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“I have a cousin like that. I don’t miss being his wingman.”
Chase gives me a smile and I feel his hand on the small of my back.
“We’re on the top floor.”
Right as the elevator doors shut, Sue gives me a cheery wave and a suggestive wink.
When we get to the top floor, I show Chase around the different departments and explain what each team handles.
“Now we’re back at my team.” Dave steps into the hall with papers in his hand. “Chase, you remember Dave?”
“I do. Nice to see you again, Dave.”
“The executive offices are in that corner—“
I stop talking as I see Cristina walking toward me with Tony Bernardi—my ex-fiancé.
Thirty
Chase
Dave and I both turn, and I see Val stiffen as Tony and Cristina approach us. I put my arm around her waist.
Tony Bernardi is tall with classic Italian good looks. He has dark hair and brown eyes. Looking at him now with Cristina, I can’t believe Val ever said yes to his marriage proposal. He looks like the prick he is.
Tony’s eyes rake over Val from head to toe as they stop in front of us.
“Valentina? You look nice. Have you lost weight?”
“No, I haven’t. Chase, this is um... Anthony Bernardi and my cousin, Cristina. This is Chase Knight, my husband.”
We do not shake hands. I look Tony right in the eye. It’s a civilized pissing contest. I’m winning until Tony says, “I heard Valentina found someone else. Just in time, too. I’m sure her inheritance had something to do with it. Right?”
I hear Val catch her breath at Tony’s snide comment. Before I or Val can respond, Dave steps forward.
“Val’s inheritance? Don’t you know who this is? Chase Knight, of Knight Security, his family’s company, was just featured in Billionaire Magazine.”
Tony frowns down at Cristina. “I thought you said he married her for the money?”
Cristina’s thin face gets twin stripes of red across her cheeks. She glares up at Tony. Val’s cousin is very thin, and some would consider her a classic beauty, except for her cold green eyes and what I consider her resting bitch face.
“I don’t know where you got that idea from, Tony,” her face turns almost ugly as she narrows her sharp gaze at Dave, “Come on, Tony, let’s go so Dave can get back to work.”
With that, they enter the elevator, and I hear Val give a sigh of relief when the doors close.
“Yep, Tony’s just as condescending as I remember. I do believe those two deserve each other.”
We glance over at Dave, and Val says, “Thank you.”
He gives us a brief nod and then walks into what looks like a copier room.
Val swipes her badge and shows me around her department. I wave at the team members I met at the pub and those who came to the cookout. We stop to talk to Ellen for a few minutes and then Val shows me her office.
“This is your office? It’s tiny.”
“It’s all the room I need. Besides, I wanted to sit within the department. I like to be as accessible as possible to my team of programmers.”
“How big is your uncle’s office?”
