Page 60 of The Reluctant Flirt

They decided on the Currituck Club, which offered a coastal view and was situated on a golf course. It was a generous space with elegance and good food and had been Kane’s top choice.

Sierra had to agree, even though she hated the idea a non-local made the pick. When she’d grumpily admitted it, he asked how long it took to move to inner circle status. Then laughed when she advised him to lose his New York accent as the first step.

Now, they were picking out details and here he was again, in the middle of the afternoon where she’d figured he couldn’t leave work. As Alicia laid out stations of menus, centerpieces, and décor, Kane chatted with her while Sierra simmered with annoyance. The woman was completely turned toward Kane, basking in his attention and…

Giggling.

With a shudder, Sierra took control. “Alicia? We’d appreciate it if we could take some time to look over these options and chat alone?”

The bird-like woman jolted in her chair as if Sierra had ripped her out of a fantasy. God knows, she probably had, one where Kane asked her out and began a romantic fantasy with a twist of erotic romance thrown in. “Oh! Of course, of course, I’ll just be in the back and will check in if you have questions.” With a last longing look, she hurried away, her sensible beige heels clicking across the floor.

Silence fell. Sierra crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaned back in the chair, and glared.

He threw his hands up in surrender. “What? I didn’t do anything.”

Sierra gave a snort. “Don’t you ever get tired of sprinkling your fairy dust around to unsuspecting women?”

He blinked. “Honestly? No.”

A laugh escaped her lips. “Why am I not surprised? How’d you get the time off to meet me today?”

“I never take a lunch break. Today, I did.”

“Lucky me.”

That lopsided grin appeared and made her heart beat faster. “Look at how much progress we made in just a week? We make a great team.”

Sierra didn’t want to admit it, but he’d definitely brought his A-game. She figured he’d be pushy and treat their appointments like running a business meeting. Instead, Kane let her make most of the decisions without complaint. When he disagreed, he had a way of offering up his own suggestion without arrogance, allowing her to bend without feeling she lost something.

No wonder he was a master negotiator. When you left the table, you felt as if everyone won.

“You’re staring with that mulish expression. Which means, you’re trying to analyze me again.”

Surprise bubbled up. She shifted in her seat, suddenly aware of his intense interest. She’d never had a man study every reaction, trying to dig into her thoughts. Not even her ex had tried that hard. “Nope. Just trying to focus on what will make Aspen happy. I’m thinking the seafood package with the dessert buffet. She loves her sweets.”

He followed her lead, allowing her the space. “Great choice. But do you think the dessert buffet is overkill if we get them a cake?”

Damn, he was right. She wanted a kick-ass cake and it may get lost with the other desserts. “Yeah, you’re right,” she said a tad grumpily.

“You could add some of those Italian pastries in case someone doesn’t like cake?”

“Good idea.” She circled it on the sheet and moved on. “They offer all this other décor stuff but I want simple elegance. Fresh flowers in creams, white, and a touch of bright blue will soften things up. No bows or hearts. They have a butterfly garden option?”

Kane shuddered. “Brick would hate that. Too cheesy.”

“Agree. These centerpieces are nice but nothing calls to me. It’s all so standard.”

Kane fished out his phone. “I found this item on Etsy and forgot to send it to you. What do you think of these?”

Sierra stared. “Etsy?”

Were his cheeks getting red or was it just her imagination? “I heard it was a good place to find creative solutions to parties.”

Her phone dinged. She looked up the link and studied the delicate fish bowls in blue sea glass. “These are beautiful. We could fill them with water and floating candles.”

He nodded. “Sounds good. Want me to order them?”

“We need the final guest list, don’t we?”

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