When We Met by Susan Mallery Page B

modestly. “We’re simply that good.”
    â€œLucky me.”
    Jack and Kenny had been in Los Angeles for the meeting with the owner of Living Life at a Run.
    â€œSo your conversation went well?” she asked.
    â€œYou know it. You’re going to love Cole,” Jack said as he slapped the top of the pack and grinned. “And he’s going to love you.”
    Kenny nodded enthusiastically. “We talked sports, of course. He’s a football fan.”
    â€œWho isn’t?” Taryn asked, trying not to look at the jumbo backpack taking up most of her desk. It was huge and very black. There were poles on one side. If she didn’t know better, she would think they went against the body—maybe to distribute the weight more evenly. A horrifying thought.
    But the LL@R logo was facing her, so it was unlikely that part went against your back. Besides, if it didn’t face out, how would you open it? Still, she wasn’t sure she was excited about wearing something so heavy that it needed weight-distribution engineering built into its design.
    â€œHe skis,” Kenny added, sounding impressed. “He knows Kipling Gilmore.”
    Taryn had learned long ago that it was easier to fit in with her business partners than to fight the inevitable. Besides, there were three of them and only one of her. So she’d learned the language of sports. She could intelligently discuss nearly every game played with a ball or even a puck. She understood which had innings, quarters and periods. Every year she sat with the boys during the NFL draft and listened to them tell what it had been like for them when they’d gone through it. Which meant she knew exactly who Kipling Gilmore was.
    Kipling Gilmore was an American skier who had dominated at the Olympics. He’d taken the gold in both the Super-G and the combined events.
    â€œI’m sure they’re brushing each other’s hair even as we speak,” she said.
    Kenny shook his head. “Why aren’t you impressed by sports celebrities?”
    â€œBecause I have you and Sam and Jack already. What could be better?”
    â€œGood answer,” Jack told her, and patted the backpack again. “Cole’s excited about our meeting. The plan is for us to do an introductory presentation. Then we go camping for the weekend, followed by a more detailed discussion of what we could do for him.”
    Taryn nodded. This wasn’t the first time a client had made that sort of a request. Many of them wanted to be sure the PR firm understood the product. They’d had a great time in Cabo with a client who made tequila. She had a feeling that for her, camping equipment and sports gear wouldn’t be as fun. Not that she would get that intimately involved.
    She was about to tell them to have a good time when she noticed how Kenny and Jack were looking at everything but each other. And her.
    â€œWhat?” she demanded. “What aren’t you telling me?”
    Kenny nudged Jack. “You do it.”
    â€œYou said you would.”
    â€œYou were married to her.”
    Jack sighed. “Chicken.”
    â€œI’m good with that,” Kenny admitted, then smiled at her. “Jack has something to tell you.”
    Taryn didn’t like the tone of this conversation. “I’ve guessed that.” She looked at Jack and raised her eyebrows. “Yes?”
    â€œCole wants us to take a weekend trip with him.”
    She nodded.
    â€œAll of us.”
    â€œSure. You, Kenny and Sam.” She paused as his gaze stayed locked on her face, then stood up and stepped behind her chair. Not to mention away from the backpack. “No.”
    â€œTaryn, you’re a partner in the firm. He said all the partners. It’s only for a couple of days.”
    â€œIt’s camping. Outdoors. On purpose. It’s one thing if you crash your car and end up in a ravine. That could happen to anyone. Then sleeping