‘Good. Maybe you can tell me, then.’

His friend raised an eyebrow, laughing. ‘Oh, come on. You want me to spell it out for you? You’re cooling on Mel because you’ve got PR Girl squarely in your sights now. You already admitted you had the hots.’

Ward flinched despite himself, and he hoped his buddy didn’t see it. ‘Hannah? That’s ridiculous. Like you said before, way too risky when she’s supposed to be making me look good.’ He made a great show of straightening his bow tie.

‘If it’s that ridiculous why do you get that goofy smile on your face whenever you talk about her? Or you let her lead you around some fancy store like a back-to-front version of Pretty Woman?’

He was referring to the fact that Hannah had personally helped him pick out his tux for tonight instead of sending stuff over to Bernie’s like she did for previous formal outings. They’d gone to the Armani store on Fifth and had been invited into a private room away from the main store because she knew how much he hated shopping. She’d assured him that this experience wouldn’t be like trolling the racks at a regular department store – and that it would be painless.

‘You might even enjoy it,’ she’d teased.

And he had. It hadn’t been a chore. It had actually been kinda cool. Hannah had given him feedback and advice, she had encouraged him to try some different styles he never would have in a million years to the point that tonight it didn’t feel so much like a performing monkey, but a guy who had made something of himself.

Just like she always did, Hannah made Ward feel like the kind of man he wanted to be.

And he was terrified that soon enough, she’d see through him and figure out the man he actually was.

Chapter 43

Later, Ward waited by the fountain for Hannah at Central Park South, nervously moving from one foot to the other as he watched a parade of monied New Yorkers emerge from limousines that, in this part of town, had surely only travelled a couple of blocks.

Despite all this showy stuff, he had a bad feeling about tonight. It still made no sense to him as to why the Panthers’ owner had insisted they all be here tonight for his wife’s fancy benefit.

Sumners had a reputation for doing whatever it took to get whatever he wanted, and Ward knew he’d steamroll right over anyone who got in his way. Before his anxiety could work him into another funk, however, he spied Hannah gliding across the road towards the hotel. He hadn’t seen her car pull up and it seemed like she hadn’t seen him yet either.

The sight of her stopped him in his tracks.