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“Yeah.” She rests her head on my shoulder and I loop my arm around her waist. There’s something settling about having her in my hold, and when my hand moves to the curve of her ass, I don’t miss how she inches closer to me. “We’ve been dating for a couple of months, and he was kind enough to accompany me this evening. He’s also donating two private one-on-one coaching sessions for the silent auction.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say, and I stick out my hand.
Hannaford nearly drops his drink to reach for me, and he shakes my hand vigorously. “I didn’t know we would have a celebrity in our midst tonight,” he says, and I hate how he uses that word. It makes me feel like a prop for an agenda I’m not a part of. “Howwonderful.Oh, this is going to bring in record-breaking contributions, I’m just sure of it. Well done, Nancy. Well done.”
Irritation flickers through me, and I drop his hand from my hold. “Why do you keep calling her that?” I ask.
“Because that’s her name,” he says, and my palm flexes against Lacey’s dress.
“No, it’s not. Her name is Lacey. Lacey Daniels.”
“Sorry, sorry. There are so many names to learn, and I’m bound to slip up,” Hannaford says, and I can’t hear a hint of remorse in his apology. “I’m sure you don’t know everyone’s name on your team.”
“I do, actually. Down to the janitor who cleans the locker rooms after our home games.” I glance at Lacey and smile. “His name is Todd. We drink coffee together on Tuesday mornings, and he likes to give me shit. You’d adore him.”
Her smile matches mine. “I love him already.”
I turn my attention to Hannaford. “Say her name back to me so I know you understand. I want to make sure you have it committed to memory, and there isn’t any confusion.”
“Uh.” Hannaford looks between us, and he’s almost blue in the face. “Lacey. Lacey Daniels.”
“Fantastic. And do you know where she works?” I ask, and I tilt my head to the side. I’m not usually a guy who uses my size to my advantage, but I’m definitely trying to make myself bigger right now. “She’s been there six years, so you should be pretty familiar with her contributions to your hospital.”
He clears his throat and adjusts his tie. “She’s a nurse, isn’t she? Over in pathology.”
“Jesus Christ,” I mumble. “She’s a pediatrician at the office attached to your hospital. Literally right next door. Her patients love her, and it’s a shame someone in a management role hasn’t learned who his employees are.”
Hannaford almost breaks the glass in his hand. “I’ll be better,” he says, and I smile brightly.
“Great.” I gesture toward the bar. “If you’ll excuse us, we’re going to grab a drink.”
“Would you come up and say a few words?” he blurts out. “Just, you know, it would be good for the people attending tonight to see who’s here. It’ll make next year’s event even more enticing.”
It’s hard to not roll my eyes at how desperate this asshole sounds, but I nod anyway. I’m here for Lacey. This whole fake dating thing started because of this moment right here, so I smile and nod.
“Of course,” I say. “I’d be happy to.”
Hannaford scurries away, and Lacey clutches my arm. Her fingers dig into my jacket, and she’s grinning.
“HolyshitShawn. Did you just tell off my boss?” she asks.
“I didn’t tell him off.” I play with my cufflinks, and my lips twitch. “I reminded him how a leader should act.”
“That was—” Lacey takes a breath and pulls me into a tight hug. She’s warm and soft in my arms, and I bury my face in her hair. “Thank you,” she whispers. “That was so cool.”
“I would do it again, too,” I say, and I squeeze her hip. “Come on. We’re next for drinks.”
We grab two whiskeys and head back to the table. By the time we find our seats, our friends are slipping into their chairs. I want to laugh at the obvious hickey on Maggie’s shoulder and the way Aiden’s tie is crooked, but I keep the jokes to myself.
Almost two years together, and they still can’t keep their hands off each other. I think they’re more in love now than when they first got together.
I shouldn’t make fun of that.
“Why are you smiling?” Maggie asks.
“Shawn told off Hannaford,” Lacey says, and she giggles. I think her drink is already going to her head.
“What? Shawn, what did you say?”
