Page 45 of The Dating Contract

Of course Naomi was going to say something.

“Boyfriend?”

A guy she didn’t know but figured was Aaron’s husband, the source of the Goldfarb in the last name.

“Still?” Naomi asked.

“Yeah,” she managed. “Still.”

“Interesting.” Naomi looked across the room. “You guys going to the gala together?”

“You should go together,” Aaron of course. “It would be a great idea.”

“Two nice people,” Mottel said. “Going to the same event, who are going to look nice? Why should you not go together?”

Samuel looked back at her; they hadn’t actually finalized their plans. “So I guess we’re going?”

“Yeah, your plus-one or mine?” Leah said, relaxed in a situation where she shouldn’t be, considering the questions that would come her way between then and when the gala would actually take place.

Then again, if she couldn’t survive this situation with Samuel, what was she doing fake dating him in the first place?

Chapter Fifteen

“Igot ropedinto helping organize,” Liam had said when Samuel answered the call the morning of the gala. “Speaking of which, we may need some hands. You up for it?”

Of course, the only answer for that was ‘yes.’

He’d been to the hotel and the ballroom before; it was a great location—high ceilings, sculpted walls—but now it was chaos. Tables and signs and people dropping things off, all signs of an impending event. And for the next few hours, Samuel found himself in the midst of that chaos, lifting and carrying all sorts of items from the arrival table to the requested locations until he needed a breather and a bottle of water.

As he took a swallow, he found himself with the odd realization that loading art for an auction taking place in the middle of a gala was oddly similar to loading in at an expo. Especially if the gala was a charity gala and the proceeds from it went to the charity organization being honored.

“We need some help over there,” Liam said. “Break time is over.”

Following where Liam was pointing, Samuel could see three guys were doing their best to maneuver a sculpture past an entrance. It was on a dolly cart and very, very, very unstable.

“They don’t just need help,” he managed. “They need a miracle.”

“And we—” Liam grinned as they headed across the room “—are their miracle.”

When they got there, one of the guys pushing the sculpture straightened up, stepped away from the dolly cart.

“Thank you, Liam, for saving the day,” saidthe one and onlyIsaac Lieberman in a tone that reminded Samuel exactly where he was and what he was doing. Hero worship went out the window, replaced with the understanding that he washelpat that moment, as opposed to a random person.

“Well, totally not a problem,” Liam said, pointing a thumb in his direction. “My assistant and I are here to save the day.”

“And you are?”

“Samuel Levine,” he said.

“Oh right,” Isaac replied with a smile. “You made my ketubah, and the mezuzah.”

His brain stopped completely as he digested the information Isaac was giving him. “Uh…”

Liam said, “You are not only talented, but unaware of how talented you are. You’re also being mentored by me so I’m taking you to great places.”

“He knows what he’s doing,” Isaac said, approval in his tone, even as Samuel tried to keep himself tethered to the earth.

“These two,” Isaac continued, “are driving me nuts.”

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