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at the lowest point of his life. No one else had been able to get through to him. Todd had been the only one.
    All at once he knew that even if there was something going on between Todd and Chelsea now, he wouldn’t tell Jenna just yet. Otherwise she might think that he’d accept her as his companion for less than the agreed month. Whether the money issue was resolved between them soon or not, whether the issue with Chelsea was resolved quicker than expected, he still wanted to have his full month with Jenna Branson. And that’s what he would have.

    “Well, well, you’re a dark horse, aren’t you?” Marco Conti murmured, coming into the room where Jenna was working on Monday morning.
    She tried not to react to the slimy glint in his eyes. How on earth Roberto and Carmen Conti had parented such a son, she didn’t know. Love was certainly blind in this case. In their minds, Marco could do no wrong.
    “What do you mean, Marco?” she asked, picking up a small pair of pliers and continuing working.
    “First you dump me at the races last weekend, and then I hear you attended the Mayoral Ball with none other than Adam Roth. Then I hear you were seen at the flower show with him on Saturday.”
    “So?” This guy had been busy.
    “There’s more to you than meets the eye, cara mia. ”
    She looked up. “Marco, who I go out with is none of your business. And I didn’t dump you at the races. I wasn’t your date.”
    Something dark crossed his face, then vanished. “You could do worse than catching a Roth.”
    “I don’t think Adam would appreciate that comment,” she said without thinking, and was surprised to see Marco cringe.
    He recovered and gave a smarmy smile. “I was only joking, Jenna. That’s all I was doing.” A tiny pause. “You have no need to tell him what I said.”
    So…Marco was actually intimidated by something.
    Interesting.
    Jenna could care less. She just wanted Marco out of her hair. “No, he doesn’t need to know.” An impish urge took hold of her. “But I’d appreciate if any gossip you hear you don’t pass on here at work. I don’t want people to feel awkward with me. I’m sure Adam would appreciate knowing you’re helping me.”
    Marco drew himself up. “Of course.”
    She breathed a deep sigh of relief when he left. Not only had she got him off her back, but to him he had saved face by conceding to a Roth. She felt pleased with herself to have outwitted him.
    Her self-congratulations didn’t last, though, not when everything seemed to keep coming back to Adam. She was on edge about her next “gig” with him, whenever that would be. No doubt she would have to accompany him to a whole series of events he needed to attend over the coming weeks.
    It didn’t help that her mother had called yesterday morning to ask if she’d enjoyed the Mayoral Ball. Jenna had tried to sound enthused, while evading saying too much about the man she’d attended with. It hadn’t helped that her parents had been about to head out to the flower show, which left no option but to admit she’d been the day before. With Adam? Yes, Jenna had replied. The brief silence that had come down the line had been telling, and she’d hurriedly reminded her mother not to say anything to Stewart.
    This was all getting very trying very fast. Please God, let the money be settled soon. Then she’d be able to break it off with Adam, and her parents wouldn’t be too concerned if she told them he hadn’t been the one for her, and that would be the end of it.
    Around seven-thirty that evening, Adam dropped by her apartment. He didn’t kiss her hello, but her heart still thudded when she opened the door to him.
    “Would you like to go out for a drink somewhere?” he asked, stepping inside.
    She closed the door behind him. “Do I have to?” He turned around with a wry look and she wrinkled her nose. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it quite like that. I’m a working girl. I don’t party during the week.” Actually