Jennifer McKenzie - One More Night

“What about if I file for emancipation? My parents will be devastated, but they’ll understand when they meet you.”

Grace tried not to laugh. She really did, but Owen’s playful nature and silly banter finally got to her. She felt the corners of her mouth curl up. “Fine, Mr. Ford. If you file for emancipation, we’ll go for that coffee.” She pushed open the door that led to the lobby. “Otherwise? I’ll look forward to seeing you at the wedding.”

He followed her into the quiet space, where the only sound was the click of Hayley’s keyboard as she entered files into the system. “I’ll look forward to it, too.”

Grace turned to look at him and felt a pulse of attraction. His dark eyes, dark hair that flopped over his forehead and mischievous grin. Her throat felt dry and she wished she’d taken a glass of water from the boardroom. Oh well. As soon as she got rid of him, she could chug a bottle in the privacy of her office. She was determined to do so immediately. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Ford.”

His fingers, warm and thick, wrapped around hers. Grace felt another shaft of desire, followed by a stern reminder that Owen Ford wasn’t her type even if he hadn’t been off-limits.

She preferred slender, elegant men. Men who wore suits to work and most certainly to business meetings. Men who worked in corner offices, many stories off the ground, and had a closet full of shoes in black and brown. Men who didn’t hold her hand a little too long and didn’t make her feel too warm in her suit.

“The pleasure has been all mine, Ms. Monroe.” He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a dry and gentle peck to the back. “Until then.”

And she certainly didn’t like men who kissed her without asking.

Heart pumping, Grace watched him leave and then spun on her heel and made for the safety of her office and the cooling comfort of a bottle of water or three.

CHAPTER THREE

“I’M AFRAID I must have misheard you.” Owen pretended to tap his ear as though clearing it of water. “You want to repeat that?”

It was Saturday night and Elephants was packed. He was pleased that his initiatives continued to bring people in the door, even if it was in the form of his only sister. Mal merely stared back. “I need you to plan an engagement party for Donovan and Julia.” She said this with a straight face as though it wasn’t the funniest thing in the world.

Since Mal hadn’t been in much of a laughing mood these past few months, Owen did it for her. “Right.”

“I’m not kidding.” Mal pinned him with her patented bratty-kid-sister stare. “Mom and I discussed it.”

“Oh, did you? And what other parts of my life did the two of you plan?” He was only half joking.

“Owen, you’re the best man. Consider it part of your duties.” Owen still wasn’t sure how he’d been roped into being the best man. Sure, he and Donovan were getting along better than they had been a year ago, but they were hardly close. He suspected Julia—who he considered a good friend—and his mother and sister were all conspiring to bring them closer together.

“No, my duty is to plan the bachelor party, ensure Donovan doesn’t freak out last-minute and get cold feet, and make sure I show up on time and in my tux.” And find the sexiest woman at the reception and see if she’d consider going home with him. Though really, that was just being humble. More likely, he’d be the one getting propositioned, which suited him just fine.

Despite her little bomb, Owen was glad to see Mal out on a Saturday night. Since her breakup with her boyfriend a few months ago, she hadn’t been herself. Owen wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, since she wasn’t talking and neither was Travis. Not even when Owen had gone down to Aruba, where Travis now lived, for a visit and asked him point-blank. All either of them would say was that things hadn’t worked out, but Owen noted neither of them had exactly moved on.

“Well, consider the engagement party an added bonus.”

“Bonus for who?” Owen grumbled.

Mal patted him on the shoulder. “For you. Think of it like planning for your own future.”

He snorted again. “I’m not even dating anyone. Kind of a prerequisite.”

“Good. Then you’ll have plenty of free time to plan the engagement party.”

“You know, I think I liked it better when you stayed home on Saturday nights.”

Mal’s hand dropped, as did her head. Owen saw her hands clench in her lap. “You aren’t the only one.”

“Hey.” He reached out and put his arm around her shoulders. He and Mal had always had an easy relationship. Even before she’d started dating one of his closest friends. “I wasn’t serious. You know I love having you here.”

But Mal only sighed.

Owen turned to look at his sister. She’d always been thin, but these days she seemed downright emaciated. Not that he could say anything about it to her. The one time he’d joked that she should eat a sandwich, she’d about taken his head off. Still, despite her extreme thinness, Mal was a good-looking woman. Owen noted the interested glances that were coming her way even if she didn’t. “You okay?”

She sighed again. “Not really, but I don’t want to talk about it.”

She never did. But since Owen wasn’t sure how it would help to force her into discussing the problem, he didn’t push. “If you change your mind...” He left the sentence hanging.

“I know. You, Donovan, Mom and Dad, even Julia the last time I saw her.” Mal sat up, shrugging off his arm. “But I’m fine, really. I’m just adjusting. That’s all.”

Owen didn’t point out that she’d had months to adjust and still hadn’t managed it. If Mal wanted to think she was fooling him, he’d let her. Maybe she’d eventually fool herself and get back to the Mal he knew. “So, how exactly did you and Mom come to the conclusion that I needed to organize the engagement party? Isn’t that something the parents of the groom should do? Or the sister?”

“No.” And some of the tension slid from Mal’s face at the change of subject. At least, the lines around her mouth didn’t look so prominent. “Plus, Mom already tried to pawn it off on me, which is how your name came up.”

“You threw me under the bus.”

“That’s such a cliché. I prefer to think of it as giving you a gift.”

Owen shook his head. “A gift? Please, more like an obligation.” One he didn’t know how to get out of. If Mal and his mother had already joined forces? Game, set and match.

“Oh, I don’t know. Julia mentioned how interested you seemed in the wedding planner.” Mal shot him a smirk.

Owen picked up the water bottle he was drinking from and rolled it back and forth between his palms. He wasn’t embarrassed to have been caught out. He hadn’t exactly been subtle about his appreciation for the cool Grace Monroe. But she’d been pretty clear that even if she found him appealing, nothing would come of it. “I’m not sure what that has to do with anything, but for the record, she wasn’t interested.”

“You didn’t think you’d have to plan the party on your own, did you?” Mal rolled her eyes. “You’d be working with her. Just think—the two of you could join forces. Maybe spend some late nights during the planning stages.”

Owen wasn’t fooled. “Don’t try to distract me. I won’t forget that you used me as a shield.” But he certainly wouldn’t mind the excuse to see Grace—ahem, Ms. Monroe—again. “You don’t care about my dating life. You just don’t want to have to plan it yourself.”

“I see no reason that I can’t care about both things.” And for a moment, with her little smirk and sassy tone, Owen saw the sister he knew. Then it was gone, replaced with something quiet and a little sad. “I know it’s a lot to ask, Owen. But I don’t think I can do it.”