Free Cool Cache by Patricia Smiley Page B

wondering what kind of game she was running on me. “Does he know you’re here?”
    “No. I need business advice, and I don’t know who else to ask.”
    “This isn’t a good idea.”
    Her shoulders slumped in defeat. A moment later she rose from the chair. “I’m sorry I bothered you.”
    I felt as if I had just melted a snowflake with a blow dryer. There was no reason to punish Riley Deegan for my failed relationship with her brother, and there was no excuse for turning down business, either. I needed clients to pay my rent and my half of Eugene’s salary. Besides, we were all adults. Relationships fail. Love dies. Blah, blah, blah.
    “Sit down, Riley.”
    She returned to the chair, but waited for me to speak first.
    “How’s he doing, anyway?” I said.
    She bowed her head as if the gesture would make the words come out easier. “The Board of Review finally cleared him of all charges, but it was hard on him.”
    I tried to make the next comment seem offhand, but my cheery tone sounded false even to my ears. “I hope he’s happy.”
    She shrugged. “I guess so. He’s engaged.”
    I felt as if someone had just punched me in the stomach. It had only been five months since Joe Deegan and I stopped seeing each other. I didn’t expect him to be pining away for me, but it was painful to think he’d gone from zero to sixty with some other woman in such a short amount of time. In a way, it wasn’t surprising. He was a charming and funny guy who also happened to be eye candy. He’d had other women before me, lots of them. Now he had only one, and it wasn’t me.
    “I wish him well,” I said.
    Riley’s shoulders relaxed. “So you’ll work with me?”
    I handed her a packet that included my schedule of fees, a resume, and several client recommendations. “Why don’t you look this over? If you want to proceed after that, we’ll have a strategy meeting, at which time I’ll ask you to provide any financial statements you have.”
    Riley glanced at the cover of the packet but didn’t open it.
    “I’m giving a party for some clients tomorrow night,” she said. “There’ll be a lot of people there. Why don’t you come? I can give you all of the paperwork then.”
    “That’s very kind of you,” I said. “I’ll check my calendar and let you know.”
    “I think it’s important for you to see how I work the crowd. You know, how I break the ice, match people up. That sort of thing.”
    “Why don’t you look at the material I gave you first? Make sure you can afford my services. If you want to proceed, we’ll sign a contract and you’ll give me a retainer.”
    “I’ve decided. You’re hired.”
    “Okay.” I stretched out the word until it became one long, skeptical sentence.
    “Look,” she said. “I don’t know when you’ll have another chance like this. These events are a lot of work. It could be months before I set up another one. Then it might be too late.”
    “Too late for what?”
    She seemed to be struggling with the answer to my question. “Too late for Luv Bugs.”
    She had a point. If it was a business-related function, it might be a good idea to check out her clientele and her matchmaking skills. I’d stay just long enough to size up the operation. I made a pretense of checking my calendar, but of course, I knew the following Saturday night and all of the subsequent Saturday nights in the foreseeable future were wide open.
    “You’re in luck,” I said. “Looks like I’m free.”
    “The party’s at my sister’s house.” She handed me a piece of paper. “Here’s the address. Come by at around seven.”
    “Your brother won’t be at this party. Right?”
    She frowned. “Why should he be? He’s not single anymore.”
    Nothing like rubbing salt into the wound.
    As soon as Riley left, Eugene bustled into my office with a wide-eyed look on his face. “She’s Joe Deegan’s sister?”
    I shot him a wary glance. “You were eavesdropping again.”
    “No, I just happened