Oh, you didn’t have to do that.” She pulled out a blanket out of the duffel to lay over his backseat.
He bent to pick up the bag once she’d closed it. “What’s that for?”
“To keep dog hair off your car. Are you sure you don’t mind driving Princess? I can go pick up my car. It’s really no hassle.”
“We both have to drive out there this weekend. Might as well go together.” He knelt in front of Princess. “So this is my co-pilot?” She wiggled over to him. Her entire body vibrated with the force of her wagging tail.
Grace set her purse in the front seat. “That’s Princess. I think she’s looking forward to spending some more quality time with me.”
She lathered him with kisses and Simon pushed her away. One or two licks were acceptable, but at the rate she was going, he was going to drown if he let her continue. “Come on, girl.” He took her leash and led her to jump in the car. He shut the door and crossed over to the driver’s side.
As soon as he saw a break in traffic, he pulled the car out. He kept his focus on the city traffic, making sure he was aware of any possible merging car or pedestrian who decided to play chicken with his car. “So your email the other day said the press was leaving you alone?”
Grace laid her head against the seat. “It was like magic, Simon! One second I had a hundred stalkers, but they were all gone once you gave your statement and I confirmed it. Did you see that interview with Robert Bar last night? I think I need to give that interviewer a gift basket.”
He let out a laugh. He’d caught some of the highlights of the interviewer grilling Bar on why he’d lied and what he was really hiding, and it had been extremely gratifying to watch the senator squirm. “Have you gotten any of the clients who canceled back yet?”
Her smile wavered a bit. “Not yet. But it’s still early. Even if they never come crawling back and begging for forgiveness, Bell Planning should make it. This year’s financials might be a bit tight, but I’ve had worse years.” She looked him over. “You better beware of Andre. He told me that the second he sees you, he’s giving you the biggest hug of your life.”
“Oh really? I didn’t realize I made such an impact.” He thought back to the minute he’d spent with Grace’s right-hand man. The young, well-kept man hadn’t seemed like the hugging strangers type.
“You saved his job. He was already sending out applications when I convinced you to help. I think he was terrified of going to another company.”
Simon frowned. “Terrified? What would he be afraid of?”
“The event coordinating world is equal parts creativity and business. It’s hard to find two creative minds that mesh. Andre and I are perfect together. We don’t always agree but we can talk through our disagreements fairly easily. You don’t always know if you’re going to get that.”
He grunted. “I feel the same way about some of my clients.”
“Really?” she asked. “I was under the impression you don’t have disagreements. You’re just always right.”
He maneuvered the car onto the freeway and shot Grace a quick grin. “Well, I know that and you know that. It’s convincing the client that can be the challenge.”
“I know the feeling,” she muttered, turning to look out the window as they fell into a companionable silence.
After a few miles, Princess shuffled in the backseat, trying to get more comfortable.
“What’s the deal with Princess?” he asked.
She raised a brow. “What does that mean?”
He shrugged. “You’re a cute blonde party planner. She’s a pit bull who looks like she’s seen shit. How did you two end up together?”
She frowned at his quick analysis. “I’m not a party planner, FYI. I’m an event coordinator. And Princess found me.”
“She showed up at your door?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Six years ago, my father and I got into a really bad fight. He’s always thought I’d make a better housewife than businesswoman, and on top of that he’s fully convinced you can’t have a career as a ‘party planner.’ In the thick of it, he said he was a pit bull and I was an ankle biter. Well, I stormed out of the house and promptly binged on my favorite fast food. I drove around for a few hours, not really paying attention to where. I ended up in a bad neighborhood and what did I see? A Chihuahua chewing on some scraps on the street while she chased away a starving pit bull.”
“Really?” Simon tried to keep the skepticism out of his voice.
“Oh yeah. Chihuahuas can be bad ass. And that’s when I realized that I might be blonde and spend way too long getting ready in the morning, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be good at my job, business owner or not. I am a bad ass Chihuahua.”
“And I’m assuming the pit was Princess?”
“Yep. They’d both obviously been on their own for a while, so I took them home on a whim. I really didn’t plan to keep either. I’d never had a dog and never saw the point. I was able to find Duchess a home right away, but I couldn’t bring myself to try too hard for Princess. I just connected with her. We both found each other at our worst.”