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She pushed her messed hair back from her face. “I’m too tired to deal with this right now. Give your fiancée my name and number. I’ll see when I can start planning this wedding.”
Cade watched as Abby scooped up her purse and slid into her little pink-heeled sandals. Did she always have French-manicured toenails? Hmm, sexy.
He forced his eyes back up. “I’ll drive you to get your car.”
“I’ll take a cab,” she called over her shoulder.
Before she could reach the door, Cade stepped up from the living area and blocked her exit with a slap of his hand to the door. “We’ll use the time in the car to talk.”
Her lids fluttered shut for a brief second before lifting again. “I’m not on the clock, Cade, and we don’t discuss personal things, remember? We can talk business on Monday.”
Why did her words have such a sting to them? Had he sounded this frigid to her?
“We will be discussing business,” he assured her, refusing to look down to her chest, which was nearly brushing his black T-shirt. “I’m signing partnership papers with Tremane International as soon as Mona and I say ‘I do.’ I want this merger, both business and the marriage, to be done in a month.”
Two
Mona Tremane was everything Abby wasn’t. Beautiful, tall, curves in all the right places. Wealthy.
Too bad Abby’s green-eyed monster had to join them for lunch.
Abby sat across from the woman, who wore a sparkling emerald cut engagement ring, trying her best to smile and nod at all the appropriate times.
Could there be a more miserable way to spend a lunch hour?
“I can’t tell you how nice it is to get out of the office for a few minutes.” Mona beamed, leaning across the table. “I guess we’re just lucky that my one o’clock canceled. But, really, the details of the wedding don’t matter to me. You’re the professional. Whatever you think best is fine with me.”
Thankfully they had met at a neutral locale. The café beside Stone Enterprises was a perfect place to eat her lunch—if she could stomach it after Miss Shiny Teeth got done smiling like she’d won the bachelor lottery. This meeting couldn’t end soon enough.
“You really don’t want to discuss details? What if you don’t like what I choose?” Abby said with what she hoped was a sincere smile. “I may have a totally different image of what is romantic than what you do.”
“I don’t have time,” Mona said simply. “Besides, there is nothing romantic about this arrangement. I don’t have on rose-colored glasses. Cade and I are doing this strictly as a wise business move for both our companies.
“Cade was confident that you’d do a good job. I was actually going to hire the wedding coordinator you previously worked for, but when Cade suggested you, it just made sense to deal with one person instead of a company.” Lucky me.
Between the pale pink Chanel suit and glossy lips, Abby knew there was no way she could ever look this attractive or appealing to Cade.
Blah, blah, blah…God, why did Mona’s voice go into Abby’s ears sounding like the Charlie Brown teacher?
Because the third member of their lunch party—Abby’s green-eyed monster—was rearing her ugly head again.
In all honesty there was not a thing wrong with Mona Tremane and that’s what irritated Abby the most. She could hardly fault Cade for wanting to spend the rest of his life with this polished, upscale beauty. She was nice, professional…the perfect image to help front an imperfect marriage.
“Well, I’m glad the two of you have confidence in me.” Abby folded the paper back over her untouched chicken wrap and signaled the waiter for a to-go box. “This will be a tedious job, but I’ve done it before and everything will work out just fine. We’ll just be very busy for the next four weeks.”
Mona waved her well-manicured hand. “Actually, I have to do some traveling on business for my father and I’ll be in and out for the next three weeks. You have my cell if there’s something you definitely have to ask, but like I said, I don’t much care. I’ll give you my measurements for the dress and other than that, you’ve got free reign.”
Mona wasn’t even planning on picking out her own wedding gown? Abby hadn’t lied when she said she’d planned weddings in a crunch, but the bride was usually around to at least confer with and assist.
“Not to be judgmental,” Abby started slowly, “but isn’t your wedding more important than business? Could your father send someone else?”
Mona shook her head, sending her curled, highlighted hair dancing around her shoulders. “As the vice-president, there are sites I need to oversee and I want to get all of that out of the way so I can concentrate on this merger of companies. Oh, and I assume you’ll do the honeymoon, too?”
