—in the wayremained unsaid. But she would be because he really hadn’t wanted her there. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left it off the list. Had he changed his mind? Or was he adding another enticement to close their deal?
As if she could sense Jo’s hesitation, Connie said to Avery, “Kate and Bryce will be there.” She turned a conspiratorial smile on Jo. “You need to meet Kate. She’ll be planning her own wedding soon, and she and Melody fought over your petit fours. She could potentially become a future client.”
Jo had to hand it to the woman. She sure knew how to bait a hook. Between Avery padding her bank account and his mother dangling clients, Jo didn’t stand a chance. “Are you sure? I hate to intrude.”
“Nonsense. We’d love to have you.”
She turned around to look at Avery. “Areyousure?”
For his mother, the question probably came across as asking whether their fledgling relationship was ready for an entire day at his home, with his family. But the clarity in his dark eyes told Jo he understood exactly what she was asking. If she was committing to five weeks, he had to as well. “I’m all in.”
A simple yes, would have sufficed, especially at the excited “oh” his mother tried to stifle, which said she’d read way too much into his answer.
Still knowing she shouldn’t, Jo turned to Connie. “Thank you, but I’ll only accept under one condition. You’ll let me take care of dessert.”
“Of course,” she agreed, her smile thoroughly contagious as she rose from her chair. “Wonderful. I’ll let you get back to your evening.”
Avery captured Jo’s hand as his mom left them alone. “Thank you for giving her a chance. She’s one of the best women I know.”
“And you know a lot,” Jo said, partly teasing but mostly busting his balls because he made it so easy.
“I do.” He stood abruptly, pulling her up with him. “So let’s go meet a few before we leave.”
She lifted his tux jacket off the back of the chair and handed it to him. “You want me to meet your hos?”
He laughed. “I’m not sure the junior league would appreciate being called hos, but they do host a lot of dinner parties.”
“Oh, but I haven’t even had any business cards made yet. I’ve been focused on getting a job first, not going freelance.”
“Business cards are only good if they’re unsolicited,” he said, stuffing one arm into his jacket. She helped him with the other side without thinking but stepped away as a sexy grin curled his lips. A grin she felt all the way to her core. “Thanks.”
“Cunning is the fox; beware his wily ways,”her grandma’s voice sing-songed in her head.
Yep, I get it. Replace fox with wolf and wily with smiley, and that’s Avery.
She pursed her lips. “Stop.”
“What?” he said laughing. “I’m merely thanking you.”
“I swear, every time you smile, every woman in the room drops her panties. And let me tell you, I won’t be one of them, so just stop.” She tsked at him and shook her head. “You probably have millions of little Avery-smile-made babies running all over Texas.”
“God, I hope not.” He shuddered as he hooked her hand in the crook of his arm. “Where was I before you had me fathering unintended brats?”
“Unsolicited business cards.”
“Don’t expect them to ask for one. They’re not going to, not on a first intro. Maybe not for a while. Let them get used toseeing you first.” He strolled her forward. “But you’re making a mistake not focusing on freelancing. Once you’re stuck in a job, you’ll be a slave to someone else’s dream. Now’s the time to build your own.”
“Easy for you to say. A girl’s gotta eat.”
“In five weeks, you shouldn’t have to worry about that. You’ll be rolling in dough.” He chuckled at his own joke.
She rolled her eyes. “Who’s the comedian now?”
As promised, Avery introduced Jo to a half dozen society matrons. What struck her was that he didn’t have to choose who to talk to. They chose him, pulling him in as he passed. They gushed over his speech, saying things like, “You were inspiring,” and “I never thought of having a company-wide drive.” And they were curious about her because he’d “never brought a date before.”
By the time they’d made a full circle, it was another glass of wine, one more trip to the ladies’ room, and a blister on her pinky toe later.
He checked his watch, another Rolex, this one dressier, sleeker, black. Did he have one for every occasion?
