“…and I’m very optimistic about her. She’s incredibly beautiful.” Portia Powers sat in one of two chairs positioned in front of Heath’s desk. His voice mail message hadn’t mentioned this would be a threesome.

Just looking at the Dragon Lady made Annabelle feel dowdy. Summer fashion was supposed to be all about color, but maybe Annabelle had gotten a little carried away with her melon-colored blouse, lemon yellow skirt, and the drop earrings set with tiny lime green stones she’d found at TJ Maxx. At least her hair looked decent. Now that it was longer, she’d been able to use a big barrel curling iron, then finger-comb the results into a casual tousle.

Portia was all cool elegance in pewter silk. Against her dusky hair, the effect was dazzling. Small, petal pink earrings provided a subtle touch of color against her porcelain skin, and a Kate Spade handbag in the same pink shade sat on the floor at her side. She hadn’t made the mistake of going into pink overkill with her shoes, which were stylish black mules.

Or one of them was.

Annabelle stared at her competitor’s feet. At first glance, the shoes looked the same. They both had open toes and low heels, but one was a black mule and the other a navy sling-back. What was that about?

Annabelle drew her eyes away and slipped her sunglasses in her purse. “Sorry I’m late. Sherman didn’t like any of the parking spots I showed him.”

“Sherman is Annabelle’s car,” Heath explained as he rose from behind the desk and gestured to the chair next to Portia’s. “Have a seat. I don’t believe you and Portia have met in person.”

“As a matter of fact we have,” Portia replied smoothly.

Through the long wall of windows behind his desk, Annabelle spotted a sailboat skimming over Lake Michigan in the distance. She wished she were on it.

“We’ve been at this since spring,” Heath said, “and now football season is starting. I think both of you know that I’d hoped to be further along.”

“I understand.” Portia’s smooth confidence belied her mismatched shoes. “We all hoped this would be easier. But you’re an extremely discriminating man, and you deserve an extraordinary woman.”

Suck up, Annabelle thought. Still, when it came to Heath, Annabelle didn’t exactly deserve high marks for professionalism, and she could do a lot worse than follow Portia’s example.

Portia shifted slightly in her chair, which cast her face into a harsher light. She wasn’t as young as Annabelle had thought when they’d met, and her expertly applied makeup couldn’t camouflage the dark circles under her eyes. Too much nightlife or something more serious?

Heath set his hip on the corner of the desk. “Portia, you found Keri Winters for me, and even though that didn’t work out, you were on the right path. But you’ve sent too many candidates who aren’t in the ballpark.”

Portia didn’t make the mistake of getting defensive. “You’re right. I should have eliminated more of them, but every woman I’ve chosen has been so special, and I hate second-guessing my most discriminating clients. I’ll be more careful from now on.”