Page 60 of Meet Me at the Grand

Today, Dani had two goals.

Start the process of reimagining the hotel plans with Liam.

And not fall any farther for the man in question despite that incredible kiss last night.

She’d thought maybe once they’d gone into her aunt and uncle’s kitchen, Liam might try to resume the kiss, but instead, he’d thrown proverbial cold water all over the place. Rejected her with a single word:mistake.

Didn’t stop her mind from circling back to the kiss over and over again, though—or to the conversation she’d heard between Liam and Cody afterward. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but when Cody had asked Liam the very questions she’d wanted answered…

But his reasons for the rejection didn’t matter. He was right. Ithadbeen a mistake.

And now, with Liam and Dani shut up in the same room together—and plans to stay that way all weekend—she had to focus on the task at hand and the original pencil-drawn plans spread across the conference room table at the Tourism Bureau.

“It’s been two hours, and we’ve made absolutely no progress yet.” Dani sat back in her chair, which squeaked out a protest.

Liam tapped a pencil against the wooden tabletop. “I’m not trying to be difficult.”

“I’m not either. But much as I like the idea of compromising, the reality of it is harder than I thought it’d be.” Dani pointed to the plans. “Every time you suggest a change, I remember something I loved about the original way things were. I’m sorry.”

“I get that. I’m not taking it personally. But if we have any hope of getting something together by Monday…”

“Ugh, I know.”

A cloud covered up the sunlight that had just been streaming through the conference room window that faced the alleyway between the bureau and Great Lakes National Bank.

Liam frowned. “I hate to say this, but I’m wondering if there’s any chance we could get the meeting postponed. We only have two days until the Monday meeting.”

“No, that’s actually a good idea. But can you afford more time away from the office? Isn’t your coworker getting anxious for your return so you can pitch your project to your dad?” Liam’s phone had buzzed when they’d first started working, and he’d said it was Travis looking for an update.

“He’ll survive. I’ll have to let Dad know about the schedule change, but if it means we have a bit more time to put together a killer proposal, I’m sure he’ll be okay with it.”

“All right.” Dani picked up her phone and sent off a text to Seb. “I’ll let you know what my uncle says about a postponement.”

“Great.” Liam stood and stretched, walking the room in his jeans and purple Henley that hugged his muscles. The man looked good in a suit, but all casual like this?

It was making Dani’s second goal for the day that much harder to achieve.

“Great.” Dani tried for a smile, but it felt forced. She fiddled with the silver foil ball in front of her that had once held one of Martha’s breakfast burritos. “So, any ideas for how to get this compromise truly under way?”

Liam paced a few moments, then froze. “How about this? What if we do this kind of like a draft pick in sports?”

“A what now?”

“Come on, Dani. Don’t tell me you’ve never watched a draft pick.”

“Not exactly a sports enthusiast over here. I spend most of my free time watching the Travel Channel and planning all the trips I want to take someday.” She flicked the foil ball across the table toward the trash can at the end. It flew across the room and hit the door instead. She winced. “Case in point.”

Liam chuckled and bent to pick up the ball. With seemingly little effort, he tossed it into the can. “What if we just go back and forth, taking turns picking something we want to keep about our plan for the hotel? It makes us have to prioritize what’s most important to us.”

“That could work. Let’s try it.”

“Okay.” Liam slid back into his seat and studied the plans.

Dani did the same, her eyes searching, mind considering—and doing her best to not let the spicy scent of his cologne wrap around her or sway her heart.

Finally, Liam sat back in his chair and swiveled to face her. “Ladies first.”

“This is hard. And scary. What if your first pick is something I can’t stand?”

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