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19. She Entertained Her Boss

GWEN

The bit of carrot Marnie was nibbling fell from her fingers. Her eyes rounded. No surprise who she was staring at over my shoulder.

"You—that's—" Her jaw dropped. "He's your new boss?"

Liam bent down slightly, his voice low by my ear. "You didn't tell your friend about me? Should I be offended?"

"Can you be offended?"

He responded only with a wink and strolled past me into the kitchen like he owned the place. His calculated eyes scanned the room, the tips of his long fingers skimming over the wooden island, the modern country touches seeming to amuse him.

"Miss Crawford, your home is most... charming." Liam purred the words, but it didn't sound like a compliment. "It's like a magazine." He dropped his precious contract on the counter next to the vase of fresh lavender before adding with a smirk, "Not a lace curtain in sight."

A flicker of annoyance flared in my chest when he leaned forward to sniff the flowers.

The lavender was another of Toby's failed attempts to apologize. Why he still rocked up on my doorstep with flowers I didn't want, who knew? Every time, he'd stick out his hand with a plea not to throw them in the trash. He was right to be worried. The temptation was always there.

So, why was I so upset that Liam was within sniffing distance of Toby's latest peace offering? They were just dumb flowers. Was it because he was mocking me about my decorating choices? Something else? It was another anomaly to add to the 'who knew' pile.

Liam turned his gaze over his shoulder. "Miss Crawford, won't you introduce me to your friend?" When I stood there, doing nothing but blinking at him, he switched his evil smile back on. "S'il vous plaît."

Dropping French? Was this him bringing out the big guns? The whole con? "Liam... this is..." Weird? Unhinged? All of the above? "This is my best friend, Marnie."

He repeated her name like a purr. "Gwen has told me so much about you." My eyes narrowed. Liar. He didn't know about Marnie's existence until a few minutes before. This was clearly a con job. "It's always a pleasure to meet an artist. I'm afraid I don't share any of your creative abilities, but I can appreciate the talents that shine through in others." He leaned forward, the honeyed rumble of his voice dropping even lower. "Particularly a talent that shines as brightly as yours."

Gag.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Whatever magic Liam was trying to weave wasn't working on me, but Marnie fell for it: hook, line, and sinker. She giggled like a giddy schoolgirl.

I wedged in closer to him, and through gritted teeth that I hoped Marnie mistook for a smile, I hissed, "What the hell are you doing?"

He leaned into the crook of my neck. It would seem intimate, but the chill of his voice was anything but. "I told you. Getting rid of your friend so all your attention is on my contract." He turned back to Marnie with a smile. "I must apologize for interrupting your morning. Sometimes... business can't wait... I'm sure you understand?"

Marnie's laugh was breathy. "Of course." She waved him off. "Nothing important is going on here. You only interrupted Gwen's attempts to kill me with one of her smoothies."

"This?" Liam nodded at the vegetables dumped in the blender with a grimace. "Ça a l'air délicieux." No idea what he said, but his smug smirk probably meant he was mocking me again. "I find Saturday mornings much more enjoyable if started with coffee. There was a quaint café down the hill. Elias wanted to stop there, but of course, I had to deny him his one indulgence." Liam slid the contract toward me on the counter with a pointed look. "There were more pressing matters on the agenda."