Page 113 of Begin Again, Part 1

They spent half an hour going over the activities.

Liam was happy with the botanical gardens for the venue, and all the suggested games seemed like good family fun for all.

"I'll send your approval to the fun committee." She nodded and smiled as she stepped out of the room.

Liam smiled back. He liked her. She wasn't Gibby, but she was eager to learn and please him. He had pleasing of his own to do.

"I need you to book a restaurant for me, the Portuguese place on 8th Street," he told her before she could slip out of the door.

"Yes, sir. How many people and how soon?" She asked as she retraced her steps back into the room and sat down again.

"Two people tomorrow night."

"Of course," she nodded as she took notes on her iPad. Her eyes widened with each of his demands—from the seven hundred and thirty daffodils to the live music performance by an indie band whose existence Liam didn't know about until he overheard Eden fangirling over them with the other assistants.

"I know it's not my place, sir, but is it a proposal?" Clara asked. "Because I can think of a few more things to make it extra special. Maybe a fireworks display, and we can hide the ring in her dessert?"

"You're right; it's not your place." Liam pointed at the door and nodded at her to make herself scarce. "Once you've secured the booking, notify Ms McBride of the place and time. 7:00 PM. If she's not on time, you'll get a pay cut!"

"Sir?" She looked terrified as she said in a small voice.

"Just kidding, Clara, but I'm counting on you to pull this off."

Happy with his plan, Liam returned his attention to the next important item on his agenda — signing Lydia Edwards as Anderson Logistics' brand ambassador.

Chapter

Thirty-Seven

MAKE YOU MINE

Eden tried every excuse in the book to get out of the business dinner with Liam. She declined his invitation as soon as Clara sent it last night and again this morning, citing everything from being sick with a sudden bout of flu to Aiden not having a nanny, an obvious lie since Brenda lived with her.

Liam saw right through her bullshit reasons and rearranged his diary for her, moving their appointment from 7:00 PM to earlier in the day. He was determined to get his money's worth and ensure she brought Lydia to the fold by any means necessary.

Promptly at 4:00 PM, he knocked on her door. Eden sucked in her breath when she looked up from her laptop, and their gazes collided. Now more than ever, she was convinced Liam was sent to earth to tempt her. He looked sinfully dapper in a navy three-piece suit and his usual white shirt, but he'd abandoned the matching tie he'd worn throughout the day.

"Your chariot awaits," he said, bowing gallantly as he held out his hand.

Eden made a face, trying her best to ignore the way her heart skipped, and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered at his silly gesture.

"I'm only staying for two hours," she reminded him as she grabbed her handbag and laptop and followed him out of her office.

"It's more than enough," Liam said, her heart stuttering at the sight of his lopsided smile, only to surge back to life when she felt his hand on the small of her back as he led her to one of the three black SUVs waiting at the entrance.

They were at the restaurant in under seven minutes and would have made it sooner, if not for the peak hour traffic.

The hostess, a plump, middle-aged woman with long dark hair complementing her striking features, was way too excited to see them. She prattled away in Portuguese, and Liam kept up the conversation fluently.

Show off, Eden thought crossly as he helped her out of her blazer and hung it neatly over her chair. She'd read in one of the Business Insider magazines that he was a polyglot. Something she never believed until now.

"Thank you." She graciously accepted the seat he insisted on holding out for her, even though she was perfectly capable of sitting down with no help.

Eden looked around the room while Liam browsed the wine list, noticing they were the only patrons. She leaned forward and asked in a hushed tone, "where's everyone?"

Liam mirrored her pose and whispered back. "I'm starting to question your processing power if you have to ask me that."

"God, you are infuriating!" She scoffed, an exasperated frown in her eyes. How could she want and hate him all at once?

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