Page 17 of The Wedding Deal
Lance turned off the freeway. “It’d take longer for me to book you a ticket through one of the airlines, then I’d get there way before you and have to wait, and I plan on using the time in the air to go through résumés—in other words, I’m planning on using our time in the jet for business. You’re the one who made me sign a document that declared our arrangement was strictly business.”
After searching through the many forms stored in her laptop, she’d revised the consensual romance in the workplace agreement. Even though there was no romance, it was the closest fit. She’d ended up titling it the Wedding Deal.
There was verbiage about recognizing that they’d entered into an agreement where she was his plus one for a wedding in a strictly business capacity, where she’d be in close proximity during the festivities for the purposes of consulting and performing her work duties. There was a section about not engaging in public displays of affection that would create an uncomfortable work environment for others, and while it didn’t apply, it felt wrong to completely delete the rest of the form. It also stated they’d act professionally toward each other at all times, even after the—she’d changed “relationship” to “work trip agreement”—had ended.
She’d even notarized it and made Lance a copy. Not that he’d appreciated it. He’d jammed it into his desk drawer, most likely never to be seen again. Still, it made her feel better.
As they pulled up to a hangar, those better vibes were quickly dissipating. “Don’t tell meyou’reflying us there.”
Lance slid his sunglasses into his shirt pocket and gave her a sidelong look. “Will you relax?”
“Depends on if you’re pretending you’re also a pilot.”
His signatureyou’re exhaustingsigh carried across the space. “While I do have my pilot’s license, we also contract with several qualified pilots, and I plan on working while we’re in the air.” A mischievous gleam entered those blue eyes. “But if there’s an emergency, I’ll be ready to take the controls and fly us to safety.”
“So reassuring,” she muttered, and he laughed.
Charlotte began gathering her purse and extra bag, and somewhere between picking them off the floor and checking for her sunglasses, Lance had rounded the hood and opened the door. He extended a hand.
“While I appreciate you opening my door, it feels too relationship-y. Would you do the same for a male consultant?”
“For the love…” He grabbed her hand and tugged her to her feet. “You’re going to meet my Southern mother, who raised me to be a gentleman and would skin me alive if I didn’t open the door for a woman, so get used to it.”
She could feel her features wrinkling into an expression that would’ve earned her a remark aboutgetting stuck that waywhen she was a kid. “You’re so grumpy this morning. Did you not get enough coffee?”
“Me?” he asked, exasperation filling the word. “You’re telling me how to drive and how you don’t want me flying the plane and questioning every damn move.” He popped open the trunk and reached for her suitcase. “So if I’m grumpy, it’s because you’re driving me crazy.”
Her mouth dropped. “Excuse me for being cautious.”
“You told me the other day that there was a problem with being too cautious.” He set his suitcase on the tarmac next to hers.
“Yeah, for a coach. Not for my life.”
A low grumble sounded in the back of his throat, and she wondered again if this was a bad idea. Somehow over the weekend she’d forgotten how much he tested her patience. They managed to get along for the most part while going through résumés and discussing stats, but the little between moments…they clashed a lot.
“Maybe this is a bad idea,” she said. “I don’t want to create drama at your brother’s wedding.”
“Then stop being dramatic.”
She gritted her teeth. “Then stop being a bossy ass.” Yep. In this situation, there was no other word for it, and if he filed an official complaint with HR, she’d simply judge it was completely justified.
Lance opened his mouth like he was going to snap at her, but then he took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Charlotte dear—”
“Terms of endearment are a little close to crossing a line and hardly fall in the super-professional range.” It just sort of popped out, her frustration and nerves taking the wheel. Part of her wanted to push hard enough for him to tell her never mind, he’d simply go to his brother’s wedding himself.
Lance lowered his voice, and it had a deadly calm edge to it. “Hey, human resources manager person.”
She hitched her chin. “Jokes on you. I think that’s perfectly appropriate.”
“Get your perfectly appropriate ass—selfon that plane,” he said, and she reached for the handle of her suitcase. He grabbed it before she could and started toward the plane, striding so fast with his long legs that she practically had to run in her heels to keep up.
Apparently this truly was happening. At least it was okay to curse a lot in her head.
…
Lance ducked inside the plane and guided the suitcases into the bins so they wouldn’t roll around during the flight. Admittedly, he’d also wondered if this trip with Charlotte was a bad idea. It was like the more used to each other they got, the more they meshed on discussing football—and the more they clashed on everything else.
He’d never met anyone so by the book, and his mom could—and often did—quote Bible verses at him. He wasn’t kidding when he said she’d be appalled if he didn’t open doors and act like a gentleman, either.
