Mallory smiled serenely. ‘They do suit you. You should wear that on your date.’
His amber eyes danced. ‘Do you want me to fail?’
She clicked her tongue and didn’t let herself think about the question, not even for a moment.
Unsurprisingly, on the night of the date he dressed in a charcoal-grey suit and white shirt. ‘Well?’ he asked. ‘Do I pass muster?’
‘Absolutely. The colour suits you and a suit is an uncontroversial choice.’
‘You mean boring.’
‘I didn’tsayboring and I didn’tmeanboring. It’s perfectly appropriate. You look great. Now, remember everything we’ve talked about. Don’t be afraid to ask Cathy on a second date or to invite her to be your companion for the Wolf Ball. She could be the one for you. This could be the start of the rest of your life.’
Alexander gave her a sideways look. ‘Too melodramatic?’ she asked.
‘Too cheesy.’
‘I love cheesy!’
‘I’m not even remotely surprised,’ he said drily. ‘Will you wait up so we can discuss how the date went when I get back?’
‘Sorry, Alex, I can’t stay any longer. Now that your date is actually happening, I’m going home. I’ve got work to do.’ Work which she’d been ignoring for far too long.
He frowned.
‘I have other clients.’ Mallory wondered why she felt a tad guilty about not being there for him later; after all, she’d already spent far more time with Alexander MacTire than she’d intended to. ‘The past few days have been great but I’ve been neglecting my business. Besides,’ she added gently, ‘if things go well tonight, you don’t want me hanging around and crampingyour style.’ His frown deepened. ‘Cathy might get the wrong idea about us.’
Alexander’s eyes pierced her. ‘Why would she get any idea at all about us? What could make her think there’s something between me and you?’
‘Nothing,’ Mallory said. ‘There’s nothing. But all the same, it’s better if I’m out of the way.’
‘With your other clients.’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you stay at their houses, too?’
Mallory tightened her toes. ‘No. Not usually.’
He gazed at her for a long moment then dipped his head towards hers. ‘Mallory?—’
‘The car’s here!’ Nick called from the door. ‘You look great, Uncle Sandy!’
Alexander stepped back. ‘I have repeatedly told you not to call me that, Nicholas.’
‘Yeah, yeah. Come on. If you don’t go now, you’ll be late.’
Alexander looked at Mallory. ‘He’s right,’ she murmured. ‘Have a great time. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you. Cathy is an amazing woman – you’d be as lucky to have her as she’d be to have you.’
His eyes searched her face for another moment. ‘Yeah,’ he said finally. ‘I’ll come to your place tomorrow and let you know how it goes.’
She nodded. ‘You’ll have to tell me if my presence at the Wolf Ball is no longer required.’ She kept her tone light, but Alexander nodded soberly in return.
Seconds later, he was gone.
Chapter
Thirteen
