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“That?” Caden chucked his thumb at the entertainment center. “Kofi and I were going to watch some basketball later, but if you prefer...”
“I don’t, but it’s cute you’re prepared for a slumber party.”
With a shrug and a shake of his head, Caden explained the dynamics of Kofi’s position with the Archibalds—he and his wife provided the closest set of grandchildren Kit and Ellison were going to get any time soon.
The perpetual bachelor. Maggie turned the corners of her lips into a frown. “Can you please explain to me about this big idea you have?”
Caden crossed the room to tap a wall, which revealed a closet. The walk-in space was filled with jackets and pants neatly arranged on hangers. Shoes lined a rack below. He stepped inside and shrugged out of his blue sports coat. The thin material of his light oxford shirt clung to his muscles.
“We both agree my brothers would kill the pageant its first run, right?” Caden asked, coming out wearing a gray str
iped pullover that matched his slacks.
As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. “I’ll agree with you there.”
“All right, so us teaming up together is a good idea,” said Caden. “I am willing to bet my brothers are pairing up right now. Heath and Spike are going to have to do a world apology tour first, but Jason and Chase will give us a run for our money. Let’s sit here.” Caden motioned toward the theater seats.
The mere mention of their names forced a snarl; fortunately she turned her back on Caden to get in the seat. “Let them try. What’s the saying? If you give them enough rope, they’ll just hang themselves.”
Melted ice chips shifted against the clear bottles. Music still continued outside. Kit’s little conference had turned into a full-blown lawn party. More live music filtered upstairs.
Caden placed his hand on Maggie’s kneecap.
“Want to tell me what my brothers said or did to you?”
“Not at all,” she said with a gulp. Because if she repeated their words, it would somehow confirm their stupid prophecy. It was bad enough she’d let what they thought of her echo in her head. “Let’s say I decide to go with this charade.”
“You already had your chance to speak,” he said with a shrug, “or forever hold your peace.”
At that, Maggie rolled her eyes. “I am in no mood for jokes. Despite your behavior, I wasn’t about to ruin your mother’s good time. At this moment, I like her a heck of a lot more than I like you. You’ve put me in a bad position, Caden.”
“Because there’s some man you’re already engaged to? You’re between apartments, between jobs, and from what I gather, between trying to decide what you want to do with the rest of your life.”
“I have commitments, Caden.”
“Your aunt’s wedding,” Caden acknowledged. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”
Maggie shrugged. “Why can’t you just respect what I said and accept no for an answer? No woman in her right mind likes a fake proposal. Maybe you’re right about not working with women. You don’t know the first thing about them.”
Caden wiped his large hand down his face and sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you on the dance floor at Auntie Bren’s wedding.”
“Caden, let’s be serious here.”
“Oh, I’m dead serious. I don’t want my brothers having anything to do with my mother’s dream. And I’ll do anything to keep them from messing up her legacy.”
“So you—the man who never works with women—are going to run a pageant?” Maggie sat back in her seat and crossed her arms.
“That’s where you come in. It’s the perfect arrangement. You know pageants. You know women. I’ll provide the behind-the-scenes help, but I’ll let you run things.”
“How kind of you,” she said drily. “I am not saying I am going along with your plan, but I will admit it is intriguing to piss off your brothers. But I can’t let you run the pageant.”
“How about we work on that after we knock them out of the running?”
“You’d be so cold and callous to your blood?”
Caden reached for a bottle and broke the seal with his hands. “All’s fair in love and beauty pageants, right?”
* * *
