Elaine finally caught a break from the whole Alistair drama.
After their last showdown, he'd basically vanished.
Even the daily roses that used to fill her office trash can had stopped appearing. When Kate burst through her door, she actually did a double-take at the empty bin.
"Guess who's been blowing up my phone?" Kate announced, plopping into a chair without waiting for an invitation. "Remember Atticus Vaughn? That stupid-hot guy from Stanford who made the campus list three years running?"
Elaine glanced up from her spreadsheets. "Mmm-hmm."
Kate's eyebrows shot up until Elaine added flatly, "We met in San Francisco last month. His company was the one I was negotiating with."
Finally looking up, Elaine frowned. "Why? Is there a problem?"
"Problem? Honey, no," Kate gave her that I-know-something-you-don't smirk. "But he's been texting me non-stop trying to casually-but-not-really ask about you. Now I see why."
Elaine went back to her work. Due diligence on business partners was normal, right?
But Kate was on a mission. "The man is totally into you. So...what's your take on him? Any spark there?"
What did she think of Atticus Vaughn?Despite herself, Elaine flashed back to watching him through the blinds, confidently handling a room full of board members without breaking a sweat. Then their actual introduction - how he'd been genuinely respectful of her business acumen instead of treating her like some herit playing CEO.
When other partners had bailed after her father's death, but he didn't.
In another life, maybe she will have a try.
But she'd literally just buried her dad and escaped a toxic marriage. Her romantic radar was intentionally powered down.
"He's decent enough," she said with a shrug. "But honestly, I've got way bigger priorities than dating right now about my company."
Kate rolled her eyes so hard they nearly disappeared. "God forbid anything distract the mighty Elaine Faerwyn."
"Brat," Elaine said, relieved to shift away from discussions of her love life.
Life settled into a comfortable, if busy, rhythm-until a text notification lit up her phone from a number she didn't recognize.
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