Page 48 of Match Me If You Can (Chicago Stars 6)

“Now that’s just bitchy.” Annabelle stalked to the door. “From now on, take your grievances right to Heath.”

“Oh, believe me, I will. And I can’t wait to hear what he has to say about this one.”

What the hell were you thinking?” Heath bellowed into the phone a few hours later, not exactly yelling, but coming close. “I just found out you blew off Claudia Reeshman?”

“And?” Annabelle took a vicious jab at the notepad next to her kitchen phone with a lollipop pen.

“I obviously gave you way too much power.”

“When I called you back last night and told you I’d canceled the introduction because she wasn’t what you wanted, you thanked me.”

“You neglected to mention her name. I’ve never had a thing for models, but Claudia Reeshman …Jesus, Annabelle…”

“Maybe you’d like to fire me again.”

“Will you let it go?”

“How’s this going to work?” She took another stab at the notepad. “Do you trust me or not?”

Through the phone, she heard a car horn, followed by a long silence. “I trust you,” he finally said.

She almost choked. “Really?”

“Really.”

Just like that, she got a lump in her throat the size of the Sears Tower. She cleared it away and tried to sound as though this was exactly what she’d expected him to say. “Good. I hear horns. Are you on

the road?”

“I told you I was driving to Indianapolis.”

“That’s right. It’s Friday.” For the next two nights, he’d be in Indiana with a client who played for the Colts. He’d originally planned the trip for the following weekend, but he’d rescheduled because of the book club retreat she didn’t want to think about. “The way you keep going out of town on weekends makes scheduling these introductions challenging.”

“Business comes first. You sure did piss off Powers. She wants your head on a platter.”

“Along with a knife and some fat-free sour cream to help wash it down.”

“I didn’t know Reeshman was still in Chicago. I thought she’d gone to New York for good.”

Annabelle suspected Claudia didn’t want to be that far from her drug dealer.

“Do me a favor,” he said. “If Powers sets up a date for me with anybody else who’s posed for SI’s swimsuit edition, at least tell me her name before you get rid of her.”

“All right.”

“And thanks for agreeing to help me out tomorrow.”

She drew a daisy on her notepad. “What’s not to like about spending the day running around town with your credit card and no spending limit?”

“Plus Bodie and Sean Palmer’s mother. Don’t forget that part. If Mrs. Palmer wasn’t so afraid of him, Bodie could have done this by himself.”

“She’s not the only one who’s afraid of him. You’re sure we’ll be safe?”

“As long as you don’t mention politics, Taco Bell, or the color red.”

“Thanks for the warning.”

“And don’t let him get too close to anybody wearing a hat.”

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