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“She’s afraid of you.” Carson glared at Brett.
“Afraid of falling for me, maybe,” Brett quipped.
“Wait, you guys know Tatiana Grace, the pop star?” Amanda asked.
“She’s one of our clients,” Carson explained. “I’ll see what I can do. I can introduce you if you’d like, Amanda.”
Her jaw gaped. “That’s so nice of you, but I’d totally fangirl the poor woman and end up looking like a fool.”
“You could never look like a fool,” Mick said. Then to Carson, “Set it up, please.” When he turned to his new wife and promised to ensure she didn’t make a fool of herself, the love in his brother’s eyes was palpable.
“I know it doesn’t have anything to do with islands,” Tiffany said. “But I’m sure my clients would be happy to donate autographed sports memorabilia to support the cause. And now that we’re talking specifics, I hope you don’t mind me suggesting this, but what about having placards made up with Lorelei’s pictures, and maybe some of the kids you’ve visited over the years, Dylan? I hate to say it, but people are more likely to donate when they put a face with the cause. I don’t mean to sound like you’re playing off their illnesses, but if you really want to gain donations, I think it would mean more if people knew there were real children, reallives, behind it.”
Silence fell over the group, but Dylan’s heart filled to near bursting. It couldn’t have been easy for her to put the idea out there when she knew it was a sore spot with his family.
“I think that’s a great idea,” Dylan said.
“I agree,” Brett said gruffly.
Everyone looked at him, and he shrugged. “She’s got a point. If we’re going to see Lorelei as the face of the fundraiser, then why limit it just to her?”
“Carson?” Dylan asked. Carson nodded. “Mick?”
“I think it’s brilliant,” Mick answered. “As much as I hate to equate faces to dollars, the personalization is important. Tiffany knows that better than any of us.”
Relief swept through Dylan. “Then we’re all on board. I’ll speak to the director at the Ronald McDonald House and some of the parents of the kids I’ve visited, and I’ll go see Mom this weekend and pick out some pictures of Lorelei.” He turned to Tiffany. “Will you go with me? I’m sure she’d love to meet you.”
“Of course.” She held his gaze and a silent message recognizing the significance of the invitation passed between them. “I’d love to meet your mom.”
“You’ll love their mom,” Amanda said. “Jackie’s wonderful. She has treated me like a daughter from the very second I met her.”
“I look forward to it,” Tiffany said.
“We’ll get Jackson and Cooper to handle the photography, of course.” He felt Tiffany shrink back in her chair and remembered that they had been at the poker game and witnessed her botched booty call. He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to them. They’re professionals. It won’t be awkward.”
She exhaled loudly and flashed a brave smile toward Brett and Carson. “I think I need to own up to that whole embarrassing event. I should have taken care of it right away. I’ll clear the air with Jackson and Cooper next week. What’s a little embarrassment between friends? Honestly, the thought of trying to find photographers who are as good as them is daunting.”
“That’s the fearless girl I fell for.” He leaned in for a kiss.
“What embarrassing event are we talking about?” Mick asked.
Tiffany blushed, but she held her chin up and faced Mick and Amanda with the confidence Dylan adored. “I crashed their poker game wearing nothing but a jacket and heels.”
Mick smiled and exchanged a knowing glance with Amanda, making her cheeks pink up, too.
“It gets worse, Mick,” Tiffany said. “If I’m going to own it, I might as well ownallof it. I opened my jacket as the door opened, expecting Dylan, not Brett.”
“Oh, shit.” Mick glared at Brett. “Wipe your memory clean yet?”
“Yes, sir,” Brett said.
“Then,” Tiffany said, “I fell ass over teakettle.”
“Stop looking at me,” Brett said to Mick, who was still glaring at him. “All I did was answer the door.”
“Oh my gosh. You poor thing.” Amanda reached for her hand. “You are the bravest woman I know, next to my sister. I would have crawled under a rock.”
“Not helping,” Dylan said under his breath.
