Free Wife for Hire by Christine Bell Page A

through her at his touch. She needed to look at it as exposure therapy. The more they touched, in public at least, the less it would affect her. Pretty soon it’d be like walking chicken-wing with Melba down the street or something. After his little speech back at the room, she definitely needed to shore up her defenses because he was one potent hunk of man.
    Marty stood politely as they approached the table. A moment later, Owen pulled out her chair.
    “We waited for you to get our food,” Jordan said, flicking a pointed glance to her watch. “We’re starving.”
    Lindy squashed the prickle of irritation. “We were only five minutes late, and really, you shouldn’t have waited. Next time, feel free to start without us.”
    Marty smiled. “I told her we should go ahead and—”
    “What are you, raised by wolves?” Jordan snapped. She stood and motioned for them all to follow suit. “Come on, we better get up there before there’s nothing left but a bunch of cold scraps.”
    “The lesson here?” Owen murmured in Lindy’s ear. “Money doesn’t buy class.”
    Luckily for them, Jordan’s estimation of the food was way off base. The food was fresh, hot, and plentiful. Lindy selected a steaming cup of butternut squash soup and piled her plate high with lollipop lamb chops and braised escarole. Owen went with the porterhouse steak and scalloped potatoes.
    They returned to their seats and dug in, chatting their way through the meal.
    “So what settled you on The Healing Place? Did you know someone who recommended it to you?” Lindy asked.
    Marty shook his head. “Not really. When Jordan suggested it, my secretary gave me a list of places that fit the bill. We chose this one because Jordan loves Colorado.”
    Lindy couldn’t imagine Jordan loving anything. As the evening progressed, though, in spite of the woman’s abrupt persona, she seemed to loosen up a little. After her second glass of wine, she laughed at an anecdote Owen shared. The change in her appearance was striking. Lindy had originally pegged her at around forty-five, but now she re-evaluated. With a less severe haircut and clothes that didn’t look like something she stole from the Queen Mother, she might even pass for thirty-something.
    As Jordan grew more comfortable, so did Marty, as if he recognized a reprieve when he saw one. Their dynamic was fascinating, and Lindy had to remind herself to steer the conversation back to the retreat.
    “How long have the two of you been married?” she asked.
    “Ten years. Marty started working at my father’s practice right after his residency. He made partner after we got married, and he’s been there ever since.” Her relaxed posture went rigid again and she turned to Marty. “Are you done? I want to get some coffee.”
    He set his plate aside and joined her at the dessert table while Lindy and Owen stayed behind.
    “We should try to mingle once dinner is through. I’d like to talk with some of the other guests and see if any were recommended by a mutual friend, or if they’ve had dealings with Stephanopoulos in the past,” Owen said in low tones.
    “Good idea. Keep in mind it’s early in the game. We don’t want to come out of the gate grilling people. We should glean what we can from normal conversation and then as the week progresses see if we can’t dig a little deeper, maybe steer the conversation towards finance and business ventures.”
    “No need to steer it, love. Wealthy men always get around to talking about money and how they made theirs.” He chuckled, and Lindy’s pulse sped up at the appearance of a dimple and flash of strong, white teeth.
    “I’ll take your word for it.”
    A waitress approached and they quickly reverted to small talk.
    Once the dinner plates were cleared, Stephanopoulos himself showed up. “How is everyone enjoying the accommodations so far?” he asked from his favorite spot in the center of the room.
    The group murmured their approval, and he smiled.