Page 21 of Free to Dream
“Should I be?”
“What, nice?” Caleb smirks. I’m about to put him back into the asshole category, flowers or not.
“Yes,” I bite out between gritted teeth.
“God, no.” He throws back his head and laughs, just as I’m in the process of snipping at him again.
“Fine, I will—wait. What?”
“I said, no, don’t be nice. I would hate our relationship to be on that level.” His dark eyes are dancing.
“We don’t have a relationship outside of this wedding, Mr. Lockwood. Remember, you were acting as if you were the one getting married to your brother and his lover, apparently.” I tsk. “That reminds me, I’ll have to make certain which one of you is actually marrying Jared. For the license, of course. Oh, that’s right. You’re not one of the grooms. Since that little stunt got cleared up, your participation in this wedding was relegated to emergency situations only. Since I handle those quite well, you can be assured you won’t need to be called in for backup.” Ah, let him deal with that bit of revived bitchiness.
He laughs hysterically. Damn him. His handsome head tosses back, exposing a strong neck. So sexy on a man…calm it down, girl! Remember, asshole. Client.
After his laughter recedes, he turns serious. “I’d like to explain.”
“Why bother? Things are progressing perfectly with the timetable I established for the wedding, so I don’t feel the need.” I know I’m coming off as a bitch. It’s a persona I’ve established to keep men away. Inside, though, I’m not sure how much of this is my residual anger at the way Caleb played me, the way Phil left me swinging out in the wind, or hurt from Ali’s comment that’s triggered my guard to be so relentless. But right now, I don’t care. After more nights of no sleep, nightmares, and the energy I’m using to keep Amaryllis Events running, I really don’t have the time or inclination to deal with this. Maybe in a few months. Maybe in a few years.
Maybe never.
Caleb Lockwood is just too damn potent.
Suddenly, he stands up.
“Do you have anything going on right now?”
I snicker and gesture around me. My desk is lined with plans for his brother’s wedding. My planner is out and I have the contract spread out with a million notes in the columns. Sticky-note arrows are pointing to sections of the contract I need to highlight on the electronic version for reference later. The Lockwood wedding binder has about twenty separate lists already being created.
I raise an eyebrow and look down at the mess before me.
He reaches across the desk and picks up my cup from The Coffee Shop. Jiggling it a bit, he remarks, “This is empty. How about a quick walk and a coffee?”
* * *
“Whoa,there’s no need to race there, Cassidy,” I hear Caleb call from behind me.
I feel the heat climb up my cheeks as I pause and wait for him to catch up to me. With my back still facing the direction we’re walking in, I wrap my arms around myself. My head drops forward a bit in embarrassment.
I don’t know how to do this, be alone with a guy. There’s always been someone else with me to act as a buffer to prevent my panic from overwhelming me.
What was I thinking agreeing to this?
How in the hell am I supposed to have coffee with this guy?
Footsteps land right behind me and I let out a startled yelp. Jumping back, I stumble, and Caleb’s strong arms grab mine to catch me.
“Are you okay, Pixie?” Caleb asks with concern.
No. I’m absolutely not okay. “Yes,” I lie convincingly. I start to move out of his arms, but he lightly tightens them.
My panic level increases.
“Since you led us off Main Street, I’m not certain where to go from here?” he says with a smile.
I blink up at him.
He continues to smile down at me.
