Page 12 of The Dating Contract

Subtext—because you caused a big one already. “So what do you suggest I do about it?”

He watched her pace, watched the agent, the professional come to life underneath her skin. PR. Damage control. “I don’t live that far from here. Take me home, or at least to the subway. Let’s say our goodbyes.”

He nodded, because it seemed like this was going to be an interesting ride.

Chapter Four

Leah had noidea what she’d been thinking. What she’d done the night before was a desperate play.

But agreeing to go bridesmaid dress shopping with Naomi while she was still trying to figure out where her life was, was practically inexcusable.

“You paying attention?”

Leah looked up at her cousin and the selection of dresses that were sitting in front of her. “I am,” she said. “Enough to get the dress on and veto orange.”

“Good,” Naomi said. “So what exactly was going on last night? I thought the situation with thehot soferwas a combination of high school trauma and crowd control.”

“I don’t know what last night was,” Leah said, trying for honesty. “Desperation.”

“Fate.”

Leah glared at her cousin. “I have no time for this.”

“What do they say? What’s meant to be will be?”

Leah rolled her eyes as she put on the next dress. “I look like a tomato in this dress,” she said, glaring at the bright red concoction of lace and silk she wore. “If you say bashert, I will smack you.”

“Well,” Naomi said. “If it’s right…”

“The only thing that’s right for me,” Leah said, “is the meeting I have with Bruck tomorrow.”

“Meeting with the agency head, hm?” Naomi asked. “Asking for partnership?”

Leah nodded as she opened the dressing room door to display the red disaster for her cousin. “That’s the plan. You?”

“Keep me posted, but take that ugly dress off. You do look like you belong in a lasagna. Once the wedding that kept me from that expo is over, I’ll be able to give Judith more time and talk to my boss about more space and more responsibility.”

Which was something her cousin had been promising for a while. She only hoped that Naomi meant it this time. But all she said, was: “Okay.”

“Good.” she replied. “Now try on the next dress.”

*

Samuel elected totake refuge from the thoughts that still bombarded him on Monday morning by organizing supplies. It was a necessary job and yet kept him from deep thoughts. He was filling his third fountain pen when his phone buzzed. Lifting it up, he saw it was Liam.

He’d actually been half convinced Liam would never talk to him again after he left the gallery with Leah out of nowhere last night. So it was a huge weight off his shoulders when he saw the number. “Glad to hear from you,” he said.

“You’re surprised?”

Samuel laughed. Which was probably better than diving deeply into some kind of apology for his behavior, and then decided to be honest. “I thought that after last night, the chances of this conversation happening were slim to none.”

In reply, Liam laughed, which was a relief. “You’re good at what you do,” Liam said once he’d stopped laughing. “And I was wondering what those rumors about you having a girlfriend were about.”

“We were high school sweethearts,” he said, which was the easiest explanation he could come up with, yet it still sounded strange to his own ears.

“Nice. Bring her.”

“Uh,” he managed. “To what?”

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