All I had to do was think about her— and I rarely stopped thinking about her— and I wasn’t Neil Elwood, billionaire, but Neil Elwood, befuddled teenager. Which can be damned unfortunate in the middle of an important meeting one has flown five-thousand kilometers to sit in on. No matter how discreetly I tried to check the number of the incoming call, someone would notice that the most important person in the room had ceased paying attention. Across the conference table, Valerie tilted her head, her expression never changing as she stared me down. It is one of the more effective techniques in her arsenal. It told me I was caught, and in for the scolding of a lifetime. I tried to sound apologetic— and not relieved— at the interruption. “Pardon me. Terribly sorry, but I do have to take this.” I looked to Valerie. Her pleasant, neutral smile that never reached her eyes warned me that I would be hearing about this later. For Sophie, I would take my chances. “Please, do go on without me.”
