Page 115 of Loving Whiskey

Chapter 49

Cash

Truthis,I wanted to marry Grace the minute she came back into my life. Everything is coming together. Obviously, I have to deal with the fallout from Hanson and my sister, and I still have to figure out how to get my brother Chase to come back, but all of those things are secondary to convincing Grace to be my wife.

I’ve come up with a plan. Step one is to show her how good we are together. Step two is to confide in her and show her that I trust her and that in turn she can trust me. Step three is to prove to her that marriage is more than a trap. It’s more than me asking her to give up everything that she loves. We’re a team. Our marriage can be different from the one she previously had and the ones that we’ve seen our parents have.

I’m sitting in a meeting with my lawyer, publicist, and Frank when my secretary peers in and motions toward the phone.

“Grace is on line one. Do you want me to tell her you’ll call her back?”

“Nope, I’ve got it.” Turning away from the men at the table who are all eyeing me, I pick up the phone and proceed with step one. “Morning, gorgeous, I take it you got my delivery?”

“What is this, Cash?”

“I’m asking you out. I thought that was clear from my card.”

“Cash, I got the card. I’m just trying to figure out why it says that I have to be at the airport in thirty minutes and why it’s asking me for a first date?”

I chuckle as I speak lower into the phone. “Because I realized that we never had one. And I think you owe me.”

Grace sounds frustrated when she replies, “Cash, we’ve been on plenty of dates.”

I interrupt her. “No, we’ve shared plenty of meals together, but we haven’t ever had a first date.”

She lets out a frustrated laugh. “What?”

“In the Keys, you stood me up.”

Grace grumbles, “That’s not fair. I fell asleep. And then I spent the weekend in bed with you. And have gone on countless dates since then.”

“As my matchmaker, not as my date,” I reply, knowing I’m winning this argument.

“Okay, what about when I moved in with you. We went out during those two weeks.”

“No, we didn’t,” I retort. “We couldn’t be seen in public together.”

“Okay, well, what about hibachi?”

“That wasn’t a date, Grace. That was a chance for us to reconnect. And we sat at a table with five first graders. Definitelynota date.”

“So, you’re telling me we’ve been together for months—on and off—and we’ve never gone on a date?” she asks incredulously.

I smirk. “Exactly. Which is why I’m claiming my first date; you owe it to me.”

She laughs as she finally accepts the truth. “Fine, but why do we need to get on a plane to do it? I have that client I’m working with. This is important, Cash.”

I sigh. Its aggravating how much work it will be to prove to her I’m not trying to take precedence over her career.

“I’ll have you back at work in the morning.”

“That seems like a waste of fuel. And bad for the carbon footprint.”

Oh, she’s good.

“Gracie, do me a favor, and for one moment just let me take control. I promise I’ll make it worth it.”

She sighs into the phone. “Fine, Cash, I’ll see you soon.”

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