Page 37 of The Forever Rule

“No problem, Mr. Cage will be here soon.”

“Do you call them all Mr. Cage?” I asked, and then could have kicked myself. “I’m sorry. Forget I asked that.”

The woman laughed and shook her head. “Sometimes. Usually we go by first names here, but I was trying to sound a little more professional since it’s an interview.”

I held back a laugh, feeling as though I might not have stepped in it after all. “I’m so glad I could put my foot in my mouth for that.”

“You didn’t even come close to that. Don’t worry. He’ll be here soon.”

She winked and walked away, and I had to hope no one else overheard. While that was a friendly exchange, it probably wasn’t the greatest way to start an interview.

I looked around the office, at the usual fare of dark furniture, the full glass wall behind it, and knickknacks and awards all over the bookshelves. It seemed like atypical office, and I was wondering why I was trying to figure out if I could sense something about the Cages from knickknacks. Honestly, this probably wasn’t even a main office. It could just be a meeting space that they had for interviews and small meetings. Yet I couldn’t help but be curious. The Cages had always interested me, even though I hadn’t really focused on them too much until that fateful date.

And now, they were Isabella’s family. Like it or not, the connections remained.

A familiar man in a dark gray suit and bright blue tie walked in, and I stood up quickly, holding up my hand. “Hello there,” the man said as he shook my hand and tilted his head as he looked at me. “Good to see you again.”

I held back a cringe, letting my hand fall. “Hello, James. Mr. Cage.”

The last time I had seen him had been when he had walked in on me and his brother making out in a hallway. Oh good. Maybe I could just hide somewhere underneath this chair and the interview could end quickly.

“Call me James. There are way too many Cages here.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your father,” I said, and when his eyes tightened ever so slightly, I realized I had stepped in it again.

I was oh for three so far.

“Thank you. He’s missed.”

I cleared my throat, going full into my insanity of this situation. “Before this starts, I should probably also addthat Isabella’s my best friend,” I blurted, realizing that if I was going to strike out completely, I should put all things on the table.

His eyes widened for a moment, before he swallowed hard. “Interesting. The world’s pretty small, isn’t it?” he asked, his voice soft.

“It seems so. I mean, I think the first time wemetis when you added me to a group chat?”

His eyes filled with laughter then, and he shook his head. “I’m not the one who added you.”

“Didn’t they blame you?” I asked.

“No, that might’ve been Theo.” He waved it off. “Theo is a chef. He owns The Teal Door.

My eyes widened at his comment. “I’ve never been able to get into that restaurant. And I’ve tried.”

“It’s hard for me to get in and I’m family.” A pause. “So… I’m going to be honest.”

I braced myself.

James leaned forward. “I don’t know why you haven’t been snapped up. Or why you’re still looking for a job after three months since leaving Howard Enterprises.”

That made me blink. “That’s not what I thought you were going to say.”

“I figured we should lay everything on the table since you did the same.”

“The truth?”

“That would be nice.”

I cleared my throat. “Mr. Howard didn’t like the fact that I danced with Aston. That’s it. He found a way to get me out and has used everything in his power to make sureI can’t get a job in this city. I don’t understand why exactly, because I never did anything to that man other than try to help his business, which I did. But if you talk to him as you probably should since he’s my former employer, he fired me. He found a way to do it so it was legal, but the real reason is because I danced with your brother.”

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