Chapter 17
“I do? Oh, I’m sorry. I took a shower, but the smell sometimes lingers for a while.”
“And you have paint behind your ear.” He touched Pallas’s ear. “Chartreuse Green.”
“Oh.” Pallas tried to rub it off.
“Were you painting today? Are you a painter?”
Pallas stared down at his hands on his thighs. “Harris, I can’t and won’t talk about my life with you. Do you understand? This is my work. As strange or ridiculous as it may seem to you or other people, I take my job seriously and have a very strong work ethic.”
“I understand that.”
“I know you do. That’s why I accepted to be your match. When I read your file, I thought you were the perfect client for me. That you’d be happy with the arrangement.”
“Yeah, well, there’s things you can’t get off reading a file, Pallas.” He touched Pallas’s hand. “Just like you can’t tell what a fragrance will smell like on your skin just by looking at the bottle.”
“I was wrong about you, okay? That’s why I asked to be replaced.”