saying.”
“Emma and Ian are friends.”
“So why did they go out on a date?” Colt asked, baffled.
“Because they wanted to spend time together.” Alison waved her hands around the table. “Much like we are doing right now.”
Colt smacked his head. He was such an idiot. “She said she was dating.”
“Yeah, but did she ever once say it was Ian?”
Colt opened his mouth to speak. Then closed it fast—no, he’d assumed it was with Ian. How could he have been so stupid? “No, I thought they were because I overheard part of their conversation.”
“I thought so.”
“So I told her we were dating for no reason.”
Alison nodded her head, a smug smile on her face. “You sure did.”
“I have to tell her the truth,” he said.
“I couldn’t agree with you more.”
How did he get himself into these messes? He didn’t want to go crawling over to Emma and explain how he and Alison were only friends. She’d eat him alive with contempt. Just what he needed—something else for Emma to hold over his head as a reason he was no good. She could pull it out from time to time as an exhibit of what made him a horrible human being.
“In other news I do think last night worked rather well,” Alison said. She picked up her coffee and took a long sip. She ran her finger around the rim and smiled. “Ian was a font of information.”
“Really?”
“Let’s just say Miss Emmaline Novak was pissed off and fuming the rest of the night. Ian took her straight home and ate cold cereal for dinner.” Alison grinned evilly. “Not the intimate Italian dinner he’d looked forward to.”
“How is that a success?” Colt frowned and leaned on the table. “I know she was pissed off. As soon as she saw Missy, Hurricane Emma began to sustain wind speeds that put a category five to shame.”
Colt didn’t like how the evening went, and rehashing it only served to irritate him further. As far as he could tell the dinner had been a total disaster.
Alison sighed. “Emma still loves you. Trust me—she wouldn’t react so aggressively if she didn’t.”
“Fine, I’ll take your word on it.”
“What are you two doing here?”
Colt looked up into the blue eyes of his publicist, Vitoria Miene. Standing next to her was the number one quarterback playing for the Starlings, Paxton Kerry.
“I didn’t know you had a lunch meeting,” Alison said. “I looked at your calendar before I left and switched on the answering service. Which reminds me, your new assistant starts next week.”
“It wasn’t planned.” She gestured toward Paxton. “He called and asked for a meeting and here we are. Do you mind if we join you? The two of you can give him some of the insight he’s looking for.”
“I don’t mind,” Alison agreed. “Do you?” She turned toward Colt and raised an eyebrow.
“Not at all.”
He didn’t talk to Paxton a whole lot. The man was a bit closed off and kept to himself most days. Colt couldn’t help wondering why he wanted to meet with Tori. His coffee-brown hair was perfectly groomed, not a hair out of place. His emerald-green eyes held a hint of—worry. What could be bothering the normally stoic leader of their team?
“So I’ve been talking to Pax here for a while now. His contract is up with his agent, and he’s considering signing on with us.” She paused and looked at Alison. “If he signs with us he’ll be your first primary client. I’ll still be there if necessary, but I think you can handle it. I planned on talking to you about it later on. I’ve discussed it with him—”she gestured toward Paxton“—and he doesn’t have a problem with it. What do you think?”
Colt watched as Alison sat back and studied Paxton. He knew his best friend well, and she didn’t seem too impressed with the quarterback. What had Pax done to her? Why did she not like him? Colt would have to ask her when they were alone again.
“I guess I don’t have a problem with that.”
“If you don’t
“Emma and Ian are friends.”
“So why did they go out on a date?” Colt asked, baffled.
“Because they wanted to spend time together.” Alison waved her hands around the table. “Much like we are doing right now.”
Colt smacked his head. He was such an idiot. “She said she was dating.”
“Yeah, but did she ever once say it was Ian?”
Colt opened his mouth to speak. Then closed it fast—no, he’d assumed it was with Ian. How could he have been so stupid? “No, I thought they were because I overheard part of their conversation.”
“I thought so.”
“So I told her we were dating for no reason.”
Alison nodded her head, a smug smile on her face. “You sure did.”
“I have to tell her the truth,” he said.
“I couldn’t agree with you more.”
How did he get himself into these messes? He didn’t want to go crawling over to Emma and explain how he and Alison were only friends. She’d eat him alive with contempt. Just what he needed—something else for Emma to hold over his head as a reason he was no good. She could pull it out from time to time as an exhibit of what made him a horrible human being.
“In other news I do think last night worked rather well,” Alison said. She picked up her coffee and took a long sip. She ran her finger around the rim and smiled. “Ian was a font of information.”
“Really?”
“Let’s just say Miss Emmaline Novak was pissed off and fuming the rest of the night. Ian took her straight home and ate cold cereal for dinner.” Alison grinned evilly. “Not the intimate Italian dinner he’d looked forward to.”
“How is that a success?” Colt frowned and leaned on the table. “I know she was pissed off. As soon as she saw Missy, Hurricane Emma began to sustain wind speeds that put a category five to shame.”
Colt didn’t like how the evening went, and rehashing it only served to irritate him further. As far as he could tell the dinner had been a total disaster.
Alison sighed. “Emma still loves you. Trust me—she wouldn’t react so aggressively if she didn’t.”
“Fine, I’ll take your word on it.”
“What are you two doing here?”
Colt looked up into the blue eyes of his publicist, Vitoria Miene. Standing next to her was the number one quarterback playing for the Starlings, Paxton Kerry.
“I didn’t know you had a lunch meeting,” Alison said. “I looked at your calendar before I left and switched on the answering service. Which reminds me, your new assistant starts next week.”
“It wasn’t planned.” She gestured toward Paxton. “He called and asked for a meeting and here we are. Do you mind if we join you? The two of you can give him some of the insight he’s looking for.”
“I don’t mind,” Alison agreed. “Do you?” She turned toward Colt and raised an eyebrow.
“Not at all.”
He didn’t talk to Paxton a whole lot. The man was a bit closed off and kept to himself most days. Colt couldn’t help wondering why he wanted to meet with Tori. His coffee-brown hair was perfectly groomed, not a hair out of place. His emerald-green eyes held a hint of—worry. What could be bothering the normally stoic leader of their team?
“So I’ve been talking to Pax here for a while now. His contract is up with his agent, and he’s considering signing on with us.” She paused and looked at Alison. “If he signs with us he’ll be your first primary client. I’ll still be there if necessary, but I think you can handle it. I planned on talking to you about it later on. I’ve discussed it with him—”she gestured toward Paxton“—and he doesn’t have a problem with it. What do you think?”
Colt watched as Alison sat back and studied Paxton. He knew his best friend well, and she didn’t seem too impressed with the quarterback. What had Pax done to her? Why did she not like him? Colt would have to ask her when they were alone again.
“I guess I don’t have a problem with that.”
“If you don’t
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