Free On Common Ground (Harlequin Super Romance) by Tracy Kelleher Page A

see a moderately tall woman in a very expensive-looking suit—Lilah didn’t know designers, but she figured it was one of the best, given the way it hugged her form—and a humongous strand of pearls, immediately descended on her. She had her hand outstretched. A hand with a giant diamond ring, Lilah noticed.
    “Vivian Pierpoint,” she announced, her first and last names coming out in a rapid staccato. She took an equally swift gulp from her champagne glass. “I can’t tell you how delighted I am that you won the alumni award instead of some banker from Biloxi.” She punctuated her words with a ringing laugh and an insider’s wink.
    Lilah put out her hand, but found herself leaning forward in order to catch every syllable.
    “Vivian is the CEO of eSales, the successful online auction company, and member of the class of ’82,” Justin said by way of identification. He held out his hand as well, introducing himself.
    Vivian smiled, her lips close to the rim of her glass. “That’s right. You were the genius who nominated Lilah.”
    “I like to think I was merely recognizing Lilah’s genius,” he said diplomatically.
    Vivian waggled her perfectly arched eyebrows. “How delightful.”
    Lilah was ready for them to exchange phone numbers. “He always was a charmer.”
    Justin looked at her. “When you have limited capabilities—”
    “Here we go again. I know, I know. You work with what you have.” She finished his sentence.
    Vivian glanced from one to the other. “So you two are…ah…close?”
    Lilah cleared her throat. “I wouldn’t necessarily say that.”
    “We just go back a ways,” Justin explained.
    “Classmates,” Lilah said.
    “Friends,” Justin added.
    “More, friends of friends.”
    “More friend of a friend,” Justin specified.
    Vivian opened her mouth, but didn’t say anything.
    At least Lilah didn’t think she said anything, but it was quite possibly because a waiter strolled by with drinks, distracting her for a few moments. Lilah took the sparkling water. She had to drive to the airport to pick up her dad later in the afternoon, and she wanted to be clearheaded.
    “Do you still keep up with any of your classmates from Grantham, besides Justin here?” Vivian deposited her empty flute on the tray and took a full one.
    “I really don’t keep up with Justin.”
    “It’s more an accident of circumstances,” Justin explained.
    “Just my kind of accident.” Vivian smiled. “Any other college friends then—accidental or otherwise?”
    “I guess the only person I see on a regular basis is Mimi Lodge, my old roommate. The television news correspondent?”
    “Certainly. I remember the piece she did on your organization. I can’t tell you how inspiring it was. But then if you’re friends with Mimi, you obviously know Noreen Lodge then, too,” she added without missing a beat.
    Lilah processed her rapid speech as best as possible. “Mimi’s stepmother, you mean? Actually, I just met her. You know her through Mimi’s dad, Conrad, her husband, then? The Grantham University connection?”
    “Not through Conrad, though I have met him. Business at certain levels is a fairly small world, if you know what I mean.”
    Lilah was beginning to realize this more and more.
    “Noreen and I met at Trinity College in Dublin,” Vivian explained. “I spent my junior year abroad there.”
    “Really? That must have been a wonderful experience.” In hindsight, Lilah wished she had done something similar, but at the time she would never have considered being away from Stephen for so long. What an idiot.
    “Yes, it opened my eyes to art and architecture, not to mention Irish whiskey.” Vivian cleared her throat. “But of course what you really remember from experiences like that is the people you meet.”
    “I know what you mean. My friend Esther in Congo has completely revolutionized the way I look at that country,” Lilah said. She turned to Justin, who she realized was being left