Faking Ms. Right (Dirty Martini Running Club #1)(82)

A drink? Yes, please. “A mimosa sounds great.”

She ordered two mimosas and we made small talk until the waitress came back with our drinks and took our breakfast orders.

“I already gave you the details on my plans for the foundation,” Cameron said. “I need someone who can hit the ground running. And I know your background is in a different area, but you have the set of skills, and the personality, that I’m looking for.”

“Wow, thank you.”

“Plus, if you’ve worked for Shepherd Calloway this long, I know you’re tough.”

I covered the sudden surge of emotion by taking a sip of my mimosa. “Do you know Shep—I mean, Mr. Calloway?”

“No, we’ve never met, but his reputation precedes him.”

“Of course it does. Although he’s not really what people think.”

We chatted for a while longer. The waitress brought our breakfasts, and the food was delicious. Thankfully, she didn’t stay on the topic of Shepherd. We talked more about the foundation, and how it would be structured. What she needed from an executive director. I already had ideas, and she listened to me intently as we ate.

I loved this opportunity. It filled me with a sense of excitement and purpose. I liked Cameron even more in person than I had on the phone, and it wasn’t just the mimosa breakfast. She was direct, but personable. We had a good rapport, and I could easily see myself working for her.

But there was one big problem.

“There’s just one issue I wanted to talk to you about,” I said. “I’m not sure how I feel about relocating. Miami is beautiful, and this sounds like such an amazing opportunity. But my entire life is in Seattle.”

“I thought that might be an issue after we talked the other day. If you don’t want to relocate, I have no problem opening the foundation’s headquarters in Seattle.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. I won’t need to be there in person on a daily basis, and technology makes communication simple. If you want the job, we’ll open the office in Seattle.”

Saying yes was right. I knew it, deep in my soul. This wasn’t about Shepherd. It was about me, and reaching out and grabbing a fantastic opportunity.

“Then I want the job,” I said.

Cameron smiled. “I was hoping you would.”

I put a hand to my chest and let out a breath. “I can’t believe that just happened. Did you really just hire me?”

“I sure did.” She raised her glass and I followed suit. “Here’s to doing some good in the world.”

I clicked my glass against hers. This was a milestone moment in my life. I could feel it. The future suddenly stretched out before me, full of promise.

It made me want to call Shepherd to tell him the news. I had a momentary fantasy of coming home to his condo. Bursting in the door to find him waiting for me. I’d run into his arms and he’d scoop me up and hug me tight. Whisper in my ear that he was proud of me.

I finished my drink and set my glass down, trying my very best to keep the sadness off my face.

“Excuse me, sir, you can’t go out there.”

A commotion inside the restaurant drew my attention. A man was hurrying toward our terrace, followed by the hostess.

I blinked in disbelief. It was—

Jude moved with shocking speed, especially considering his size, and before I could fathom who I was seeing, he blocked the door.

“Sir, that’s a private dining area,” the hostess said from inside. “You don’t have a reservation.”

“Everly.”

That voice. Oh my god, it really was him. I stood. “Shepherd?”

“Jude,” Cameron said, her tone annoyed. “Let him by.”

Jude shot Cameron an irritated glance but stood aside.

I gaped at the man who walked out onto the terrace. It was Shepherd. Sort of. The only time I’d seen him like this was at the bar when he was playing bass.

Plain t-shirt, although white this time. Jeans. No suit. No tie. Messy hair. Even his facial hair had grown in thicker than usual.

He looked a little bit forlorn, and utterly and completely delicious.

“Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Whitbury.” He came to the table and held out a hand to Cameron. “Shepherd Calloway.”

“Cameron,” she said, shaking his hand. She seemed both awed and slightly amused.

“I need to ask you not to offer Everly the job,” Shepherd said. “Not yet, at least. Don’t get me wrong, you should absolutely hire her. You’ll never meet someone who’s as smart, kind, hard-working, diligent, and passionate about everything she does. As her boss—or former boss, I suppose—I give her my wholehearted, unequivocal recommendation. But as a man, I’m asking you to do me an enormous favor and give me a few minutes to talk to her first.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Calloway, I’ve already offered Everly the position. And she accepted.”

The stricken look on his face as he slowly closed his eyes took the breath right out of my lungs.

He nodded once, then looked at me. “Of course. As she should have.”

Cameron picked up her purse. “I just remembered, I have another meeting to get to. Everly, thank you so much for coming. We’ll connect later and work out the details. Mr. Calloway, it was nice meeting you. I hope you both enjoy your visit to Miami.”