She laced her fingers together and leaned back in her chair. “Explain.” Jim was honest. He always told her what she needed to hear, not what she wanted to hear. That was respectable, commendable. It also made him the point person for dropping bad news in her lap, and the rest of the company was catching on. If he wasn’t careful, she’d start to dread his appearance.
“You booted your mother out of the company.”
“Stepmother.”
He lifted a hand, acknowledging the correction. “She had supporters who are upset at the way she was dismissed. They felt she deserved better.”
Quinton had implied something along those lines as well. She filed it away to contemplate it when she wasn’t in the middle of a meeting.
“However, people like Quinton as a person. They trust his judgment. He’s got a good reputation.”
Her heart warmed at the praise for her intended. “Fine. Plan it.”
He stood, tugging his sleeves down. “One month?”
“I’ll let Quinn know.” She waited until Jim left before picking up her phone. Her heart thrummed in anticipation of hearing Quinn’s deep voice. She didn’t give in to the temptation to call him from the office, even on the bad days, because she couldn’t afford to spend the rest of the afternoon daydreaming about him.
He picked up on the second ring, and she stumbled over hello. Gathering her wits about her, she explained the benefits of an engagement party. “I know this isn’t a real wedding, but it would help me out.”
The silence was as heavy as a bowling ball.
“So you want to parade me in front of these people like some kind of trophy husband?”
She smiled at the flirty tone. “You have the body of a trophy husband. Embrace it.” Heaven knew she’d like to embrace it. She hushed her thoughts. They needed to fall in line with the plan.
His laughter rumbled in her ear. “Why do I feel complimented and used at the same time?”
Her hand went to her forehead. She couldn’t believe she’d tried to flirt with Quinn. “I’m so sorry.”
He laughed all the harder. “Relax. I’m not going to sue you for sexual harassment. I’m not even sure that’s possible, since you’re wearing my ring.”
She rubbed the stone with her thumb. “I’ve told you how much I adore it, haven’t I?”
“Only every day.”
“Good. You should know how magnificent it is.”
A thought crossed her mind, one that was so new and scary that she lost the conversation. Every time she said how much she liked the ring, she was really talking about how much she liked Quinton. Goodness, if she wasn’t careful, she’d slip up and tell him how much she liked him. Because she did like him. She liked his calm manner. She liked the way he made her feel valued. She liked that he worked in cargo shorts and a Bigfoot tee shirt, drinking Mountain Dew like he had when pulling all-nighters in college. She liked teasing him about being a billionaire, and there were those special moments when she caught him looking at her that made her think … maybe he liked her too.
“When is this party?”
She shook herself out of her head. “A month? I think.”
“I’ll be there. Do you want me to come with my shirt on or off? Which is better for my trophy husband image?”
She giggled, feeling giddy at the thought of her hand on his bare arm as they walked into the room. Feigning a contemplative sigh, she said, “Shirt on. But if I need some extra popularity points, we may have to revisit the issue.”
“I look forward to it.”
Her cheeks heated. “I need to go. I-I have a meeting.”
“I’ll see you tonight.”
“Bye.” She hung up and fanned her face.
“Everything all right?” asked Chloe. She’d stayed on as a personal assistant to Ginny who oversaw her day-to-day inner office schedule. Turned out that Ginny had so much work, she needed two assistants. Lyle and Chloe had divided up the tasks and were both busy and content.
“Everything’s fine.” It was. She could flirt with a guy and not lose her head. Mastering her reactions and feelings, like all the business gurus on YouTube preached, was accomplished in high school, so there was no need for concern. Except Quinn had a way of needling into her thoughts and sending those butterflies aflutter with a few words, a touch, or even a look. He could very well be her undoing.
