She heard Alesandro’s chair being pulled back and looked up with a beaming smile, determined to give it a sincere try. “Oh, hi. I was just—” She stopped, her smile sliding off her face. It wasn’t Alesandro seated at her table. It was Hudson Craft.

Annika stared at his clean-shaven face. The recessed lighting emphasized the square planes of his jaw. In contrast to how she felt, he looked completely at ease. He’d changed since she saw him in the hallway, and was now dressed in an expensively cut gray blazer—probably bespoke—and a peacock-blue shirt that brought out the green tones in his eyes. A shiny, voluminous lock of his blond hair sat on his forehead, as though he was in a shampoo commercial. “Date ditch you already?” he asked, crossing his arms and cocking his head.

“Are you stalking me? And no, he hasn’t,” Annika bit out, glaring at him. “He’s in the bathroom.”

“I have a dinner reservation with a potential investor in about twenty minutes. I like to be early.” Then he asked with a conspiratorial smile, “Are you sure your date didn’t run out the back exit?”

“I’m sure,” Annika said, narrowing her eyes. “Why is it so hard to believe that he’d want to stay on this date with me?”

Hudson studied her for a long moment. She began to squirm under his intense gaze. “Actually, I find it hard to believe that any guy would leave you alone for any length of time.”

They stared at each other, the butterflies once again in full force in Annika’s stomach.

“Excuse me. That’s my seat.” Alesandro was back from the bathroom, a winning smile on his face once more. He’d apparently rallied after Annika’s brush-off.

“Yes, it is,” Annika said in relief, turning back to Hudson and forcing a slightly poisonous smile. “So goodbye, Hudson.” She could see Hudson sizing Alesandro up, taking in the crisp lines of his ironed shirt and his olive-toned, kissed-with-health skin.

“You know each other?” Alesandro asked, obviously oblivious.

“We work in the same building,” Hudson said, beginning to stand. “But I won’t intrude. I have an event to get to any—”

“No, sit, sit,” Alesandro insisted, grabbing an empty chair from a nearby table. What? Annika stared at him in disbelief. He turned his thousand-watt smile on her. “I’d love to get to know one of your friends.”

Oh, god. He’d gotten the wrong idea. “He’s not my—”

“Great idea,” Hudson said, speaking over her. “Thank you.” He flashed a smile at Annika that rivaled Alesandro’s in its brightness.

The waitress came by with a huge platter of food and began to set things down in front of Annika and Alesandro.

Hudson studied the spread. “Wow.”

“I’m carb-loading,” Alesandro explained. “For a marathon tomorrow.”