“Ah, a family wedding. Interesting. And when will these happy nuptials occur?”
“July third.”
“Are you in the wedding party?”
He sighed. “No. Do we have a deal or what?”
“Wait, I have to know more.”
“You said yes before I even stated the terms.”
“But now I have more information and therefore more questions. For instance, what exactly would my role be as your wedding date? Are you trying to stave off all the aunties’ fix-ups? Or would I be pretending to be your girlfriend to make someone jealous with displays of affection? Would we make up a fake backstory of our dating history and—”
“No, you won’t be—no. No girlfriend. Just a plus one.” A flustered flush crawled up his neck as he muttered something. Kinda cute.
“So I’d just be your date then.”
“A friendly date. No displays of affection necessary.”
Pity. She pretended to think about that for a beat. “It so happens I’m a very fun wedding date. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Okay, now that we’ve covered my role in this family wedding, what exactly will your role be in this search for the ring’s owner?”
“I told you, I’d talk to Ms.Stapleton.”
She pursed her lips. “Hmm. But what if you can’t get an answer from her? Then I have nothing and you have a wedding date.”
He glowered. “You already said yes.”
“I’m just trying to clarify the deal, and I’m thinking if I agree to definitely attend a wedding, I should have some kind of guarantee.”
“I can’t guarantee Ms.Stapleton will be forthcoming.”
“No, I guess not. But you could promise to stick with it and help me figure it out even if we can’t pry it out of Ms. Stapleton.”
“Why would you wantmyhelp?”
“I saw how stubborn that librarian is, and I’m not confident she’ll spill, even for you. So we may end up having to put our heads together, and two heads are better than one. Plus everything is more fun when someone else is along for the ride.” She smiled widely.
He seemed skeptical about that last one. “Fine. Whatever you say. I’m in it for the long haul.”
She stuck out her hand before he could change his mind. He took her hand in his big one. His palm was rough and warm against hers. And something about his direct stare made her pulse flutter.
“Then we have a deal,” she said.
Ten
When a hero and heroine work toward a common goal, it gives them a shared bond.
—Romance Writing 101
Sam’s truck pulled into Sadie’s driveway at twelve fifteen on the dot. She was wearing her favorite baby-blue shorts, a breezy white top that showed off her newly acquired tan, and wedge sandals.
Sadie grabbed her purse, which held the book, and stuck her sunglasses on top of her head. “I’ll be back, girl. Be good. Don’t chew on Mommy’s things. And be nice to Mr.Pelican.”
Rio cocked her head, brown eyes turned down at the corners, tail low.
Sadie reached down and gave her a quick rub. “Don’t be sad. I’ll be back soon. Go get Mr.Mouse! That’s it. Oh, you got him. That a girl. Wish me luck.”
She locked up and headed toward Sam’s truck. She hadn’t made any more headway on her plotting since she’d found thering two days ago. But she was about to spend time with the inspiration for her hero, so she’d just make some mental notes. That was progress, wasn’t it?
