Chapter 16

I sit and pay attention as we eat from the breakfast buffet; the business merger sounds promising, and I take keynotes on things he will want to recap. I listen intently to them, thrash through proposals and possibilities enthusiastically, and see that these men are genuine friends. They have a rapport you can only find between people who know each other well. Sarcasm and banter are interlaced with business talk; Jake is ‘one of the guys’ around Daniel.

I can’t help but notice as I’ve been sitting cross-legged, Daniel Hunter has not concealed his open appraisal of me, his eyes following my legs and arms intrusively as Jake outlines some business points. He makes my skin crawl, and I’m trying to ignore him. I catch Jake glancing my way a couple of times with an unreadable expression before looking back at his friend.

I look up occasionally from note-taking and am intrigued by their differences. The friendship seems genuine, but I don’t see the connection which interests m