Page 81 of Book Club Confidential

“The cute client?” Kate asked. “Answer it.”

“I’m not ready. I have to tell him I quit my job, but I have no idea what to say. Hey!”

Kate pulled her hand back with a snap and a laugh. She’d reached in front of her and accepted the call!

“Tessa?” Grant’s voice rose from the speaker.

She considered hanging up or at least taking the call off speaker, but she just sat there, frozen.

Hallie arrived with another tray. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Sorry,” Grant said. “I must’ve dialed the wrong number.”

Kate elbowed Tessa’s ribs.

“Wait!” she said, then cringed. “It’s me. This is Tessa. Sorry.”

Hallie placed a bottle of water and a cup of coffee on each nightstand, watching the odd phone situation unfold.

“How are you?” he asked.

“Fine,” she said. “I’m just waking up. Rough night.”

“Is everything okay now?”

“Depends,” she said. “Are you calling about something you saw online this morning?”

Kate outstretched an arm and swatted in Tessa’s direction.

She slid off the bed to avoid the hit.

“Hmm,” he said. “I’m actually calling to see if you want to join me this afternoon to tour another office space. The owner of the one I want hasn’t responded to my agent’s inquiry, so I need to see some backup locations in case things don’t turn out the way I hope.”

“Um.” Tessa paced before her window, phone cradled in one palm while she chewed the thumbnail of her opposite hand.

Kate and Hallie nodded wildly. Kate mouthed the word go.

Tessa dropped her hand away from her mouth and bit her lip instead. She needed to tell him she didn’t work for Hello, Marketing anymore. Therefore, she didn’t work for him either.

Hallie’s eyes bulged in the silence.

Kate smacked the bedsheets in frustration.

“It’s okay if you’re busy,” he said. “I understand. What did you mean about seeing something online earlier?”

Tessa froze. “Never mind,” she said quickly. “It was nothing.”

“Okay,” he said. “I thought you might’ve been talking about that picture of you and your friends dancing in the rain.”

Hallie threw her head back and wailed with laughter.

Tessa cringed at the decibel level of the sound.

Kate tossed the covers over her head and hollered through the sheets. “I’m sorry about my ass.”

“It was a pleasure,” Grant said, and Hallie laughed louder.

“I should just have a shirt made with the apology on it,” she said. “Then I can post an image of me wearing it every day until this ends.” She jerked the covers down again. “You know, it’s not my fault I can’t control the damn wind.”