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Emily lets out a quiet laugh as she sets her champagne glass back on the linen-covered table.
“You can cool it with the compliments,” she tells me, since I said something similar as soon as she stepped down out of the SUV.
Although I believe once I remembered how to breathe again, I whispered, “Jesus… you are fucking stunning.”
“Your boss isn’t here yet, and there’s no one to impress,” Emily finishes, making me bristle at her words that she thinks I’m only complimenting her as part of this fake date.
But I did this to myself, didn’t I? Instead of asking her out on a real date, where she could really accept my compliments, I acted like a pussy and made her think any interest I had in her was just because of this insane situation I’ve gotten myself into.
Fuck!
“Why don’t we make it interesting, so we can both make it through this lunch without dying?” I smile at her, leaning forward in my chair to rest my elbows on the table right next to hers.
“What did you have in mind?”
Her green eyes sparkle mischievously at me, and I know I can’t tell her what’s actually on my mind, because it involves being kicked out of a restaurant for public indecency.
“Let’s make it a game. Whoever impresses Jeanie the most today wins the bragging rights of being the ultimate champion of the world.”
“Still trying to beat me at something, I see.” Emily smirks, making me want to kiss that confident smile right off her face. “Of course you think you can win at something you have an advantage at. You’re so cute and innocent.”
Closing the couple of inches between our faces, I bring my mouth right by her ear, breathing in her soft, beachy smell, with her silky hair brushing against the tip of my nose, before I speak.
“The thoughts I’ve been having about you since you stepped down out of that SUV are far from innocent, sweetheart.”
Pulling back, I quickly grab my own mimosa and take a healthy swallow, mentally patting myself on the back when I hear not a sound coming out of Emily, and I can see her staring at me with her sexy mouth dropped open out of the corner of my eye.
Ten points go to me.
“Sweetheart isn’t going to work either,” Emily finally mutters, letting out another one of those quiet sigh/huffs as she fidgets in her chair, straightening and re-straightening the napkin in her lap.
“You didn’t like babe, honey, or pumpkin either,” I complain, smiling to myself when I remember the look of death she gave me with each new endearment I’ve tested out on her since we got here. “I need some kind of cute nickname for you if we want this to be believable. Oooh, what about lover.”
“Eeew, gross. Sure, go ahead and call me that if you want me to stab you with my butter knife,” Emily informs me with a gorgeous smile, right when the front door to the restaurant flies open.
I quickly reach over without thinking and grab Emily’s hand from her lap. Flipping it over and lacing my fingers through hers, I give her a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
“You ready for this?” I whisper as Jeanie Bidwell breezes into the room, pulling her dark sunglasses off her face when she greets her brother, the owner of the restaurant, with a kiss on the cheek and a few shared words.
“The question is, are you ready to lose to me?” Emily asks boldly.
“Let the games begin, sweet cheeks.”
With a chuckle when Emily squeezes my hand back so hard I hear one of my knuckles crack, I get ready to play the most exciting game of my life.
That hopefully won’t end up with me being fired.
“Well, you’ve certainly sold me. I will definitely be convincing my husband that we need a weekend getaway to this magical Summersweet Island.” Jeanie smiles at Emily as the waiter clears away our main dishes, when Emily finishes telling her all about the island she grew up on and where our supposed “secret relationship” has been taking place.
Just like I knew she would, Emily completely won over my boss from the moment she stood up from her chair with me to politely greet her with a handshake, waiting until Jeanie sat down to retake her seat. After a few-minute discussion with me about the team and how everyone is getting along, Jeanie turned her attention to Emily, and it hasn’t left since. All through the appetizer, salad, and main course, Emily charmed Jeanie with stories of growing up on a small island with everyone knowing your business. She made this no-nonsense woman who has never cracked a smile or made a joke since the day I met her throw her head back and laugh several times throughout lunch. Emily is a born entertainer, and her ability to make even the hardest of people smile, and make a tense situation fun, is just one of the many reasons she has completely captivated me.
