Mo punched him in the shoulder a little harder than was necessary, but Alec knew his brother was still mad about losing the match to Bart.
“I think I have a bit more than a clue, Alec. After all, one of us will be going home with the woman he loves today, and the other one...”
“Will still be trying to figure out how he screwed up so badly.I don’t know what it was about that night,” Alec said. “Don’t listen to me. I’m tired and have to leave for Seattle in the morning to meet with one of my clients. I’m a little distracted by that.”
Mo shook his head at him. “It’s not fatigue that made you say that. I get it. It’s hard when you screw up. It took me a long time to get past my own anger and realize that I had to change if I wanted Hadley back in my life.”
“But you knew she wanted you back,” he said.
“Not really,” Mo said. “You’ll figure this out. Be yourself and see what happens. It’s not like all your hookups show up in Cole’s Hill. She must be back for a reason.”
A reason?
Well, that showed how screwed up he was that he’d never stopped to think about why she had sought him out. Was she in trouble?
She was an heiress with her own reality show and an A-list lifestyle. He doubted she’d come looking for him to solve a problem for her. Maybe she hadn’t been able to write off their night together as a onetime thing.
By the time he got his plate of food, there was only one chair left at the table, conveniently between Scarlet and Hadley. He took the seat and noticed that a woman he didn’t know was seated across from him. He guessed she must be Scarlet’s assistant. She had midnight-black hair that she wore in a ponytail and large sunglasses pushed up on her forehead. When their gazes met, she glared at him.
She was definitely Scarlet’s friend. He didn’t need to guess how she felt about him. “I’m Alejandro.”
“I know,” she said.
“And you are?”
“Billie Sampson,” she said. “I’m here with Scarlet.”
“I guessed,” he said. “So are you from New York originally?”
He had learned a long time ago that if he kept asking questions eventually whoever he was talking to would relax.
“No. I’m originally from Maine.”
“I have some business interests in Maine,” he said. “I need to plan a visit. Can you recommend a time of year?”
“Yes.” But she didn’t say anything more.
He almost smiled. She was stubborn and he could tell she wasn’t going to give him an inch. He respected that. He’d lied to her friend. He liked that Scarlet had someone like Billie in her life.
From what he’d read online, it seemed like her life was a big chaotic mess, but this interaction with Billie and his earlier conversation with Scarlet showed him how little he knew of the real woman.
Billie turned to talk to Ferrin. Alec took a bite of his food before glancing at Scarlet, who was watching him.
“You have a good friend in her,” Alec said.
“I know. It takes a lot to tick her off and even more to win her over,” Scarlet said.
“Like you?”
“Yes, just like me. It’s just that so many people think they know everything about me that I hold my close friends to a different standard,” she said. “They really have my back.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” he said. He wanted to be cool and just make small talk, but he had never been that kind of guy. He was someone who got answers; it was what made him so good at his job. He solved problems and helped companies by researching their digital imprint and finding ways to clean up the bad stuff.
“I’m glad you’re glad,” she said, a soft smile playing around her lips.
“I stink at small talk,” he said.
“You do,” she agreed. “What’s on your mind?”