“What I think Tate’s trying to say is you look stunning,” Jordan said coming towards them with the woman. “Sorry to butt in but I heard Tate say your name.”
“It’s fine,” she told him then looked over at Tate. “You don’t think it’s too much of something or not enough of something else?”
“It’s perfect and it’s about time too, why I offered to come with you I don’t know. How do women get men to go shopping with them?” he said turning to Jordan.
“To keep them from buying dresses that are completely wrong for them,” the woman with Jordan answered. “There’s nothing better than a brother or best friend to keep a girl honest.”
“You’re Jordan’s sister?” Tate asked for her benefit.
“The baby of the girls—Nicole. And if you’re Tate that would make you Mel. You’ll have to forgive my shock because I thought Mel was a guy based on everything Jordan’s said about you,” she said smiling at her brightly.
“I can see how that would be possible, I tend to do more things with guys than girls, horrors of having a guy as your best friend,” Mel stated accepting the hand Jordan held out for her to step off the podium.
“Well now that I know you’re not I might have to bring you along on my next trip here. Our older sister Alana is getting married in August, but her engagement party is in a few weeks, and I figured I’d grab a new dress for it.”
“Showing up at the office and dragging me along despite my best attempts to stay far, far away,” Jordan added.
“But then we wouldn’t have run into Mel or seen how utterly gorgeous she is; no wonder Jordan hasn’t invited you to anyof the family’s events. Are you afraid one of our other billion relatives will steal her away?”
“I don’t think Mel’s going anywhere soon, are you?” Jordan asked, his eyes still on her and Mel’s heart raced wildly.
“Why would I? I have a great job, a wonderful boss, and I run the office, what more could a girl want?”
“Shoes to match the dress,” Nicole stated, “which I think I have, you’re a size seven?”
“Yeah…”
“Then I will make baby brother here drop me off at home and give him a pair of shoes that will be perfect with that dress. The wedding you’re going to is in a few weeks, right?”
“Yes, the…”
“Fourth,” Tate reminded her. “And I will luckily be the one with the best beauty on my arm.”
“The best thing about a male best friend, they can make you laugh about anything, and they keep your head up in the clouds,” she teased bumping him with her hip.
“And you don’t have to wait an hour in the bathroom for them to finish their makeup,” Tate added for her.
“Okay, I’m going to go change because there is no way I’m letting this dress get messed up. I’ll be right back out,” she told them.
“How do you plan on getting her back to the office with that dress on your bike?” Jordan asked.
“Ah, she’ll fold it over her arm and hang on with the other. We’ve done it a million times.”
“Is that safe?” he countered.
“Jordan you’re sounding very overprotective of your office manager. If you’re not careful someone might think there’s something else there,” Nicole teased before walking over to a rack of dresses.
“She has a point there,” Tate stated. “What’s your take on Mel?”
“She’s great, a god send really, why?”
“Because she’s my best friend and I don’t want anything to happen to her, anything at all.”
“You sound more like a father quizzing a teen before his first date with their daughter,” Jordan said trying to shut it down, so he didn’t spill just how much he wanted to be a part of Mel’s life—a real part of it and not just as her boss or friend. He wanted everything with her but unless she made it clear that she would want it too, he couldn’t risk it. If he couldn’t ever have her entirely, at least he could have her in his office.
“Maybe I should be, after all, she doesn’t have one.”
“I’m not going to lie, I like Mel. Probably more than I should but I’m not going to do anything about it, not unless she makes the first move.”
