ne was slowly leaving Imogen's s

s hands. They were elegant, long-fingered. N

dual," Gael said, signaling a wa

Or they think he does." Imogen took the water with trembling

" Gael lied

t, you're ver

rd. "Imogen. I ha

comes. He's a serial k

a dentist

stared.

asked if I could meet you so you wouldn't be stood up. I shouldn't hav

, expensive car still lingered. An IT guy? She looked at his calm demeanor, the way he handled Chad with brutal efficiency. It didn't quite add up. But what

wned. "T

eaks me out." She smiled, a genuine, small smile that transformed

id. "Lots of typ

"I want boring. I want a life where no

you're still interested? Even after seeing the ba

. He thought about the board meeting he was missing right now, and how much he hated the

hield. She ne

rested,"

all

ave cond

e th

. My... family... is pressuring me to settle

e certificate to get a new passport without my paren

ed. "They're holdi

's compl

ise in his tone that Imogen missed. "Conditio

"Live together? In

en bedrooms. "You'll have your own space.

nodded. "Okay.

ng lower. "This is a contract. A partnership.

nd. It would be hard not to have expectations. But she was broke

said. "Stric