senses at long last?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you showed up with him this morning. I was hoping that means he’s finally realized what he’s been missing out on by confining your relationship to ‘just friends’ status.”
“No such luck,” Stephanie sighed. “He’s with me this morning because we’re leaving after breakfast to go on an assignment together.”
“I can’t believe he still hasn’t woken up to what’s right in front of his nose. You two are perfect for each other. On the plus side, though, you get to work with a sexy partner. That’s one amazing specimen of manhood.”
“Lauren!”
“What? I’m married, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the scenery. I can tell by the gleam in your eyes that you like what you see, too.”
“Maybe,” she conceded. “But Frank doesn’t think of me as anything more than a friend, so whether I’m into him or not is a moot point.”
“We’ve already established that you’re into him. You told me yourself you’ve never gotten over that crush you had on him back in high school. It seems to me this joint assignment might be a prime opportunity for you to let him know how you feel. Mix a little business with pleasure,” Lauren winked conspiratorially. “You could take matters into your own hands and make the first move.”
“Been there. Done that. I made a fool of myself in the process. Last night, I thought Frank was going to kiss me, but rather than waiting to see how things were going to play out I got a bit too enthusiastic and kissed him first. Turns out he’d never planned on making a move in the first place.”
“Just because he hasn’t made a move yet doesn’t mean he isn’t into you. Frank is one of the good guys. No doubt he’d rather cut off his own arm than disrespect the boundaries of your friendship. But I bet he’s thought about taking your relationship to the next level.”
Stephanie shook her head. “He doesn’t see me that way, and I’m not about to blast our friendship to smithereens by holding onto a silly fantasy. It’s time I shake it off and let it go. Besides, I’ll be lucky if he still counts me as one of his friends after this mission—there’s a second piece to it he doesn’t know about.”
“Uh oh. That sounds problematic. What’s going on?”
“Liz thinks Frank’s in danger. She’s asked me to let him accompany me so I can look out for him . It’s so ironic. He thinks he’s coming along to cover my back, when in reality he’s tagging along so I can watch his.”
“I know from experience that’s a dangerous line to tread. That kind of deception almost cost me the love of my life. Are you sure you want to walk that tightrope?”
“What other option do I have? I can’t put Frank’s life at risk by taking a pass on the assignment Liz has tasked me with. A remote island is the perfect place for Frank to be right now—at least it’ll give Liz the opportunity to get a handle on who’s behind the threat against him.”
“You don’t have to do this. Liz would understand if you told her you have personal feelings for Frank.”
“She knows I care about him. She asked me before she hired Frank if I thought our friendship would be a problem, and I told her it wouldn’t impact my ability to do my job. I meant it, but I’m finding remaining dispassionate when it comes to Frank is a bit more challenging than I thought it would be.”
“So do you have a plan?”
“I’ll dig around for info concerning Mendacci’s possible whereabouts while I’m setting up Damon’s library. Damon’s island is private, so it will be easier to make sure Frank stays out of trouble there.”
It was simple, really. She’d keep an eye on Frank and report back to Liz if his personal agenda placed either his safety or their principal mission in jeopardy.
He didn’t need to know that her assignment included watching over him.
Chapter Ten
After breakfast, Stephanie and Frank said good-bye
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you showed up with him this morning. I was hoping that means he’s finally realized what he’s been missing out on by confining your relationship to ‘just friends’ status.”
“No such luck,” Stephanie sighed. “He’s with me this morning because we’re leaving after breakfast to go on an assignment together.”
“I can’t believe he still hasn’t woken up to what’s right in front of his nose. You two are perfect for each other. On the plus side, though, you get to work with a sexy partner. That’s one amazing specimen of manhood.”
“Lauren!”
“What? I’m married, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the scenery. I can tell by the gleam in your eyes that you like what you see, too.”
“Maybe,” she conceded. “But Frank doesn’t think of me as anything more than a friend, so whether I’m into him or not is a moot point.”
“We’ve already established that you’re into him. You told me yourself you’ve never gotten over that crush you had on him back in high school. It seems to me this joint assignment might be a prime opportunity for you to let him know how you feel. Mix a little business with pleasure,” Lauren winked conspiratorially. “You could take matters into your own hands and make the first move.”
“Been there. Done that. I made a fool of myself in the process. Last night, I thought Frank was going to kiss me, but rather than waiting to see how things were going to play out I got a bit too enthusiastic and kissed him first. Turns out he’d never planned on making a move in the first place.”
“Just because he hasn’t made a move yet doesn’t mean he isn’t into you. Frank is one of the good guys. No doubt he’d rather cut off his own arm than disrespect the boundaries of your friendship. But I bet he’s thought about taking your relationship to the next level.”
Stephanie shook her head. “He doesn’t see me that way, and I’m not about to blast our friendship to smithereens by holding onto a silly fantasy. It’s time I shake it off and let it go. Besides, I’ll be lucky if he still counts me as one of his friends after this mission—there’s a second piece to it he doesn’t know about.”
“Uh oh. That sounds problematic. What’s going on?”
“Liz thinks Frank’s in danger. She’s asked me to let him accompany me so I can look out for him . It’s so ironic. He thinks he’s coming along to cover my back, when in reality he’s tagging along so I can watch his.”
“I know from experience that’s a dangerous line to tread. That kind of deception almost cost me the love of my life. Are you sure you want to walk that tightrope?”
“What other option do I have? I can’t put Frank’s life at risk by taking a pass on the assignment Liz has tasked me with. A remote island is the perfect place for Frank to be right now—at least it’ll give Liz the opportunity to get a handle on who’s behind the threat against him.”
“You don’t have to do this. Liz would understand if you told her you have personal feelings for Frank.”
“She knows I care about him. She asked me before she hired Frank if I thought our friendship would be a problem, and I told her it wouldn’t impact my ability to do my job. I meant it, but I’m finding remaining dispassionate when it comes to Frank is a bit more challenging than I thought it would be.”
“So do you have a plan?”
“I’ll dig around for info concerning Mendacci’s possible whereabouts while I’m setting up Damon’s library. Damon’s island is private, so it will be easier to make sure Frank stays out of trouble there.”
It was simple, really. She’d keep an eye on Frank and report back to Liz if his personal agenda placed either his safety or their principal mission in jeopardy.
He didn’t need to know that her assignment included watching over him.
Chapter Ten
After breakfast, Stephanie and Frank said good-bye
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