It wasn’t personal, she knew. He was working hard. A paintbrush was in his hands far more than his phone was.
Yet it still didn’t feel right to go on this date—even if it was staged—without telling him what was up first.
Rita obviously wasn’t in the mood to wait, because she said, “What are you thinking about? This is a golden opportunity to get some press. And you’re helping out another up-and-comer.”
That was all true, Riley supposed. It was also true that Rita had a lot of leverage over her and there really wasn’t much she could do about it.
“Okay.”
Of course, Rita didn’t press her to make sure she was actually fine with the idea. She had the answer she wanted, and Riley knew that was all she cared about.
So, for the next few minutes, she went over the itinerary and some goals she had for the night.
Riley only half listened. She was still thinking of how strange this “date” felt—even beyond the fact that it was arranged.
She just couldn’t shake the feeling she was somehow betraying Briggs.
But that was ridiculous.
Right?
Chapter Nine
“I should have asked her to dinner,” Briggs muttered to himself as he stepped back from Athena’s mansion and admired his work.
The project was progressing nicely. He was particularly proud of the cut-in work he’d done on the windows and ornaments that adorned the stucco in various places.
His mind, however, was more focused on Riley.
He just couldn’t get the cutie out of his thoughts! But why? There was no chance it would work between them.
“Wow, this place is looking great! Thanks, Briggs.”
Looking toward the front door, he saw Athena step onto the porch and then come down the walkway until she met him in the grass.
“Thanks. Glad you like it. I’m finished with the front so I’ll move to the sides tomorrow. Should be done with the back by early next week.”
“I’m going to miss seeing you around every day.” Athena turned her gaze from the structure to him. “But of course, I might be seeing you more with Riley hanging out here and all.”
Briggs met her gaze and almost blushed when he saw her smirk.
Damn. Not much gets past Athena, he thought. It didn’t surprise him. Taking care of all those Littles meant she had to be on her toes.
“It’s not just me,” she told him, clearly amused. “Iris and them are all talking about how you two went out to lunch yesterday.”
Briggs chuckled. “Word travels fast, huh?”
Athena nodded.
“Well, it was just In & Out.”
“What’s wrong with In & Out?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. I eat there way too much, actually. But I’m just saying she’s probably used to fancy Hollywood places, like Craig’s and Mother Wolf. You know, places that wouldn’t let a painter in.” Looking down, he pointed to the stains on his work shirt.
“There’s not a thing wrong with your profession.”
Briggs nodded. “I know that. I’m proud of what I do. Combine this with my Army pension and I make a pretty good living. But I’m not the type who dates movie stars. She’s not interested in me, anyway. I’ve got a good ten years on her. We come from different worlds. It just wouldn’t work.”