The pause felt long and stubborn, and then—thankfully—a big guy in the back said, “Are we going to take bets on which one of us will bring in the most at the auction?”

The chatter started again. They sounded positive, excited even.

“We’ll keep you posted on all the details,” she said above the din. Aaron Jessup was still glaring at her. He broke eye contact, then stood and walked out.

“That guy hates us,” Louisa said to Ally.

“I’ve always felt bad for him.”

Louisa narrowed her gaze on her friend. “He dug himself into this hole.”

“But I can understand why he said what he did. I mean, Jackson’s parents were pretty critical. And ungrateful.”

“He is going to make our job a lot harder.”

Ally quieted and looked away.

“Good work, ladies.” Duncan was beside them now. “XPO Boggs is your point person on this, but keep me in the loop and let me know if you need anything.”

“We will.” Louisa glanced at Cody, still standing against the wall at the back. “Thank you.”

Duncan smiled at her. “You’ve done good work here. We’re really looking forward to it. Why don’t you send me some dates and we’ll get going?”

“Sounds good.”

He walked away, and Louisa turned toward Ally, but her friend was no longer in the room. She gathered her things together, stuck her iPad back in her bag, and said a silent prayer of thanks that she’d survived.

A tall guardsman approached her. “Great job today, Miss Chambers.” He was probably a year or two younger than Louisa and handsome, with nice eyes. “Can I call you Louisa?”

“That is my name,” she said politely.

“I’m Charlie,” he said. “Charlie Pope.”

“Good to meet you, Charlie.”

She glanced back to where Cody had been standing, but the spot against the wall was empty. She felt her insides tense at not knowing where he was.

“Will you be bidding at the auction?” He leaned a little closer to her, his face warming, and oh, he was hitting on her.

She inched back slightly. “I don’t think so. Feels like that might be a conflict of interest.”

“It’s for a good cause, though, right?” His eyes were full on her in a way that suddenly made her uncomfortable. She could charm anyone, but when it came to actual relationships with men, she was something of a failure. Her mother said she talked too much. She called it “nervous brain dump,” and Louisa couldn’t argue. She did seem to suffer from this very specific affliction.

“It’s a great cause,” she said. “I should go find Alyssa.” She started past him, but he grabbed her arm to stop her. She looked at him, then at her arm.

“Sorry,” he said, letting her go. “Just wanted you to know I’m hoping you bid on me.” Another grin.