Page 41 of The P Arrangement

After holding back a laugh, I tried to wipe the smile off my face. “Delaney, this is Theo Vanderpool, an old classmate of mine from Georgetown. Theo, this is Delaney St. James, my wife.”

SIXTEEN

DELANEY

“Ex-wife,”I corrected and held out my hand as some of the color left Theo’s face.

The man, clearly rattled, composed himself and shook my hand. He shot a look at Preston. “St. James over here didn’t mention you were also here.”

Preston popped a carrot in his mouth with a grin. “I didn’t get a chance to.”

My eyes went back and forth between the two men. “I feel like I missed something.”

“I was just telling Preston about this bombshell brunette in a red dress, only to find out you’re his ex.”

I hadn’t expected Theo to actually tell me the truth, and I had to laugh. “Ah.” I curtsied. “But thank you for the compliment.”

Theo slid over to me. “But since you two are no longer together, if you’re looking for a little fun while you’re in Vegas, we could get out of here later.” He tilted his head in Preston’s direction. “Ditch your ex and go somewhere, just the two of us.”

I looked at Preston. Was this guy for real, or was he just messing with his friend?

Preston’s jaw ticced, but only for a moment. “Theo, leave her alone. Delaney didn’t come here for you.”

Theo held up his hands. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t spend some time together,” he said to Preston. Back to me, he asked, “Are you seeing anyone?”

My eyes flicked to Preston and back to Theo. “No,” seemed like the most honest answer because I was in an arrangement, not a relationship.

Preston’s eyes lost their amusement, and his jaw clenched again. “Let it go, man.”

Theo held up his hands in surrender, and Preston relaxed but only a little bit.

I couldn’t tell if he was jealous or if he simply wanted Theo to leave me alone. My new acquaintance was blond with broad shoulders and a classically handsome face, and I pictured him as the typical frat guy back in college. I was curious as to what kind of lawyer he was. He seemed to like to joke, but I could also see him being very serious when it came to his career and his clients.

I could also see myself maybe saying yes if Preston wasn’t around. It wasn’t a given, but Theo had a look that said he liked to have fun in the bedroom.

However, I wasn’t going to be spending any special time with Theo, and I didn’t want there to be any friction between the two men, so I changed the subject. “You two met at Georgetown?”

“Unfortunately,” Preston said, but Theo laughed.

“Yeah. And we’re on the panel together on Saturday. What are the odds?”

Oh, so he owned his own firm, just like Preston. I might have been right about him and his career if he had been invited to be on that panel.

“What about you two?” he asked me.

“Preston and I went to the University of Minnesota together for our undergrad degrees, where we had some classes together, but we weren’t friends. And while Preston went to Georgetown with you, I stayed at U of M.”

Preston had wanted to stay in Minnesota for law school, too, but every member of the St. James family had gone to Georgetown. He’d had to make a deal with his parents that he would apply to law school there if they let him go to U of M for prelaw. I hadn’t known his family back then, but I was surprised they’d agreed.

“About a year after we both passed the bar, we met up again at this big law firm we both worked at. We were two of probably a hundred faceless associates, but we used to have some fun nights after work.”

Theo’s eyebrows flew up, and he scanned me up and down.

“I meant, all of the associates. A large group of us. Not just Preston and me.” I shook my head with a laugh. “You’re terrible.”

Lifting a shoulder, he smirked. “So I’ve been told. I can let you get better acquainted with the terrible side of me later.”

“You don’t give up, do you?”

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