“I couldn’t decide so I went with a little bit of everything. Potstickers, fried wontons . . . damnit, they forgot one of the egg rolls.”

“You can have mine,” Allie said. She was well acquainted with her friend’s motivation: when all else fails, show up bearing comfort food. And wine. But as grateful as she was to have Harper in her life, with or without fried carbs, there was no way she could eat half of what she brought. The way she was feeling, she’d be lucky to stomach plain rice. Seeing Hudson that morning had been harder than she’d expected. And to realize, on top of everything else, that they’d be working side by side nearly every day was the cherry on top of the shitstorm that had become her life.

“Mongolian chicken or kung pao?” Harper asked, pulling Allie back into the conversation as she pulled the last two containers out of the brown paper bag.

“Either’s fine.”Allie picked up a set of chopsticks and split them apart. “You didn’t need to do this, you know.”

“I know, but it’s your first night back here since . . .” Harper’s voice trailed off but she didn’t need to finish her sentence for Allie to know what she was thinking. It was written all over her face. A moment of silence passed before she asked the question that seemed to be on everyone’s mind lately.”Do the police have any leads yet?”

Allie realized people meant well when they asked, and certainly no one wanted answers more than she did. But words like “investigation” and “evidence” triggered images of blood and violence, even when spoken by a concerned best friend. “No. But Detective Green said she’d be in touch as soon as she had an update.” She mustered a reassuring smile. “Thank you for letting me stay with you this week.”

“You know you’re always welcome.”

Allie saw the tears welling in Harper’s eyes. Knowing if she started to cry, Allie wouldn’t be far behind, she quickly changed the subject. “Now get me a plate or I’m going to go all caveman on you and eat right out of the carton.”

Harper snorted. “Yeah right, like that would ever happen.” She turned, still shaking her head as she pulled two plates out of the cupboard. But Allie knew better. And for a single moment she wished she could go back in time to the night she and Hudson sat in his penthouse kitchen, splitting a bottle of wine and eating pizza straight out of the box.

Cut it out, Sinclair. After the day’s strange turn of events, it was more important than ever that she keep her head clear when it came to Hudson Chase.

Allie watched as Harper heaped piles of rice and chicken onto each of the plates, then added an assortment of appetizers. When she finished she carried them both to the other side of the counter and took a seat on the stool beside her.

“Where’d you get this food? It smells great.”

“New place over off LaSalle. If you like it we should definitely try the dine-in option. There was a hunk of perfection working at the bar.” Harper gave a little shudder. “If I didn’t love you so much I’d have parked my ass on his barstool for the night instead of yours.”

“And pass up a carbfest like this? He must have been pretty hot.”

“What can I say, it’s been . . .” A crease formed between Harper’s brows. “Well, that’s depressing. Let’s just say it’s been a while and leave it at that.”

“No cute waiters lately?” Allie teased. Harper had a knack for combining her two favorite topics, men and food, turning even a simple lunch into a chance to find her perfect match. Problem was, she also had a tendency to be attracted to all the wrong guys. Allie wished just once Harper would find a guy deserving of her affection. Someone who would appreciate her quirky style, her dry humor, and her loving heart.

“Actually yes, and this one is a med student by day. We’re having dinner this weekend.”

“Really? Tell me more,” Allie said before taking a sip of the Merlot.

“Not much to tell yet. His name is Scott, he’s twenty-four, from Milwaukee originally.”

“Has brown, perfectly mussed hair and dark, brooding eyes?”

Harper’s mouth dropped open.

Allie laughed. “Don’t look at me like that. You have a type.”

“And you sound like you’ve been reading a few of my favorite romance novels.”

“Hardly.” Allie wrinkled her nose. “And don’t think I’m buying this ‘not much to tell’ crap. I know you, Harper Hayes, and I’d be willing to bet that last wonton you know everything from his shoe size to his underwear preference.”

“Well, I did catch a glimpse of a Calvin Klein waistband when he bent over to pick my purse up off the ground.”

Allie raised a brow.

“Okay, I may have dropped it on purpose. But it was just to start a conversation, not to gawk at his backside.”

“And the shoe size?”

Harper lifted her wineglass to her lips. “Twelve from the looks of it,” she mumbled before taking a sip.

That was more like it. Allie popped a water chestnut into her mouth and smiled.

“Speaking of hot men with ridiculously sexy hair . . . did you see him today?”

“Yes,” she said, the smile slipping from her face.

Harper paused with a broccoli crown suspended between two chopsticks. “And?”

Allie exhaled in a rush and sagged against the back of the barstool. “And it was worse than I imagined.”

“Start talking,” Harper said. She grabbed the wine bottle and topped off both their glasses, then listened as Allie recounted the details of the morning’s board meeting, everything from her initial reaction to seeing Hudson to the details of his co-CEO proposal. “So you think that was his plan all along?” she asked.

Allie washed a bite of food down with a large gulp of wine. “I don’t know for sure. But he could have made a play for the whole thing, and probably won. Sympathy and nostalgia was only going to get me so far. They all know he’s more qualified for the job.”

“Maybe he really is sorry for the mess he created. This could be his way of apologizing.”

“How, by backing me into a corner? I told him I didn’t want to hear any of his excuses, and I meant it. There’s no justification for lying to me every moment we were together.”

“So what did he have to say for himself when it was all done?”

Allie poked at the food on her plate. “Nothing.”

“Nothing? The man who tried to set the Guinness Book of World Records for number of voicemails left in a single day had nothing to say when the two of you were finally in the same room?”

“He didn’t have a chance.” When the meeting had finally ended, Allie couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there. But Hudson lingered, chatting with a few people and occasionally glancing in Allie’s direction, all the while strategically placed between her and the door. “I caught Ben’s attention just as he was about to leave and asked if he had a moment to discuss a few items. Hudson had no choice but to step aside and let us pass.”

“You won’t be able to avoid him forever.”

No, but she could sure as hell try.

“I’m actually surprised he wasn’t waiting outside your door. That is one determined man. And when he locks those baby blues on you . . .”

“Well, he was gone by the time Ben and I finished,” Allie said, interrupting Harper before she had a chance to point out everything Allie was trying her best to forget. “And I spent the rest of the day interviewing new assistants.”

“Not keeping your dad’s?”

Allie shook her head. “It would feel like my grandmother was my assistant. She’s going to work in Mr. Weiss’s office.”

“Any promising candidates?”

“One. And I think he’d give you a run for your money when it comes to snarky jokes and collecting the phone numbers of hot waiters.”

“I am not snarky,” Harper said, feigning offense. She pushed a stray curl out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. “Although I could use a wingman. Especially since my BFF is a hardworking CEO now.”