Page 32 of If You Give a CEO a Chance

“Look at you being all professional,” Dylan teases as he adjusts his glasses. “A few months ago, you would have skipped out entirely and pretended you forgot.”

“What can I say? I’m a changed man now that I’m married.” He flashes a grin as he rubs his thumb against his wedding ring.

“How are Everly, August, and Liam holding down the fort at Townstead?” I ask.

It’s been a few months since Everly and her stepbrothers took the reins following Stafford Holdings’ acquisition. It’s been a welcome change, letting them handle things with minimal involvement from me or my team.

“Great. Everly loves her job.” He pauses, a curious gleam in his eye. “But right now, I’m more interested in talking about you and Fallon. Did you end up using one of my prank ideas?”

I shoot him a sideways glance. “For starters, there is no meandFallon. The woman’s a menace, hence why I asked for your help,” I grumble, still not over my apartment turning into a cluttered disaster zone since Fallon moved in.

It’s a good thing I’m leaving for Aspen Grove tomorrow.

“Right.” Cash nods, his lip twitching from holding back a laugh. “Is she by chance the reason your scowl is extra tense? I feel bad for anyone who has to cross your path today.”

Dylan holds up a hand, eyes wide. “Whoa, hold up. Cash, you helped him prank Fallon?”

Cash shrugs. “He didn’t say it was for her specifically, but I had a hunch.”

“What did you do?” Dylan asks, his tone cautious.

I run my fingers through my hair, suddenly hesitant of my actions. “It wasn’t a big deal. I just put a bunch of plastic spiders under her bedroom door while she was sleeping, so when she woke up, she thought a swarm of spiders had invaded her room.”

I hadn’t expected her to storm out in a T-shirt that showcased her toned legs—legs that, to this day, I can vividly remember wrapped around my waist, her mouth on mine.

“What’s wrong with you?” Dylan scolds, taking his glasses off and running a hand across his face.

I pick up a pen from my desk, spinning it between my fingers. “It’s not a big deal,” I say defensively.

“And you would know that how?” he asks.

“Because Fallon and I agreed to this prank war, and I always follow through on my commitments,” I say with a smirk.

I’m not ready to open up about my history with her. Things ended abruptly after the weekend we spent together, and with everything my family had been dealing with, I never mentioned her to anyone. When things finally settled down, she wasn’t someone I wanted to think about ever again.

Hell, if I told my brothers now, they’d probably tell Mom so they could watch the chaos unfold. She’s already texting me daily for updates on Fallon, and if she even suspects a hint of a spark between us, her meddling will go into overdrive.

“You both better hope this feud never goes south,” Dylan warns us. “If Everly finds out you helped, you’ll be banished to the spare bedroom for a month,” he says to Cash. “Worse yet, Mom would disown you, Harrison.” He shudders dramatically, pausing before holding up his finger. “But if Fallon needs material, have her give me a call. I’m happy to share all your pet peeves and toss in a few embarrassing stories for good measure.”

“Traitor,” I mumble.

I glance at Cash, a slow grin spreading across his face as he listens to our exchange. “Let me guess, you’re not going to help me with future pranks?” I observe.

“You heard Dylan,” he says, not missing a beat. “I’m not going to chance getting on Everly’s bad side, especially not during the holidays. Besides, chances are this is going to backfire, and I’m not going to risk getting on Mom’s bad side either if you ruin this for her.”

I press my lips together, idly clicking a pen. “What are you getting at?”

Cash covers his mouth, stifling a laugh as he looks at Dylan. “Should I tell him, or should you?”

Dylan shakes his head. “Let’s give him a chance to figure it out on his own. I don’t think it’ll take long.”

My gaze flickers between them on the screen. “Will someone please tell me what you’re going on about?”

Dylan waves me off. “We’ll tell you later. It’s not important right now.”

I glower at them, not liking that they’ve decided to gang up on me. “Yes, it is. Why are you—”

Dylan’s office door swings open, and Lola rushes inside, out of breath. She’s sporting a purple hockey jersey with a rainbow tutu, her hair is styled in fishtail braids with sparkly purple bows tied to the ends.

---