Chapter 53

The next morning, I woke in Jake's bed to find him gone. I vaguely recalled him mentioning some early morning errand. But honestly, most of the previous night was such a wonderful blur, that the details were a little foggy.

I stumbled out of bed, took a quick shower, and threw on some of the new casual clothes from our shopping trip. I had no car and no computer, but I did have a smartphone. So I sacked out on Jake's sofa and started scrolling through some of the more popular help-wanted sites in search of a new job.

I'd searching less than a half-hour when I heard a knock at the door. When I pushed off the sofa and looked out the peephole, I saw one of the last people I would have expected – Vince Hammond.

Puzzled, I squinted through the peephole for a better look. This time, he was alone, at least as far as I could tell. He was dressed in a business suit and holding a white sheet of paper loose at his side

When he knocked again, I reluctantly opened the door and stuck my head out. "Sorry," I told him, "but Jake's not here."

"You think I want to see him?"

I glanced around. "Well, this is his place."

"Maybe. But I'm here to see you."

Instantly, snippets of that awful argument with Jake came flooding back. Against all logic, Jake had claimed that Vince wanted me. At the time, I'd been sure Jake was nuts. Now, given Vince's statement, I wasn't so sure.

"Me?" I said. "Why?"

Vince grinned. "I've got a proposition for you."

"Look," I said, "whatever it is, the answer's no."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you, oh I dunno, listen to it before you shoot me down?"

"Nope."

At this, he actually laughed. "Why not?"

God, how did someone answer that? Finally, I settled on, "because Jake wouldn't like it." The answer was stupid, and I felt a little silly using it. I mean, I was an adult, capable of making my own choices. But honestly, I didn't know what else to say.

"Aw come on," Vince said. "Humor me, alright?"

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm here to offer you a job."

"A job?" I said. "What kind of job?"

"Something in our P.R. department."

"Look," I said, "I'm not naïve."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, if this so-called P.R. position is real—"

"Which it is."

"If it's real," I continued, "you could go on the internet right now and find a hundred resumes within minutes. Why me?"

"For one thing," he said, lifting his sheet of paper. "I already did that. I found me a great candidate right here."

I looked down at the paper. The text on it looked oddly familiar. "Is that my resume?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said. "Is your name Luna Moon?"

"Unfortunately."

"I looked over your qualifications," he said. "You've got the degree. You've got just enough experience. You're perfect." He grinned. "And, you came highly recommended."

I didn't bother to hide my skepticism. "By who?"

"Bianca."

I rolled my eyes. "Very funny."

"It's not a joke," he said.

"That's what you think," I said. "Either way, the answer's still no."

"Hey," he said, "we do billions in revenue a year. We're a good company. We represent some of the biggest names in sports entertainment. We've got a great team. You'd like it there."

My gaze narrowed. "Where exactly is 'there'?"

He gave a small shrug. "Here in the states, we've got offices in New York, L.A., satellite offices all around the country, including here. It's just a few blocks away, in fact. You wouldn't even have to move."

I tried to laugh. "Well, I'd have to move out of here, that's for sure." I glanced around. "Speaking of which, Jake will be back any minute, so…"

"No he won't," Vince said. "He's got a meeting 'til noon."

"And you know this how?" I asked.

"I've got my sources."

"Bianca again?"

"Sorry," he said, "I don't kiss and tell."

"Right," I said. "Well anyway, this has been interesting and all, but I've got to go." I started to close the door.

Vince held up a hand. "Wait."

I crossed my arms and waited.

"I know what you're thinking," he said.

I gave him a dubious look. "Do you?"

"Sure," he said. "You're thinking this is a setup. That the offer's a scam. That if Bianca starts bad-mouthing you, you'll be gone with no notice." He met my gaze. "But that's not the way I roll."

It was almost funny, because he had known exactly what I'd been thinking. Then again, all things considered, it wouldn't be too hard to figure out. "Want to know what I think?" I said.

"Sure, hit me."

"I think that you want to get back at Jake for how much money he's cost you. I think you've already hired away Bianca, and now you want to put a little more salt in the wound by recruiting the girl you think is Jake's girlfriend. I think you want to hit Jake where it hurts, and you want to use me to do it."

At this, Vince laughed. The sound was oddly pleasant and missing the malice I'd been expecting. "Hell yeah, that's what I want," he said.

My jaw fell open. "Huh?"

"You think I'm gonna deny it?"

"Well, actually, yeah."

"Why would I?" he said. "You're right. I am trying to hit Jake where it hurts. The guy's cost me a lot of money. And if I don't start hitting him back, he'll cost me – and my clients – a whole lot more."

"So I was right?" I said. "The job was a fake."

"Nope," he said. "It's a real offer and a real job. And if you're worried about job-security, we can sign a contract." He gave me a speculative look. "Or I'll give you a nice signing bonus, make it worth your while."

If it weren't for loyalty, I might have almost been tempted. But I was loyal. To Jake. Not to Vince. "Thanks," I said, "but the answer's still no."

"Just think about it." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a printed business card. He handed the card over. "Here. In case you change your mind."

Reluctantly, I took the card. "I won't," I said. "But thanks. I guess."

Somewhere behind Vince, I heard the ding of an elevator. A moment later, the elevator doors slid open, and I spotted something else I hadn't expected to see this morning – Trey. And if I wasn't mistaken, those things with him were my two missing suitcases.