Madison studied Rory’s face as she arrived to meet her friends at the expensive restaurant on Saturday night. “Well, someone looks happy.”

Rory grabbed a chair and sat. “I had a great week.”

“Couldn’t be that great,” said A.J. “You’re out with us on a Saturday night.”

“Still better than a bad date,” added Tish. “So what constituted a great week?”

Rory smiled as she picked up her menu. “Got a new client. Well, I should say I’m sharing a new client. And there is hope for the male of the species, as I actually met a couple of guys who like cats.”

Madison picked up her glass of wine. “If that’s the case... why aren’t either of these men escorting you this evening?”

“Because one is the CEO of a cat food company and could be a potential client.” She told them the story of the contest, and how Hemingway had given her a great idea for a commercial.

Madison nodded. “Terrific slogan. You might actually win that contest. And sounds like you hit it off with the guy.”

“Yeah, but if he’s gonna ask me out it would obviously be after the contest.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Well, how would it look if he’s running a contest for a hundred grand and the woman he’s dating wins? Conflict of interest.”

“You’ve got a point,” said A.J. “So who was the second man?”

“He’s another advertising guy who’s partnering with me on the new client. My car died so he came to give me a ride to the meeting, met Hemingway and it was obvious he liked cats.”

“Any chemistry?”

“Skylar went to college with him and said he’s a world class jerk. He insulted me when we met at the ad club banquet a while back. Too bad, he’s really cute. Anyway, pretty sure he has a live-in girlfriend.” She looked up and saw Will Prescott walking through the front door of the restaurant.

With the same woman he’d been with at the pool.

She cocked her head toward the entrance. “And right on cue, there he is. Don’t stare or be obvious.”

They all casually took a look. “Which one?” asked A.J.

“Short, dark hair, standing next to the woman in the royal blue dress.”

Tish’s eyes widened a bit. “Wow, he is really cute. But that can’t be his girlfriend.”

“Why not? Second time I’ve seen them together.”

Madison looked over the top of her menu. “Damn, that is one big redhead. She’s even taller than me. And she’s wearing four-inch heels. No way that’s his girl, Rory. She’s gotta be a foot taller than him in those shoes. Must be a client or co-worker.”

Rory saw the hostess lead them to a table. Will then pulled out her chair as she took a seat and smiled at him, then reached over and squeezed his hand as he sat down. “Nah, gotta be his girlfriend. Did you see the way he pulled out her chair and the look she gave him? Then she took his hand. That aint no client or co-worker. Besides, it’s Saturday night and they’re both really dressed up. Oh, and when he gave me a ride there was a long red hair in his car.”

Tish turned back to her. “Do I detect a bit of jealousy?”

“Hell no. Like I said, Skylar warned me about him. Hits on everything in a skirt.”

“And yet you’re partnering with a jerk.”

“What can I say, I could use the money. The relationship I have with him is strictly business. And he closed the deal like a pro. He may be a jerk in real life, but in the advertising world, he’s someone worth knowing and he’s got a real flair when dealing with a client. By the way, I used two of the things on the list to keep him at arm’s length.”

A.J. rolled her eyes. “And he still wants to partner with you? What did you do to the poor guy?”

“Stole his dessert at the ad club luncheon and sang in his car when he gave me a ride. Funny, he didn’t react like every other guy. Must be really hard to annoy him.”

***

SAVANNAH WAITED FOR the waiter to finish pouring the wine and turned to Will. “This is really nice of you, Will. But you didn’t have to do this.”

“Hey, without you I never would have closed that new client this week. That’s the first time I’ve ever had a professional relationship with a woman. You’re a big part of my success. You may be my assistant, but we’re really partners.”

“Ah, so now I own half the company. Excellent.” She raised her glass.

He clinked it. “I wouldn’t go that far, but you know what I mean.”

“Well, I’m proud of you. You really seem to be making good progress. You apparently behaved at the ad club luncheon and managed not to alienate a business partner.”

“Yeah, and it was all I could do not to get snarky with her before the meeting.”

“Why, what happened?”

“Oh, I guess I didn’t tell you. Her car battery died and she needed a ride. Turns out she lives a few blocks away. So I pick her up on the way to the meeting. She asks to turn up the radio and then she starts singing. And Savannah, I’m not exaggerating... that woman has the most God-awful voice you’ve ever heard. It was like a combination of a dentist’s drill and a howling cat.”

“Oh my. What did you do?”

“I really wanted to turn off the radio and tell her to shut up, but since I’m trying to be the perfect gentleman I hummed along with her. It actually helped drown out her voice.”

Savannah laughed a bit. “Good thinking, Will.”

“I dunno, it’s almost like she’s trying to annoy me.”

“Well, at least you seem to be able to work well together. That’s the important thing. She’s helping our business and you’re developing a professional approach to women.”

“True. Anyway, she’s smart as hell and what she came up with for the client was really clever.”

“Ah, you noticed her mind. Very good. And the color of her eyes was...”

“I’ll get that next time.”

Savannah laughed a bit. “I guess we’re taking baby steps. But I want that eye color next time you work with her on that new client.”

“I’ll make a note of it. Oh, speaking of possible new clients, I think we’ve got a real shot at winning that cat food contest.”

“I agree. Your slogan is really good. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I was wondering...”

“What?”

“Well, I wrote down an idea for the TV commercial that would really bring it home.”

“Shoot.”

Savannah pulled a small notepad from her purse and slid it across the table. Will picked it up, took a look and his eyes immediately widened. “Oh. My. God.” He finished reading and looked up at her. “This is incredible, Savannah. Really, it’s so simple but absolutely brilliant. I’m positive it’s really going to stand out from the others”

“Thank you. I’m so glad you like it.”

“Like it? I love it! We’re going to win with this idea.”

She wagged her finger at him. “Now now, we must remain modest. Don’t get too cocky.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “You really think we can win?”

“I’m not being cocky. This idea you have is pure gold when combined with my slogan. And I’ll tell you what... if we do win, I’ll split the prize money with you.”

“Seriously?”

“I’ll put it in writing if you don’t believe me.”

“You don’t have to do that. Will, you really are changing into something special.”

“Thank you, Savannah. Coming from you that really means a lot.”