Page 66 of Love on Deck

Maybe I didn’t want to know the answer to that yet.

She looked at my new seat. “This is good, actually, because we have a few business things to sort out anyway.”

That got my attention. “Like what?”

“The conference.” She lifted her hazel eyes to me.

Right. The conference. I should have loved the stupid thing for bringing Lauren and me together, but really it just made me nauseous, the merest mention tightening my stomach. Until it was settled and the contracts were signed, I would stay uneasy.

I withdrew my arm and looked down at my phone. “I’ll get started right away, boss.”

She tensed. Maybe I shouldn’t have used that term.

As it turned out, drafting the email to my actual boss was harder than I’d expected. I was glad he’d already told me he was open to the idea when I had texted him at the beginning of the cruise, but this was important to Lauren, and I didn’t want to mess it up.

We grabbed lunch with our friends in the airport before parting ways to find our gate. I thought about the best way to formulate the request to change venues for our conference. This late in the game, I had difficulty putting to words why it would be a good move for us.

I’d pretty much headed up the entire conference board on my own, so MediCorp probably couldn’t execute it without me. They needed me, which meant my job was safe.

But still, it was an awkward request, even though I’d warned Brad at the start of the cruise. I’d made a promise to Lauren though, so I needed to find a way to make it happen one way or another.

“Jack!” Annie called, bouncing across the walkway and appearing out of nowhere. She pulled me in for a hug, hitting me in the chin with her pink cowboy hat, and I noticed Levi push up from his chair across the aisle and cross toward us at a much slower pace. “I didn’t think we’d see you again. Are you flying Delta?”

“No.”

“Darn, I was hoping we’d be on the same flight.” She smiled up at me, and my heart tugged with affection for my cousin.

Then her husband stepped into my line of sight. “Good to see you, Jackson.”

“Still not my name.”

“If you ever feel like swinging by, I’ll take a look at your teeth.”

“Thanks for the weird offer.”

Annie pulled Lauren into a hug. “Don’t be a stranger.”

“It was really nice to meet you,” Lauren said.

Annie smiled before swinging her attention back on me. She folded her arms in a stance I’d seen my sassy momma take many times. A wave of foreboding swept over me, predicting an incoming lecture. I could feel it in my bones.

“Tucker’s party is tomorrow night, and you should be there.” Her eyes bore into me. “Your parents’ house. Six o’clock. Don’t be too late or you’ll miss all the good cake.”

“Annie, I can’t—”

“Nope,” she said, cutting me off. She turned to Lauren. “You should make him go. He’ll be glad he did, and everyone would love to meet you.”

“Annie,” I said again, firmly. “Don’t be telling the whole family about Lauren.”

“Why not?” She narrowed her eyes.

It wasn’t that our delicate relationship was too weak for any definition. It was my cowardice and lack of desire to face my mom’s questions. “We just aren’t ready for that yet.”

“Fine. If I promise not to tell everyone about your girlfriend, will you come to Tucker’s party?”

“Annie.”

Her lifted eyebrows were a language all their own. I could read them well.

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