Page 79 of The Charmer's Gambit
Heat crept up my neck as I met my boyfriend’s surprised expression. “Uh, no? I don’t know. I put in a transfer request for the Charlotte office last week, and it was just approved this morning.”
“And he knew this before me?” He pointed to a smirking Mark. The nosy man seemed quite proud of himself.
“Not because I told him,” I said with a glare at the so-called FBI agent. When I looked back at Will, my throat tightened. He looked not so much mad as darkly curious. I wasn’t sure if that was better. “So, uh, Janet called me two hours ago and said the relocation makes sense since I’m Mershano Vineyards’s primary contact. She also said she expected the request, but it’s not mandatory. I can stay in Chicago, but I just wanted the option to, uh . . .” I cleared my throat. “Yeah, we can talk more about this later.” When we didn’t have an audience.
“Oh, we’ll be discussing it,” Will replied, his eyes glittering. “Thoroughly.”
That look captivated me. It held a dark promise, one my body craved more than oxygen. “Yes, sir,” I whispered, knowing he would understand my meaning. It’d become a taunt of sorts that I used when I wanted him. He looked ready to kiss me, but voices in the foyer ruined the moment.
“I miss having an empty house,” he muttered as he stood again to greet his guests.
31
A Mershano Family Reunion
“He’s right here,” Evan said as he entered the living area. A glowing Sarah was attached at his side as they focused on the phone in his hand. I guessed someone’s face was on the screen, and when he passed the device over to Will, his expression brightened into a smile.
“Well, hello, darlin’. You’re looking tan.” Affection laced his tone—not the sexual kind but the happy kind.
“Burnt,” a female voice corrected over the speakerphone. “But I didn’t call to talk about me. I want to hear about you.”
He chuckled. “You mean you want to hear about Rachel.”
He’s been talking about me. That thought warmed me to my toes.
“Obviously. I finally met Evan’s fiancée, or rather, saw her, so now tell me about yours,” the woman said. I assumed it was Mia, even though I couldn’t see her nor did I have the wherewithal to focus on it.
Then her words hit me.
Evan’s what?
Fiancée?
No. . .
My gaze homed in on my best friend’s beet-red face. That alone was a tell. Sarah Summersneverblushed. “You’re engaged?”
“Surprise?” She raised her left hand and wiggled her fingers, which of course forced me off the couch. I grabbed her wrist to better examine the gorgeous ring.
“You were not wearing that earlier, were you?” She flew in this morning with Evan, but we hadn’t spent a lot of time together yet. Mostly because I spent the day working in Will’s office.
She bit her full bottom lip and shrugged. “You were busy.”
“I think that’s the kind of thing you’re allowed to interrupt me for, Sarah.” I loved my job, but not nearly as much as I loved my best friend. “And this didn’t just happen, so why didn’t you call?”
“He proposed a few days ago in Iceland, but I wanted to surprise you in person.”
My hands settled on my hips. “By letting some woman on the phone tell me?”
She grimaced. “Uh, no, not quite like that . . .”
“Uh-huh,” I said, eyes narrowed. But I wasn’t mad. Not with my best friend radiating so much happiness.
“Isn’t she gorgeous?” Will stage-whispered, drawing my attention to the phone angled my way. A female version of Evan Mershano smiled back at me.
“Hello,” she said. “I’m Mia.”
I pursed my lips and fought the heat creeping into my features. “Rachel,” I replied and coughed to lodge the cotton from my throat. “Sorry. Just surprised to hear my best friend is engaged.”
