Her phone vibrated against her hand. She lifted it up to check who was calling.
It was a text from Alex: Flight booked. We leave at noon.
****
Even under the circumstances, Jamie couldn’t help but be excited about travelling first class. The seats were huge! People looked at you with envy as they headed into the sardine can behind them. They were the only two in first class. The stewardess kept coming by offering a beverage and Alex, looking like he could really use one, politely said no.
They had barely spoken at the office. Jamie had woken early, went for a workout on the treadmill and then packed her suitcase. She had been about to call for a taxi when Alex knocked on her door and said he was heading into work if she wanted a lift. She hadn’t argued and that was the last time they spoke, until he told her it was time to head to the airport. Incredibly awkward. She hated it.
“You still planning on going to the wedding?” Alex asked suddenly.
Jamie looked over at him from the book she held, but hadn’t been reading. “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I was kind of waiting to see if she would call me.” She set the book down. “She’d been calling and messaging me five to twenty times a day. Now it’s stopped completely. It feels weird.”
“You should go. It might be good to give her a good dose of feeling small,” Alex said, his face revealing nothing. “You look good. You’ve lost weight. You’re confident. You’ve got one hell of a job to brag about.” He winked at her. “You show up looking incredibly gorgeous and she’ll wish you were still her maid of honor, instead of whatever bony, bitter friend she chose.”
Jamie laughed. “That’s okay. I’m not into paybacks.” She smiled, glad he was talking to her again. “I don’t think I’ll have fun. Besides, she thinks bony is great.”
“Perhaps there’s an
other way to get back at her, then.” He tapped his finger against the leather arm of his chair. “You need a date. Someone to blow her mind, and everyone else’s. I should take you! Stephen told me, after I hired you, that Christine went on about how you were going to have the hots for me and would never stand a chance. I’d never be interested in a girl like you.”
Jamie flushed. “He told you that?”
“Multiple times. I’ve had way too many run-ins with your family than I care to count. I can’t stand mine, but yours… they’re crazy.” He chuckled. “She would hate it if we showed up together, I’m sure.” He held his hand up. “You’re coming along on this trip for me. Let me make it even, and help you with that.”
Her stomach dropped. He wasn’t offering to go because he wanted to, he was doing it to keep things fair. “You wouldn’t want to go to this wedding. You don’t even like the bride and groom.”
“No, but this is business.” Alex smiled grimly. “And I want to make Stephen realize he picked the wrong sister to mess with.”
Jamie shivered. Only Alex would consider a threat a business arrangement. “Trying to get back at Christine seems like way too much effort. I’d rather just let everything go and carry on with my life.”
“The decision is yours to make. Just know that the offer is there if you want to.” He straightened in his seat as the fasten seat belt sign lit up. “I don’t like owing people favors, but I always pay up.”
She stared at him a moment and then sighed. “It’s okay. You don’t owe me anything. I’m happy to help you out with this.” As a friend.
“Sorry I made you miss your date with Nicholas.” He cleared his throat. “I saw it in your schedule… our calendars are connected.” He looked away suddenly.
Jamie arched her eyebrow. “It’s okay,” she said. “The date got called off anyway. Nick saw us at that bar last night. I tried to explain but he…” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, I guess.”
Alex winced and a look of regret passed over his face. “I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him when we get back and explain.”
“It’s okay.” Jamie rested her head against the leather head cushion. “After thinking about it, I didn’t really want to go on the date after all. I’m not that attracted to him.” Had she said the last part out loud? Shit!
“Really?”
“Really.” Dammit!
Alex grinned. “Good.” He instantly composed himself. “I mean, good to know. I don’t have to feel bad for ruining your plans.”
Jamie fought the urge to laugh. She almost never saw Alex lose his facade like he did right then. She would be an idiot to not enjoy the moment. She settled back to wait for the plane to land.
Their destination was Philadelphia. Alex had grown up in the suburbs just outside the city in a middle-class neighborhood. “I can’t believe they haven’t moved,” Alex murmured as a limo took them to their hotel. “I’m a billionaire for shit’s sake. Just because I don’t want to spend time with them doesn’t mean I wouldn’t give them money.”
Jamie said nothing. She wondered if he’d ever offered, or was he embarrassed they hadn’t moved. Before she started working for him, she had Googled his name and found nothing on the Internet about his family. She had assumed back then that his money bought privacy. It could buy everything else, so why not?
Alex had reservations in a penthouse suite at The Rittenhouse Hotel. There were two bedrooms, but the thought of sleeping so close to Alex sent a thrill through Jamie. She set her bags down in her room and unpacked. The place was ridiculously lavish.
She walked around, viewing the expensive details and furniture. When she went into the large connecting parlor between the bedrooms, she found Alex on the couch, his head in his hands.