Page 20 of The Texan's Secrets

“I’m not fussed.” Nico wasn’t fussed. He was facing the reality of the situation and wondering if he’d made a mistake agreeing to this venture in the first place.

Then Emilia’s kiss flashed through his mind.

Okay, not a mistake.

If only for the kiss, he was glad he’d done the matchmaking. But he was tangled in deception now.

“This doesn’t really change anything,” Misha said reasonably. “I mean, she’s playing along, using the anonymity to keep her own identity a secret. As far as she’s concerned, you don’t know her either.”

Nico would admit his sister had a point. And the fact that he’d liked Emilia didn’t change his promise to investigate k!smet incognito. If Emilia was keeping her identity under wraps, there was no reason to think he’d have to own up to his own past.

The plan was still short-term. After next week’s IPO launch party, he’d move on to another woman, another Surprise Me! match and more data.

“We can contain this,” Misha promised. “I’ll call Maggie right after dinner.”

“It sounds like nothing more than a hiccup,” Rafe said. “So, for tonight, please enjoy. I promise you’ll love the wine. And JJ will send out some appetizers. Any requests?”

“Surprise me,” Misha said with a playful smile.

Rafe looked to Nico for his opinion.

“Go ahead and surprise me too. Surprise Me! is obviously the story of my life these days.”

Misha and Rafe both grinned with shared amusement.

Emilia was alone, but her sappy smile still embarrassed her as she read the text from Nick.

He’d invited her on a second date—a second date after only twenty-four hours. She wasn’t an expert at this online dating game, but she couldn’t help but feel flattered by the fast turnaround.

Sure, she was attending the k!smet party anyway. But it would be much more fun to go with Nick. They were going to waltz into the posh event like a couple. She couldn’t help thinking Paris would be excited about that.

She texted back a yes as she crossed to her closet, wondering if she had anything fancier than a standard black cocktail dress lurking in the back. As a fiercely independent woman, she knew she shouldn’t fuss over dressing up for a man. But this was one incredibly handsome man, and she was one ordinary-looking woman. She’d need some help to hold up her end of being a couple.

Her phone pinged with a new text, and she glanced down.

It was a happy face emoji from Nick, which made her smile all over again. It struck her as both sincere and concise. She liked that in a person.

Then, to her surprise, he followed it up with a question about his cattle ranching app—comparing two different approaches to data design.

Her interest perked up. She needed more context and asked for it.

A second later, her phone rang, and Nick’s name came up on the screen.

Her heart rate jumped a little bit as she answered. “Hi, Nick.”

“I hope you don’t mind me bothering you like this.”

“No. Not at all.” She was irrationally happy to hear his voice.

“Am I interrupting anything important?”

Her gaze shifted to her closet. There was zero chance she’d admit to acting like a teenager and planning her wardrobe for their second date. “Nothing important.”

She plunked down on the bed. “What are you trying to do?”

“Dynamically link tombstone data with both health and geolocation without cluttering up a screen the size of a phone.”

Emilia was confused. It was a decision, not a problem. “Is this a database question or look and feel?”

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