No Regrets

Wittier didn’t flinch at the fee Nick quoted, which made him wonder if he should have asked for more. He took the deposit the executive paid and put it in the drawer, then promised to get to work right away.

When Wittier was gone, Lexie came into his office. “You don’t look very happy,” she said. “Did he not hire you?”

Nick leaned back in the chair and frowned at the drawer where he’d slipped the check. “He hired me. To find evidence that his wife is cheating on him.”

She wrinkled her nose. “What has she done to make him think she’s cheating?”

“She’s ‘restless’ and apparently behaving exactly the way his first wife did when she was cheating on him.” Not much to go on, but then, Wittier knew his wife better than Nick. If Wittier thought she was up to something, she probably was.

“That doesn’t sound like much evidence to me,” Lexie said.

“Which is why he hired me. He needs concrete proof so he can divorce her and, I suspect, avoid paying through the nose for the privilege.”

“How lovely.”

He shrugged. “It pays the bills. Yours and mine.”

She looked thoughtful. “I guess so. Is it okay if I go to lunch now?”

“Sure. Where are you going?”

“I’m meeting a friend at Jose O’Shea’s.” She smiled at him, a look that never failed to make him feel a little less weighted down. “Want me to bring you something?”

“That’s okay, but thanks.” What kind of “friend” was she meeting? A boyfriend? For a second, he had the absurd idea to follow her to see, but immediately dismissed it. What did it matter to him if she was seeing one man or ten?

“Okay. See you in an hour.”

He watched her leave, breathing in the lingering scent of her floral perfume. He’d thought he might drive somewhere and buy a burger or a sandwich, but now that Lexie was gone off to meet her mysterious luncheon companion, he found he’d lost his appetite.

CANDACE WAS WAITING at a booth when Lexie rushed in. “Sorry I’m late,” she said. “We had a client and I had to wait for him to leave.”

“A client. Sounds like business is picking up.”

“Nick’s new in town.” She slid into the booth and helped herself to a fresh tortilla chip from the basket in the middle of the table. “Things will get better. Besides, when things are slow I can study.”

“How are the Spanish lessons coming?”

She shook her head. “Not so well. I don’t seem to have much of a knack for languages.”

“Hang in there. You’ll pick it up eventually.”

She nodded. “I will. I’m determined to speak the language by the time I go to Spain.”

“And when will that be?”

“This fall, maybe? I think I can have the money saved by then.”

“That’s amazing to me, considering the pittance this detective is paying you.”

“It’s not that bad. And I still have some insurance money left from the accident.”

The waitress came to take their orders, then the conversation resumed. “Speaking of work,” Candace said, “guess who they hired to take your place?”

“Who?”

“A man. His name’s Charles Lewis and he’s gorgeous and single.”

“Then I’m sure he was immediately the most popular person in the office. Is he straight?”

“Apparently so. I should introduce him to you.” She crunched a chip. “He might be the perfect candidate for the first affair on your list.”

Lexie shook her head. “I’ve already found the man I want.”

Candace leaned toward her, expression eager. “Who?”

“My new boss, Nick Delaney.” Lexie tried to keep the triumph out of her voice, but failed. The look on Candace’s face was worth all the pain of keeping her plans a secret until now.

“Are you crazy?” Candace said. “He’s your boss.”

“And he’s perfect.” Lexie ticked off the reasons on one hand. “He’s recently divorced and definitely not interested in any kind of serious relationship right now. He’s hard-nosed and practical. And he’s gorgeous and sexy.”

“Do you think he’s interested?”

She smiled, remembering how Nick always watched her when he thought she wasn’t looking. “Oh, he’s interested.”

“Has he said anything?”

She shook her head. “And I don’t think he will. Which is why I’m going to proposition him.” She’d made the decision last night after realizing that in over a week on the job, Nick had been nothing but an absolute gentleman. She was pretty sure he wanted her, but just as sure the practical, sensible side of him she so admired didn’t intend to let him do anything about the attraction. If she was really going to have an affair with Nick, she’d have to make the first move.

“What, you’re just going to walk up to him and say, ‘Let’s sleep together. How about it?’”

On these words the waitress arrived with their lunch. She gave Candace a puzzled look, then left them with their enchiladas.

When they were alone again, the two friends burst out laughing. “Seriously,” Candace gasped when she’d regained control. “How do you bring up a subject like that?”

Lexie spread sour cream over her food. “I’ll simply point out that we’re obviously attracted to each other, and that I’m interested in a sexy affair with no strings attached. I’ll explain that I plan to leave for Spain in about six months, so he doesn’t have to worry about long-term commitments, and I’ll reassure him that I won’t let our private relationship interfere with my work at the office.”

“It sounds as exciting as negotiating a lease agreement for a car.” Candace sliced into her beef enchiladas with the side of her fork. “So when are you going to do this?”

“Friday after work, I think. That will give us the whole weekend to get to know each other.” Lexie grinned. “We’ll be great together, I just know it.”

“Aren’t you forgetting one thing?”

“What’s that?”

“A lot can happen in six months. What if you fall for this guy?”

Her stomach quivered, but she ignored it. “It won’t happen. Neither of us is interested in an emotional attachment right now.”