CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The donor Liam mentioned to Tillie was a woman. According to Krish, she'd donated nearly $50,000 to the foundation, most of it going toward scholarships and the travel expenses of those who couldn't afford the very high fees of the in-person workshops. He'd never spoken to her, and it wasn't such a terrible thing to be polite to people. It was part of the job.

She waited in the hotel restaurant, tucked away in a corner booth, and stood as he entered. Often, the donors were women in their forties and fifties, but Nikki Gonzales couldn't be more than thirty, and she was a knockout, blonde and healthy-looking, with clear skin unadorned by makeup. She was nervous as she offered her hand. "Hi, Liam. It's so nice to meet you."

"You, too," he replied, gesturing toward the booth, and sat. "I wanted to personally thank you for your generous donations."

"My pleasure." Her cheeks pinkened a bit. "I've gotten so much out of your meditations. I like imagining that others could get some benefit." She leaned close, and he found himself slightly trapped by the circle of the booth. Her leg bumped his.

"Yeah? Tell me about that." He moved away slightly. In other circumstances, he would have found her very appealing—she was just his type, or at least she would have been before he met Tillie, who wasn't that fit and not at all blonde, and yet ...

"I was a mess before I started using your app," Nikki said, and rubbed her inner forearm, as if she'd been an addict. "It made all the difference."

"I'm glad. I share that history, as you likely know."

She nodded. Her hair fell down her arm in a shiny swath, which he observed as a fact, nothing more. "I do know. When I got clean and started my company, you were a role model in how to proceed."

"What's your company?"

"Oh, I'm just ... an influencer. I'm a yogi, and a bunch of companies ... well, a lot of products ... I mean." She scowled. "Shit. I'm never this incoherent." She raised her eyes. "You're just a lot more compelling close up."

Her cheeks were pink, and her throat. She was crushing hard, which wasn't unusual, but he reminded himself to be kind and super careful in the way he extracted himself. With a chuckle, he patted her hand, as if he were an old granddad. "That's not important. Really."

She pressed her hand to his leg. "I don't want anything long term, or any of that. But what power could we unleash?"

He lifted her hand off his thigh and pressed it to her own. "Listen, Nikki, I mean this in the nicest possible way. Tell Krish to back off."

Her face fell. "I don't know Krish."

"Yes, you do." He threw bills on the table. "This isn't the first time he's tried this. But you're the prettiest by far."

"I really do admire you," she said.

She was so young, so crestfallen, that it broke his heart. "He's using you to get to me, but it's not your fault. Send me your influencer name, and I'll mention you."

"Would you? That would be so great."

He nodded. "It's all good."