Page 7 of One and Only

That was it. Just the one word. It was steady and low.

Rocco stopped by the table, eyes widening incrementally when he caught sight of Beckett. He recovered quickly when I kicked at his foot under the table.

“Anything to drink, sir?”

Beckett glanced at my empty wineglass, and I found myself clenching my jaw at the slight glimmer of a frown in his eyes. “Just water, I think,” he said.

The slight edge to his words had my jaw tightening.

“I had a meeting before this,” I found myself saying. “Just … trying to make the most of my evening while I’m in town.”

“Okay.”

I managed a nervous glance at my watch and blew out a slow breath. “Shall we get started?”

His eyes—dark and fathomless—narrowed incrementally. “I don’t know if this is gonna work.”

A hysterical bubble of laughter pressed up my throat, and I desperately tried to swallow it down. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome had no clue just how right he was.

Chapter2

Beckett

Greer Wilder, who looked absolutely nothing like her younger brother, was trying not to laugh. I could see it in her eyes and in the way she pressed her lips together.

For a moment, I considered getting up and walking out. Canning the idea altogether.

I hated it when I felt like I was being laughed at, and it set my jaw rigid with tension while she tried to hide her reaction with a sip of water.

But I thought about Olive. And I reminded myself why I was doing this in the first place. I took a deep breath and set my hands on the table. Our gazes met and held.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Normally, I’m much more …”

“Professional?” I added helpfully.

Oh, she didn’t like that.

Her eyes flashed. “Yes.”

“Then maybe we should start over,” I suggested. “If you’re multitasking this evening, how long do we have before your next meeting?”

I’d meant it as a joke, but when she glanced at her watch, I huffed out an incredulous laugh.

Greer cleared her throat, a crisp, pointed sound. “Parker didn’t give me many details, just that it was a little girl’s bedroom. How can I help you, Beckett …” Her voice trailed off. “I didn’t catch your last name.”

“Coleman,” I supplied.

Again, she bit down on her bottom lip, a smile blossoming on her lips.

“Something funny?”

She closed her eyes. “No.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Greer blew out a slow breath, and when she opened her eyes, she was more composed. “I’m not laughing at you, I promise,” she said.

I arched an eyebrow, my gaze unyielding. I usually didn’t sit across from a beautiful woman and use the same facial expression as when I stared down a defensive end who was trying to knock my ass over.

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