Chapter 7
Seven
Of course Claire was true to her word, wiring the full amount of her buy-out by ten o’clock the next morning. Tai expected to hear nothing from her until the wedding on Saturday, but instead his phone pinged with a text an hour after the wire hit his bank under Pending Funds.
Claire: In the spirit of the truce, you are unblocked.
A smile tugged his mouth as he spun his office chair in a full circle, then reoriented toward his computer. He tapped out the most neutral reply he could manage.
I appreciate the gesture of good will.
Again he expected nothing else, but an hour later he hung up a phone call, having successfully invited one of his prime donors to attend the gala Thursday night, and noticed his cell phone lit up again.
He abandoned his list of calls and allowed himself full focus on the conversation that made him want to hope despite the danger of that feeling.
Claire: I’m willing to consider the small possibility that you’re not entirely self-serving and have learned from your mistake.
Why?
Her response took several minutes of typing, not typing, then typing again.
Claire: I heard you talking to Philippa, and the fact is I also trust Ryker and Leslie, but I haven’t been acting like it where you’re concerned.
Either Ryker knows you better than I do, or I know you better than Ryker does.
Here’s to finding out which it is. But let me warn you right now, if you prove me right I won’t let you keep fooling my friends.
So if there are things Ryker doesn’t know and if that’s why he defended you, you’d better come clean now. I will burn you down if you make me.
His eyes widened as he read. Dang, this woman was one of a kind.
He’d seen it from the day he met her. Yeah, she was crazy attractive, but the arresting beauty of her eyes, of her athletic figure—that had been only the smallest part of his desire for Claire Vanderlaan.
Most of it came from everything he’d said to Ryker at their last sparring match, plus her appreciation for literally every genre of music.
Above all it was her fierceness, her absolute loyalty to anyone she deemed one of her people.
He had wanted to be her business partner, her friend…
He had wanted the privilege of being counted as one of Claire’s people.
And he’d wanted more, though he’d never gotten the chance to ask her if he’d read his signals right, if she might want more with him too.
Would he get the chance now, thanks to a truce he’d never expected her to agree to? If so, he’d owe Ryker for the next century.
He threw away the attempt at neutrality. If Claire wanted to come with fire, he could meet her there. Oh, could he meet her there.
No one on this earth knows me better than Ryker does. No one.
He sent it before he could second-guess the vulnerability he’d just allowed himself.
Claire: Okay. Thank you. Seriously, not sarcastically, thank you.
They didn’t text further after that. He didn’t know what else he could say, and it seemed counterproductive—not to mention unhealthy—to focus all his energy on proving himself within twenty-four hours of being unblocked. This was going to take time.
So he was likely overplaying his hand to an insane degree when the thought came to him the next morning…and he sent a text before he could talk himself out of it.
There’s an event for the foundation on Thursday night, and I need a plus one.
She didn’t respond for a full hour, during which time Tai went back to work and tried not to think about the likelihood he’d just been blocked again. Then his phone lit up.
Claire: Nova’s not dating anyone right now.
He snorted a laugh. This woman really was fire. He grinned as he typed.
Let me rephrase. Claire, if YOU are not dating anyone, would you consider being my plus one?
If she had a boyfriend, she’d have brought him to the party. Or so Tai assumed. Or so he hoped. But…maybe her boyfriend had a prior commitment. Maybe…
Claire: I don’t date.
Hmm. Okay. A wrinkle. He recalibrated.
Then we’ll enter the night with a perfectly clear understanding. Platonic plus one. Potential friends getting to know each other better.
Another long wait. His phone went dark; she wasn’t typing. After another few minutes, it lit up again.
Claire: I have to admit I’m curious to see you do your super-socializing thing. And my talent for polishing up is unmatched.
He knew this. Before their fight, at one of their nights out to court investors, he’d seen her in action—a flattering little black dress and sparkling red heels.
She somehow infused the whole room with her shimmer, and she got equally noticed by men and women.
Claire “polished up” was a jewel that drew every eye.
I know the latter to be true. I’ll try not to disappoint with the former. This will be the stuffy version of black tie, unfortunately. 7:00 – 10:00 pm.
Claire: Hold up. I get to see you in a tux?
Was that…? No, not flirting. Curiosity. Platonic curiosity. He rolled his eyes at his brief lapse into optimism.
You do. May I pick you up at 6:40?
Claire: You may. And no, I haven’t moved in the last three years. Same street, same condo.
See you then.
Well. Turned out his instincts weren’t entirely off when it came to Claire.
He’d take it as a win today. Maybe, despite his distaste for optimism, he’d even take it as an encouragement for what might follow.
She didn’t date. He would respect that, but he’d also try to find out why.
Along with trying to find out everything else there was to know about the most intriguing woman he’d ever met who had decided to accept his truce.