The Singles Table (Marriage Game #3)(27)

After she’d collected their information and completed all the documentation, she stood to show her aunts out but they seemed in no hurry to go.

“We brought you a surprise,” Mehar said, grinning. “A big one.”

“It’s a man,” Lakshmi added. “For you to marry.”

“You weren’t supposed to tell her,” Mehar snapped. “That’s the point of a surprise.”

Zara’s blood ran cold. She should have known they were up to something. Taara could have come in to discuss the case on her own.

“Deepa’s cousin’s sister’s nephew was at Krishna Fashions when we went to collect our wedding clothes.” Mehar gave her a dreamy smile. “Very handsome. Good to his family. And he is earning. He’s waiting in reception. Taara will get him.”

Zara glared at her aunts after Taara had gone. “You kidnapped him, didn’t you?”

“Of course not,” Mehar said. “He had a choice. Dinner at Taara’s or a visit to see you.”

Taara returned a few moments later, slightly out of breath. “He escaped. We have to track him down.”

“Maybe you should take it as a sign that he’s not interested,” Zara pointed out as they moved to the door.

Lakshmi frowned over her shoulder. “Who wouldn’t be interested in our Zara?”

“You’d be surprised. I’m a bit much for most guys.” But not Jay. Despite the fact she’d shot him, spilled a drink on him, and knocked him out of his chair, he was still willing to let her find him a match. Nothing ruffled his feathers. He was so cool and collected; she felt she could breathe when he was near. Calm. Safe. It was unsettling. Dangerous. The sooner she found him a match, the better.





? 9 ?



“I can’t believe this.” Jay opened the boardroom door for Lucia Sanchez, senior partner at Tillbert & Huttle and J-Tech’s corporate attorney. She had stopped by after court to discuss their failed motion to have the hacker case dismissed. “First the judge refuses to throw the lawsuit out and now Triplogix refuses to settle.”

“I’m not worried.” Lucia swept past him and into the hallway of J-Tech’s corporate office. Tall, slim, impeccably groomed, and dressed in a fitted black suit and white blouse, Lucia had a reputation as a shark in the courtroom. With J-Tech’s chance for international expansion at risk, Jay needed her killer instincts to make the whole lawsuit go away. “You hired the best and that means we’ll get rid of this lawsuit before it ever gets to trial.”

“That’s what you said before the hearing.” He knew he was being unfair, but the future of his company—his dream—was at stake.

“I meant it. We’re still a long way from trial. Nothing is written in stone.”

He hoped that was the case, but the longer it dragged out, the less likely their chances of securing funding from Westwood Morgan. If not for the meeting he had set up with Zara later in the day, he would have locked himself in his office and tried to bury his frustration in paperwork.

“It sounds like someone’s having a party,” Lucia said as the sound of laughter and chatter drifted down the hallway.

“I’m sure that’s not the case,” he said firmly. And if it were, heads would roll. J-Tech had already been accused of unprofessional conduct in the Triplogix lawsuit. He didn’t want Lucia to think the accusations might be true.

“I can’t believe Jay fell out of his chair!” Jessica’s voice rang out from reception. J-Tech’s receptionist had a distinctive Australian accent and a tendency to speak at full volume.

“He caught me and Aphrodite’s head. It was amazing.”

He knew that voice. His pulse kicked up a notch as he rounded the corner to the reception area. Zara looked up from her perch on Jessica’s desk and smiled.

“We were just talking about you.”

Vibrant in an emerald green dress and a colorful scarf, she brightened the modern white and glass reception area, filling the small space with her energy alone.

Acutely conscious of Lucia beside him, he frowned at Jessica and the rest of the administrative staff crowded around her desk. “Why is no one working?”

“It’s my fault,” Zara said. “I wanted to get a feel for what kind of employer you were so I asked Jessica if I could talk to some of the staff. They had some great stories to share.”

“What stories?” It had never occurred to him that his staff might gossip behind his back. Not that there was anything to tell. He arrived at work promptly every morning at seven and left every night at ten. Except for his lunchtime squash games with Elias and his evening workout, he rarely left the office.

“Don’t worry about it.” She held up a clipboard. “I’ve got all the notes right here. I’m kicking it old-school with the paper and pen because I can’t take good notes on my phone.”

Jay introduced Lucia and she shook Zara’s hand. “It’s nice to see you again. I enjoyed meeting you. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”

“You know each other?” Jay asked.

“I interviewed at Lucia’s firm,” Zara said. “You’re in good hands. She’s the best when it comes to corporate litigation. What’s the case about?”