Her Client from Hell Read Free Page B

because...?’
    ‘I’ve just got back from filming; my schedule got changed a
little.’ And he’d been too damned busy to pay much attention to Lizzie’s emails.
Plus the word help had never been in her vocabulary.
Even when she’d needed it the most. And he was, apparently, the world’s worst at
working out what women wanted. Why they didn’t just straight out tell him, he
didn’t know. But he wanted to make this work, wanted to make her happy. After
everything they’d been through, Lizzie deserved a slice of that.
    Another smile. ‘Okay, well, I guess we can work out some of the
finer points later, but it would be useful if we could make a start on menu
choices, just a jumping off point. I like to get a feel for the couple, their
likes and tastes and dreams. Do you have a memorable meal you’d like to
recreate? A theme?’
    ‘Why all the deep and meaningful stuff? It’s just food, right?’
Clearly, there was a whole lot more to weddings than he’d ever given thought to.
Actually, he’d never given thought to weddings at all—only that he’d never be
having one. ‘I...er...’
    ‘Okay, no worries. Let’s try a different angle.’ Her eyes
twinkled through a confused frown. ‘Tell me more about the iguana—was it love at
first sight?’
    It was the first time in a long time a woman had left him
speechless.

TWO
    ‘It’s my sister’s wedding. I’m organising the food, the car and the photographer.’ Jack Brennan had an edge to him, a rippling intensity, brooding, which made Cassie immediately want to make him laugh.
    Or at least smile. But somehow she didn’t think he’d take kindly to a tickle in the ribs. He didn’t look the type of guy who’d take kindly to much that wasn’t serious and Very Important.
    So what if he was? As she looked at him, all the breath sucked out of her lungs. Tall, and underneath that open-necked grey shirt he looked sculpted out of lean muscle with broad shoulders wide enough to tuck herself into. Dark tousled hair that made her fingers itch to ruffle some more. Deep brown eyes softened the defined features of his sharp cheekbones and square jaw. So what if he was cover-model gorgeous? Looks didn’t make a man. That, she knew first-hand. This one was grumpy and grouchy and in need of a damn good belly laugh.
    She put this over-the-top attention to his detail down to the dating drought she’d enforced until she wrestled her finances into some sort of order. Not even an extraordinarily hot man would distract her.
    If only something today could actually go according to her well-constructed plan. Flighty and chaotic was not the impression she’d intended to give him. ‘Well, that’s very nice of you. What does your sister want as regards food? Brunch? Sit-down dinner? Buffet? Food stations? How many courses?’
    ‘Whoa. Too many choices. Food stations? What the hell? I just want food. Good food. On a table, in a room. It’s not rocket science.’
    ‘No, it’s not.’ She tried to make the sigh escaping her lips sound a little less irritated. This was going to take a lot longer than she’d anticipated. Beauty he might have been, but empathetic he definitely was not. ‘It is her wedding day.’
    ‘Yes, I am fully aware of that, believe me.’ He shook his head, his palms held up, and he had the decency to look a little embarrassed. ‘Okay. Look, I’m coming clean. I am way out of my depth here. I didn’t ask her what she wants to eat. She doesn’t know I’m arranging this.’
    ‘What? She doesn’t know? How can someone organise food for a wedding without consulting the bride?’ Answer: the man who spoke in brackets. Figured. But she bit back what she was truly thinking. Honesty didn’t always go down well and she didn’t want to jeopardise his wedding party of fifty and its very welcome boost to her finances.
    He gave a nonchalant shrug of those magnificent shoulders. Which she noted purely for their potential ability to carry things. Heavy pans.