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It wasn’t my finest moment at Allie’s launch party, and Dana didn’t speak to me for a week after. And it took another month before she would even go for a drink with me after work again.
“I appreciate that you were there for me. But that was different. He was her date. Tonight, I’m her date, not that asshole.”
“Does Dana know you’re her date?” he asks, then casually sips on his whiskey. I know he’s waiting for me to react. All I do is glare at him. Logan may have the best don’t fucking mess with me mask in business, but I do a fairly good one too, though a lot rarer. This is one of those times.
Logan laughs. “Okay, I get it. So this is it. You’re finally going to man up and tell her how you feel?”
“Yep, I think so.” It’s a fucking scary thought.
But when the guy leans in closer to her, my temper dials up another notch, and I realize not telling her would be far worse. My fist squeezes tight as I imagine how good it would feel to connect with the guy’s jaw.
“You need to be a lot more convincing than I think. You don’t want to fuck this up. Hunter will have something to say if you upset his staff,” he warns.
“I know there’s more at stake. Why the hell do you think it’s taken me so long?” I push off from the bar I’ve been leaning against and grin at him. But it’s a teeth-grinding, tight-jawed kind of grin that holds no humor.
He smiles back. “True. It makes sense. If you don’t like any other guy dating her or talking to her, then you should date her yourself.” This isn’t the first time Logan has made this point. My usual retort is that we’re just friends, but I don’t feel like pretending to him or myself tonight.
“That’s exactly what I plan to do.”
Logan’s eyes pop wide behind his glasses like he’s looking at the latest exhibit in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! I guess the turnaround in my attitude could be seen as surprising.
My attention veers back to where Dana is still talking to the guy, but now she’s put distance between them. She’s no longer laughing, just politely smiling. And when her head turns in my direction, our gazes connect. Now I know she isn’t interested in him.
Some words are exchanged, but the sparkly glance she sends my way calms my concerns. And then she’s walking toward me. My grip loosens on the glass with each step closer, and the tension in my jaw relaxes.
Logan’s head spins between Dana and I, then he slaps me on the back. “I’ll leave you to it.”
This time, my self-control is rewarded with one of her special smiles. The one I like to think she saves for me only. “Let’s go find our seats,” she says, hooking her arm through mine. I place my hand over hers, securing her hold. Even though we may not have agreed on it, she’s my date, and all the other assholes can find their own because I’m not going to leave her side again tonight.
Chapter seven
Dana
The Carlson siblings and their partners gather to take their seats at the large round table. Jason is on my left beside Blake and Bec, then Trudy and Hunter, and Logan and Allie. Katie, Drew, and I complete the circle. It’s an expanded happy family group since last Christmas. My gaze rests on Katie and Allie directly opposite with their heads tilted together, whispering. What are my friends up to? It can only be trouble when it comes to those girls especially when they simultaneously look up, straight at me.
“What?” I mouth the word to them. But they only shake their heads, smiling. They’re up to something; I’ve seen that look before, and it can only mean trouble. But before I can suggest we visit the bathroom to quiz them, the waiters begin serving the first of our eight-course tasting menu dishes. Placed in front of each of us is a large round white dinner plate with a vibrant splash of green, red, and orange salad piled in the center, surrounded by tiny dots of a darker green dressing.
Once everyone at the table has been served and champagne glasses have been refilled, Blake taps a spoon against his crystal flute. “Hey, I’d like to make a couple of toasts before we start.” We all turn in his direction. He tends to be the family speechmaker on these occasions.
“Am I going to be an uncle again?” Logan asks, smiling.
Blake shakes his head. “No, no. One Carlson baby is enough next year. In fact, my first toast is to our parents-to-be, Katie and Drew. We haven’t all been together since you shared the exciting news, so congratulations to you both. Katie, my brothers and I know you’ll make a great mom; you’ve been practicing on us for years, and that can’t have been easy. Love you, Kitty Kat. And, Drew, you’re okay too. To Katie, Drew, and the next generation of Carlsons.”
We all chime in with a rowdy round of cheers as everyone raises their glasses. And when I glance Katie’s way, she is wiping tears from her cheeks. She tries to explain, “I’m happy, really,” while waving a hand frantically in front of her face. “This is my stupid uncontrollable hormones. Thanks, Blake, and love you too.”
“Hey,” Hunter complains, sending a ripple of laughter around the group.
“Oh, you too, Hunter and Logi bear. The best big brothers a girl could have.” Another tear slips down her cheek. Drew’s arm instantly drapes across her shoulders, and she buries her face in his.
Another ding on the rim of a glass, and everyone’s attention turns back to Blake. “Okay, to my second toast before I hand it over to my big brother, who will no doubt want to say something. I would like to announce that my company, CyberSec, has a new CFO … Congratulations, Trudy.”
Excited chatter crisscrosses the table, but before she can respond to any of the well-wishers, she’s swallowed up in Hunter’s hug. “Congratulations, beautiful,” he says loud enough for us all to hear. “Though you kept that to yourself.”
Trudy’s laughter bubbles out from somewhere beneath his arms, and then she lifts her head, beaming. “Blake and Luke only told me today, and I wanted to surprise you.”
Hunter looks at her with a smile full of love. “You did surprise me. Though it does mean I can’t steal you away from Blake to come work with me at Carlson Publishing.”
“Hey, asshole, you’ve already got a CFO,” Logan jokes.
