by BETH KERY
“I’ve tried a dozen times. It’s like talking to steel armor. The Kavanaughs haven’t cornered the market on stubbornness,” he said mildly.
“Humph,” she muttered, her sweeping gaze telling him loud and clear that while she doubted his claim in his sweet sister’s case, she certainly believed he’d received his fair share of bullheadedness. “What exactly do you mean by ‘tweaking the circumstances’? Do you want me to reveal some deep, dark secret about Liam to Natalie? Should I tell her that he used to not change the empty toilet-paper roll when he was fourteen years old? Do you think that will send her running?”
“No,” he replied levelly, refusing to allow her to prick his temper. “But I can think of a few things that might cause one of them to hit the pause button if the information was presented in just the right way.”
“Like what?’ she asked suspiciously.
“Don’t give me that look. I’m not picturing anything traumatic. Do you think I would ever purposefully hurt my sister?”
She hesitated, but when she finally resumed pacing and answered, she sounded honest enough.
“No.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he said, forcing himself to look away from the distracting sight of her scissoring thighs.
She rolled her eyes. “Are you going to tell me what you have in mind or not?”
“It’s simple enough. We just make sure Liam and Natalie encounter the type of thing that would make any rational person stop and consider before leaping impulsively into marriage.”
“What? Force them to watch old documentaries about failed celebrity marriages? Remind them repeatedly of how much Brad said he adored Jennifer before Angelina woke him up?”
“No. But not too far from that. Has it ever occurred to you that we’re mutually acquainted with couples who have gone from head over heels to heading to divorce court in record time?”
She paused and studied him. He leaned back in his desk chair, musing.
“It might be…prudent for Liam and Natalie to observe some of those jaded couples firsthand. We can start off by asking a few of them to the engagement party,” he said.
“I beg your pardon?” she asked, her forearms crossed beneath firm, generous breasts.
Definitely not like the typical mother of his patients.
“The engagement party you and I will be throwing Liam and Natalie,” he said reasonably. “We should plan to have it as soon as possible. Maybe even next weekend, given the short period of time we have before the wedding.”
He pretended to misunderstand her incredulous—or was it horrified?—expression.
“Sorry. I just assumed.... Somebody is going to have to throw them an engagement party, and we’re the most likely candidates. Don’t you want to? I thought that was the right thing to do.”
“I…of course, it’s…” She made a sound of frustration. “Don’t tell me what the ‘right’ thing to do is, Reyes. Who made you the leading authority on correct wedding etiquette?”
“I’m far from being an expert. That’s why I need your help so much,” he said as humbly as possible. He rocked back in his chair, thinking. “I want my sister to have the best of everything. She deserves that, and more. But I really believe they should consider hitting the slow-down button before taking the big plunge.”
“Maybe,” Colleen muttered after a moment of silently wearing down his carpet with her treading feet. “But I’m not agreeing to anything malicious. If they’re determined to get married after only knowing each other a few months, there’s absolutely nothing anyone can do to change their minds.”
“I agree one hundred percent,” he said. “It’s not meant to be hurtful. Just…a wake-up call.”
“Other than that, we’ll give them a wonderful party.”
“Are you kidding? We’ll throw them the best engagement party Harbor Town has ever seen. The best wedding and reception, as well.”
She stood directly in front of him, her jean-covered thighs slightly spread. “Do you promise that’s the only thing you’ll do? Try to subtly encourage them to extend their engagement? Because I’m not agreeing to anything dishonest.”
“I promise. I despise dishonesty,” he said truthfully.
He waited while she studied him closely.
“Okay,” she finally conceded. “Mari, Marc, you and I will be responsible for the cost and planning of the engagement party. As for the wedding and reception, can you speak with Natalie and get some of her thoughts on decorations, budget, that sort of thing? I’ll do the same with Liam, just so we’re all operating on a consistent plan.”
He nodded. “I understand the bride’s family is traditionally responsible for the finances. I’m Natalie’s whole family, so I’ll be paying for the wedding.”
She paused, her mouth hanging open.
“That’s very generous of you to offer,” she said slowly after a moment. He couldn’t decide if he should be flattered or insulted by her expression of surprise and grudging respect at his offer. “But couples finance their weddings a lot of different ways these days, and I’m sure Natalie would agree you’re under no obligation. Plus, I doubt Liam would ever expect you to pay for everything, but that’s something we have to clarify.”
“I agree,” Eric said.
She nodded once firmly, despite her doubtful expression. “I’ll see you later then.”
“Let’s have lunch tomorrow,” he declared when she started to walk out of his office.
“Why?” she asked, spinning around.
“To plan the engagement party. And, of course, how we implement our ideas for promoting careful consideration instead of impulsive haste with Natalie and Liam.”
Her eyes flickered over him warily.
“What’s bothering you?” he asked.
“Nothing. It’s just…I had no idea you were such a cynic when it came to the idea of true love, Reyes. I suppose I should have suspected it.”
“I like to think of myself as a realist, not a cynic. Besides, you’ve admitted you agreed about this. Committing to another person for a lifetime requires some serious contemplation. There’s no such thing as love at first sight. Right?”
“Of course not,” she said, bristling.
“So, what’s your excuse?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your excuse for being a cynic when it comes to hasty marriage?”
A shadow fell over her features, and he immediately regretted his words. He’d just been trying to get to know her better. Instead, he’d unintentionally struck a bad chord, Eric realized. Colleen had been burned by romance in the past. Maybe she was still sensitive because her husband, Darin Sinclair, had been killed in action.
“I am not a cynic,” she said stiffly. “I just think Liam and Natalie need more time to make sure this is what they truly want.”
He struggled to get back on the right track again. “So, we’re on for tomorrow at lunch?”
“All right. I guess that’ll work,” she said. He lowered his hands and sat forward in his chair when he noticed her further hesitation.
“What is it, Colleen?”
“It’s nothing. It’s just…are you certain Brendan will be okay?”
He exhaled slowly to give himself a few seconds. Seeing Colleen vulnerable wasn’t something he was used to, so he hadn’t adequately prepared himself for the experience.
“He’s not just going to be okay,” he said. “He’s going to be great. I’m even more confident in saying that now that I’ve seen how well the tissue cleaned up. I know you won’t take my word for it, but time will prove my case.”
A smile flickered across her lips; just the hint of it had him longing to see its full, blazing glory.
“I do trust you…about Brendan,” she added softly before she walked out of his office.
Eric leaned back again and brought up his feet on his desk, his gaze fixed on the door that had just closed behind her. He’d told her he hated liars, and it’d been the truth. Eric didn’t
like subterfuge and was only planning a few reality checks in the midst of these wedding plans because he cared about Natalie so much. Other than that, he’d do everything in his power to give his little sister a wedding that would make every woman in Harbor County green with envy.
Despite the fact that he disapproved of Natalie’s quick wedding plans, he found himself anticipating having a good excuse to spend time with Colleen. He didn’t think that qualified him as a liar, necessarily, because he hadn’t revealed that morsel of information to her. If he had, she wouldn’t have consented to work with him on the wedding in a million years.
There was something about Colleen. He wanted her, and it was stupid to deny it. He considered himself to be too levelheaded to give in to the Kavanaugh-inspired hysteria that seemed to have affected his friend Mari along with Natalie. He liked women, though…some more than others. Colleen appealed to him.
A lot.
She was a challenge, and he always rose to a challenge, no matter how long he had to wait or how much planning was involved. Given the door of opportunity that had just opened before him, he couldn’t pass up the chance to get closer to the stubborn, gorgeous woman who had just stalked out of his office.
Chapter Three
Colleen watched her son hobbling down the hospital hallway on crutches, chattering the whole time with the young man who was his physical therapist. After the surgery, he’d been fatigued. This morning Brendan was energetic, curious about the goings-on in the hospital, and asking Colleen, his grandmother, the nurses and Eric every question a healthy twelve-year-old boy could concoct in his active brain.
Brigit had brought Colleen’s daughter, Jenny, to visit her brother before school. It’d been the best kind of maternal medicine in the world to hear her two children conversing animatedly or asking the nurse funny questions about the use of this or that piece of medical equipment or mutually grossing out when they received an honest answer. Colleen was so relieved to see Brendan’s returned vibrancy it was like a physical weight had lifted off her.
Her relief didn’t seem to be preventing her from experiencing a nervous, fluttery feeling that had been mounting every hour as their lunchtime meeting approached.
Ridiculous.
“I’ve made a to-do list,” Eric said from behind her. Colleen started, his presence taking her by surprise and jangling her already rattled nerves. “Since I haven’t got the slightest idea how to plan for an engagement party, let alone a wedding, I never really got past the title on the page.”
Colleen regarded the man who was responsible for the butterflies in her belly. He’d left his lab coat in the office and was wearing a pair of dark blue trousers and a crisp blue-and-white-striped button-down. The pants fit his long legs and trim hips perfectly. She ran her gaze over the considerable length of him and hid her appreciation at what she saw. He was too handsome. She cocked an eyebrow. “You’re going to be a real helper in all this, aren’t you?”
His flashed a grin that struck her as extremely sexy.
“I promise not to be a hindrance, if that’s any conciliation.”
She gave a doubtful snort, and they started down the hallway. Two nurses twittered a greeting at Eric as they passed a nurses’ station. Colleen rolled her eyes when she noticed the women’s warm smiles and continued stares as they trailed Eric’s progress down the hall.
“Part of your fan club?” she murmured through a small smile.
His dark brows furrowed before he glanced over his shoulder. “I work with them,” he said, as if the four words automatically explained those covetous female glances.
“Uh-huh,” Colleen smirked. “So, where are we going for lunch?”
“The Captain and Crew?”
She shook her head. “Emilio’s?”
“Sultan’s?”
She gave him a surprised glance followed by a small nod of respect. “You got it.”
“I wouldn’t have pegged you a lover of Middle Eastern cuisine,” Colleen mused several minutes later as she tore apart a honey-drenched, nutty roll and popped some of the delicious confection into her mouth. The cozy, sunlit restaurant and bakery was doing a decent business, but they’d managed to snag the last empty booth.
“Sultan’s is my favorite restaurant in town.”
“Really? It’s my favorite, too,” she added before she could censor herself.
“I keep telling you that you really don’t know anything about me,” he said as he stirred his aromatic coffee. His tone sounded deceptively casual. She paused in the action of sucking the honey off her forefinger and glanced into his face. He regarded her silently, one of his arms sprawled across the back of the booth, his eyes gleaming in an otherwise impassive face…his gaze narrowed on the finger in her mouth.
Flustered, Colleen reverted to using her napkin.
“Every time you’ve ordered food for the staff at The Family Center, you’ve ordered from Bistro Campagne,” she said, referring to what was arguably the nicest restaurant in Harbor County.
“And so you came to the conclusion that I’m a snob, is that it?” he said, taking a sip of his coffee.
“I never said that,” Colleen replied defensively, even though she had difficulty meeting his stare. She’d never spoken her thoughts out loud, but she actually had been annoyed when Eric had ordered expensive catered luncheons during special occasions and holidays. It always seemed to smack of patronization—the great Dr. Reyes lavishing the little people with a treat to liven up their small lives.
He made a scoffing noise. She scowled at him. She really did dislike him at times. So why was it they seemed to have the ability to read each other’s minds so effortlessly?
“I arranged the luncheons through Bistro Campagne because my housekeeper also happens to do catering events there, so it’s easy. I give her dates and some vague details, and she turns my request into something that makes me look like I know what I’m doing.” He gave her a pointed glance. “With most people that’s what happens, anyway.”
Luckily, the waiter chose that moment to arrive with their entrées, and Colleen was spared having to defend herself. She eyed his fragrant plate of steaming chicken tagine with frank interest.
“Want some?” he asked, sounding amused.
“Maybe in a bit,” she said, unrolling the napkin around her silverware. Her fattoush salad with shrimp looked equally delicious. She removed a notebook from her bag and opened it to a page where she’d already started to jot down some notes. “Okay. Time to get this show on the road.”
Eric’s eyebrows rose as he watched her take a bite of salad and then grab her pen in a businesslike manner.
“Anything you say, Captain.”
She gave him a droll look as she swallowed. “Right. Just so you know, Liam, Natalie and I spoke last night and agreed on a theme for the wedding.”
“Theme,” Eric repeated flatly.
“Yes. Our theme is a Lake Michigan Christmas.” She noticed his bemused expression. “You know…like a nautical and holiday theme combined. They both like to sail and swim, they are going to live together next to the lake…and the wedding is near Christmas. What?” she asked with a touch of asperity when he continued to stare at her like she’d been speaking another language.
“I had no idea weddings had themes. I thought themes were reserved for English 101.”
Colleen groaned. He laughed. “Hey, I’m at your service. At least I have a checkbook available to provide said wedding theme. If it’s what Natalie wants, she’s got it,” he said.
Colleen smiled and shook her head. “Well, that’s something.”
“It’s a big thing.”
“It’s a big thing,” she conceded. Liam and Eric had sat down together last night and come to a compromise about financing the wedding. Colleen hadn’t been around during what would undoubtedly become known in family history as an infamous meeting, but she’d spoken on the phone with Liam this morning. He’d sounded irritated when he talked about Eric’s insistence about footing
the bill, but there’d been a grudging respect in her brother’s voice, as well.
Colleen shared in that admiration. Eric might be arrogant, but he was generous to a fault, especially when it came to his sister.
“Okay. First on the agenda—announcing the engagement.”
“Who else do we have to tell?”
“All of our relatives and friends. I’ve already contacted the Herald, the Southwestern and the Chicago Tribune about an announcement,” Colleen said as she made checks on the paper with administrative precision.
Eric set his fork down slowly. “You have? You really do work fast.”
“We have a wedding to plan in two months’ time. Working fast is the entire point, Reyes.”
“Huh,” he muttered thoughtfully. “At what point in the next two months are you going to start calling me by my first name?”
She looked up from her pad of paper. He was grinning. He had a very handsome mouth. Shapely, but firm. Decisive. Don’t even consider that cleft in his chin.
For a second, she recalled in graphic detail what those lips felt like moving over hers, coaxing…ravishing....
She snapped her fingers around her clutched pen. “Focus,” she muttered to herself.
“I’ll need you to contact the hospital-community newspaper and give them this announcement,” she said, sliding a typed piece of paper across the table toward him. “I’ll need a list of family members and friends you want to invite to the engagement party, and a separate one for the wedding…”
She continued briskly with her ideas and instructions, Eric occasionally nodding somberly like he wanted her to believe everything she said was sacred dogma. She wasn’t buying it for a second.
“…so we’ve decided on a date. If you have time after lunch, we ought to be able to run over to Scrivener’s to pick out some invitations for the engagement party,” Colleen concluded a few minutes later, still writing rapidly in her notebook.
She tossed down her pen and took a big bite of her salad.
“Don’t you think we ought to get Liam’s and Natalie’s opinions on the invitations?”