I follow Indira’s hinting stare toward the door where Richard has appeared next to Saskia.

Unfortunately, Indira is right. Saskia is tall, but Richard is taller. Side by side, both wearing jeans and plain T-shirts, they look like a Calvin Klein ad. Sleek, glamorous, sexy. Worst of all, they do belong. Richard with his dashing smile, one-day stubble, and effortlessly cool vibe. Saskia with her long limbs, out-of-this-world face, and hair to die for.

As if hypnotized, I watch Richard guide Saskia out with a hand on her lower back. I wonder how that would feel.

Would Richard’s hand be warm on my back? Would I feel it through the fabric of my shirt? Would it send electricity up my spine?

The answer is probably yes to all three.

“Does that mean the receptionist is gone?” I ask.

Richard was dating a hotel receptionist when I accepted the job three weeks ago.

“They never last,” Indira replies. “I told you the boss is damaged goods.”

“Yes, but you didn’t tell me why.”

Indira leans in closer, speaking in a hushed tone. “It’s just gossip, but…” She looks around for a second as if to check if someone is eavesdropping.

I make a “give it to me” gesture. Sometimes Indira is a bit of a drama queen.

“Well, legend has it the boss was about to get married, and the bride did a runner on him.”

I gasp. “No!”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You mean he was engaged, and his fiancée broke it off before the wedding?”

“No, I mean he was at the altar literally getting married and the bride panicked or something and ran out mid-ceremony. I don’t know the details.”

I purse my lips, unconvinced. “Who told you this story?”

“Oh, you know how urban legends start. One knows the story, but somehow can’t remember how, when, or who told it. It’s just something everyone knows.”

“You think it’s true?”

“I’ve never met someone as commitment-phobic as Richard. True, it could be innate. But somehow, I don’t think it is. It’s like the boss is trying too hard to pretend he doesn’t care. All that cynicism has to come from a scar somewhere in his past. One that runs deep. Plus, all his friends from London say he was a completely different person before he moved here.”

“Different, how?”

“Just the opposite of how he is now. The perfect boyfriend who would plan the perfect date for his girlfriend. Romantic, ready to commit, to start a family. But now… I mean he’s a great friend, boss, and businessman. But he would make a dreadful boyfriend.”

“Don’t you think he would change if he met the right woman?”

“Why?” Indira gives me her signature I-see-everything stare. “Are you nominating yourself for the role?”

My cheeks heat up and I break eye contact. “No, not at all. I was just speculating.”