Page 27 of Sweet Surrender

13

SIENNA

“Of course, journalists can’t reveal their sources.”

The silence following that comment made me realize Lucy was waiting for my response. I had been staring out the window, remembering my most recent visit to Club Caramel and wondering if I should go back while my senior staff member got me up to speed on the finer points of Noah’s account.

Looking her way, I felt guilty for not giving her my full attention. “We need to keep digging,” I insisted. “Unless we learn who made these allegations, we can’t guarantee they won’t make more.”

Her mouth screwed up in an expression of uneasiness. “On the other hand, everything’s going according to plan on our end. They’re going to see that what they did had a little lasting impact. What’s in it for them, doubling down? They’ll look ridiculous if they keep this up.”

Normally, I might have agreed with her point. This client was anything but normal. “What’s more important to them? Not looking ridiculous or making sure the world hates Noah Goldsmith?”

“We’ll keep digging,” she promised, making a note. “Otherwise, his entire social media presence has been cleaned up, and we have some nice throwback posts scheduled. The family photos he sent over, that kind of thing. Reminding the world he’s just a normal guy.”

A normal guy with a massive trust fund and a nearly billion-dollar company. So relatable. But that was the nature of the business. “Excellent. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear about that when he comes in.” The mere thought made me quake inside.

She perked up like a freshly watered plant. “I would be more than happy to speak with him if you want.”

Why was there a sudden, stabbing sensation in my chest? Considering Lucy’s team had taken over most of the work pertaining to Noah, it made sense for her to meet with him rather than taking time from my busy schedule.

Memories of that interview in his penthouse and the flirting that took place made up my mind. “No, that’s fine. We need to catch up, anyway.” It hadn’t quite been a week since we’d faced off on Park Avenue with Jacob waiting for me inside the restaurant, and since then, Noah had kept his distance. I should’ve been glad and grateful, but then so little about our relationship went the way it should have. Rather than thank my lucky stars he was busy bothering somebody else, I was almost irked by his silence. I couldn’t win when it came to him.

Rather than let him flirt shamelessly with Lucy, I would face him like the adult I was. I had good news for him, positive developments to share. With any luck, it would be a good, short meeting, and we would leave feeling satisfied.

Amazing, the things I told myself.

It was clear when Noah entered the room a few minutes after Lucy left that this would not go how I hoped. It wasn’t that he came in guns blazing, throwing his attitude around, but quite the opposite. He was quiet, reserved, almost surprisingly polite as he greeted me. “I thought I would check out my social media accounts to get an idea of what your team has been doing,” he explained after taking a seat, arranging himself in the chair across from me. Rather than his typical suit, he wore a charcoal turtleneck snug enough to outline his muscular arms and shoulders.

Good Lord.

We were barely a minute into the meeting, and I needed a cold shower.

I swallowed hard. “I’m glad you’re happy. I understand we’re posting your family photos soon. It was nice of you to send them over and to grant the team access to your accounts.”

Lifting a thick shoulder, he said, “It’s the least I could do.”

What the hell was happening? He wouldn’t stop staring at me while wearing something halfway between a knowing smirk and a full grin—he look of a man who was in on a joke. The only problem was it was one I was unaware of.

He looked away for a second, and I looked down at myself, expecting to find a piece of food on my boobs or something like that. I even ran a quick hand under my nose, then touched the corners of my mouth in case something lingered there from breakfast.

“I wanted to talk to you about the sports clinic.” Because we were here for business, not for me to question every choice I made this morning, thanks to Noah’s strange attitude.

I knew better than to expect an apology for his bullshit tantrum last week, but this about-face made my skin crawl in an eerie way. Maybe somebody had talked sense to him, convinced him to be an adult. It occurred to me I could ask him straight-out, but I didn’t want to give him the impression I was too hung up on every little thing he said and did. It would be better to let it go and move forward.

I slid a folder across the desk. “Most of the information is in there. I made arrangements with a Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx. A group of kids ranging from ages ten to twelve will be participating. It’s a one-day event. We’ll have a handful of baseball, football, and basketball players spending time with the kids. The first half of the day will be dedicated to throwing the balls around, that sort of thing. After lunch, the guys will talk about sportsmanship, dedication, mindset, and that sort of thing. At the end of the day, you’ll present a check to the Boys and Girls Club representative and get photos with the kids.”

I was talking to a wall. He nodded slowly, and I watched his eyes move over the pages as he flipped through the information packet, but he may as well have been a robot, completely without reaction. Something about it left me jittery. “We are also looking into the source of that article if you’re still interested in that,” I ventured in a louder voice. Something had to get a reaction out of him, right?

He snickered, at least. “I’m telling you, look no further than Drake Thomas. It had to be him.” But even that didn’t carry any emotion. Noah had barely kept himself from throwing blows with Drake at the foundation gala, but now he didn’t seem to care.

It wasn’t long before I couldn’t take it anymore. “Is everything all right with you?” I blurted out. “Or is there a problem with the family? With Rose, maybe?”

This time, he reacted, his brows drawing together and his head snapping back in surprise. “Where did that come from? Everyone’s fine, as far as I know. What, do you know something I don’t?”

“Generally, yes.” And I didn’t know what was worse. The fact that I blurted it out before I knew what I was doing or his reaction. The Noah I thought I knew would have growled at me or muttered some snarky response. This Noah, the bizarro version who could be an alien replacement for all I knew, merely chuckled.

“I’ve turned over a new leaf.” Closing the folder, he left it on the desk, settling back and wearing an easygoing smirk. “I guess I have you to thank for that.”

---