Page 96 of Mr. Dangerous

30

Rob

Iwalked with the planner,a bubbly woman we'd gone to high school with, and the caterer through the entryway of the house, where workers were shaking out linens over cocktail tables. I had dispatched a disbelieving Liam off to bodyguard the girls; I could trust smiling Alice to make sure his credit card was used, finally, on a newdress.

Naomi didn’t hate me. Someone who hated me wouldn’t have had such an epically crazy breakdown on the pier and tossed my swim trunks halfway to Cape Cod. We needed to have a serious talk about thoseantics.

But no matter what, I wanted to give her this beautiful, perfect night. Even if Naomi had said, on the way out the door, “I don’t want this,” only to have Alice pull her away, talking to her about freedom andVeraWang.

"Yes, lights, flowers, magical decor, that sounds great." I nodded, knowing I probably sounded less than enthused. This wasn't my area of expertise. I only cared about making Naomihappy.

I heard heels clicking across the floor behind me a second before I smelledHappy.

I turned to find Kate behind me, just like I'd known I would. She wore her dark brown hair in a smooth French twist above her smiling face, and her slender white shoulders were exposed by the lines of her little blackdress.

"What are you doing here?" Iasked.

"Hello to you, too," she mock-pouted. "Your grandmother asked me to come... although it does seem like maybe she was confused about the hour." She turned to take in the set-up inprogress.

"Let's go ask her," I said, taking a step back and gesturing her ahead. I resisted the urge to settle my hand into the small of her back to guide her through the house, the way I had a hundred times before, the small and intimate gestures that had been a part of ourrelationship.

"Have you seen my grandmother?" I asked one of the catering staff in the kitchen, who were busily setting up and finishing their mise en place. "So tall? Gray hair? Nose probably stuck firmly in someone else'sbusiness?"

Kate smiled. "You know shelovesyou."

"That, I never doubt," I said. "Her common sense is a differentstory."

"She was explaining how she wanted the deck decorated the last time I saw her," thecaterersaid.

"Explaining. How she wanted things." I said to Kate. To the caterer, I said, "Thank you. And that was...tactful."

Kate opened the French doors onto the deck, but gave me a teasing look over her shoulder. "Benice."

"I'll be nice," I promised. "I'malwaysnice."

"You are a lot of wonderful things, Rob, but nice isn't oneofthem."

"What?" My tone was playful in response, but her words rankled. Kate knew me better than most, better than anyone who wasn't a SEAL or a brother of mine,anyway.

"Don't worry. Nice isoverrated."

"You say that because you're alawyer."

She gave me a playful smile I knew well and breezedoutside.

On the deck, little white lights were being strung everywhere, their glow lost to the daylight. The surf rolling in seemed like a constant roarbelow.

Rebecca said to one of the staff, who was hanging lights, "That looks lovely,thankyou.”

"Kate's here," I called. "We were wondering why you told her that she should be here three hours early. You know Kate's always beenprompt..."

Rebecca turned, her face brightening. "Oh, Kate! It's so nice toseeyou."

"Nice to see you too,"Katesaid.

"Let's go sit in the study," Rebecca suggested. "I've had a few things I wanted to discusswithyou."

"We're not getting married and having babies," I said. "Just soyouknow."

---