Double Act

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sean followed Jake into the limo, hardly even paying attention to the rundown exterior of Emerson’s building. The guy lived in Manhattan, so he wasn’t doing too bad, despite the lackluster decor of the apartment. His suit had also been of good quality.

Shit! It might have gotten dirty, or torn, from the rescue operation!

Sean determined he’d pay for the dry cleaning, or the cost of a new suit.

He plopped himself onto the seat, then turned around to watch Emerson as they drove away. Once they rounded the corner, he faced Jake. Rachel—their driver—took the next right and headed deeper into the city.

“Macie’s been calling me like crazy,” Jake told him. “Check your phone.”

Sean pulled it from his pocket and saw that he had five missed calls. “I put it on silent after you called. I didn’t want to be interrupted.”

“Right,” Jake said, clearly exasperated. “Just call her.”

Pushing Macie’s picture on his phone, Sean rubbed at the bump on his head. How amazing that it was the worst of his injuries. When thinking of the possible outcomes, of hurting his hands…A tremor ran through his body. It had been close.

The phone rang once before it was picked up.

“I’m okay,” he said without preamble.

“Jesus,” Macie said, “why didn’t you answer your goddamn phone?”

“I was on a date.”

“And do most dates send you to the hospital?”

“You know it’s no fun unless someone gets hurt.”

“Seriously, Sean, you’re alone for five minutes and this is what happens? You should have gone back to the shoot when I told you to.”

“And I told you I needed a breather.”

“A breather that almost killed you.”

“Just chill, all right? It could have—could have been bad. But it wasn’t!”

She ignored him, sticking to the hard truth. “And now we need to do damage control. I’ve already seen tweets reporting you’re dead.”

“I don’t care.”

There was silence for a moment, probably Macie floundering for how to respond. “I’m sorry. What?”

“I don’t care about any of it. I just met the dreamiest guy.”

That was the understatement of the century. On the surface, he had looked like the typical businessman—suit, tie, loafers. But those brown eyes were sharp enough to cut diamonds. Sean felt like he might swoon.

Also, Emerson had pushed a complete stranger out of harm’s way. Sean had expected the other man to recognize him, but when he didn’t, it proved Emerson had acted out of decency and a kind heart. No thoughts of rewards or being in the spotlight.

“The guy who left the hospital with you?” Macie asked, bring Sean back to the present.

“Pictures already circulating?” Damn, that was fast, even for paparazzi. “Yeah, he’s the one who pushed me out of the way of the car. Macie, he saved my f*****g life.”

“Wow.” That was a compliment coming from her. She never had anything nice to say.

“I’m in love.”

“Oh, come on. Let’s not do this again. We’re still dealing with the aftermath of Carl. I don’t want to have to go through that again.”

“He’s not like Carl. Emerson didn’t even have a clue who I was. Macie, he’s the one.”

She groaned. “I wasn’t hired to be your babysitter, Sean. So why do I feel like I always need to change your diaper?”

“That’s a bit harsh.”

“Listen, I’m going to say this once and be done with it. Be careful.”

“I hate being careful.”

She pushed on as if he hadn’t spoken. “Life is good now, but it won’t always be. You need to be mindful of what could happen. Plan for the future.”

“I’ve got a lawyer who deals with all that stuff, earnings and taxes and savings. I pay him so I don’t have to be mindful.”

“You’re too trusting, and you let people abuse that.”

“I do not,” he argued, even though he knew she was right. “Besides, Emerson’s different.”

She wasn’t buying it. “Yeah, yeah. So, ask Jake how we can spin this. We need to hop on the ball quickly.” She paused. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m floating in the clouds.”

“Oh God, you do have it bad.”

“Hey, if I give you his name, can you get me some information on him?”

She hesitated only a second. “Sure.”