The Wedding Pact Box Set - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,149

was, even if he didn’t know her name.

The short hallway he’d come down had been lined by conference rooms, so he headed down the perpendicular hallway, looking for the woman who’d led him to the conference room. He found an open area with several desks outside a bank of offices and saw her sitting at one of the desks. She had a phone to her ear and was arguing.

“I don’t care if you have to fly that crab from Timbuktu—you will have it here for the reception, or we will sue you for breach of contract. Got it?”

He grinned as he listened to her end of the conversation. He could tell Blair had rubbed off on her.

She glanced up at him and her eyes widened. “If there are any more issues, I’ll expect you to call me immediately.” She hung up and grimaced. “Can I help you, Mr. Lowry?”

“You’re Blair’s assistant, correct?”

Her guard went up. “Yes, I’m Ms. Hansen’s assistant.”

“Does Ms. Hansen have lunch plans?”

The woman couldn’t have looked more surprised. “Uh . . .”

He sat on the edge of her desk and leaned closer, waggling his finger at her computer. “Come on,” he teased, knowing he was pouring on the Garrett Lowry charm a little too heavy. “Just squeeze me in there. A quiet little lunch for two.”

“That sounds cozy,” Blair said, her tone short.

Garrett jerked upright, cursing under his breath. “Blair.”

Her eyes narrowed with disgust. She skirted around him and walked into her office. “Well, don’t let me stop you. You two have a great time.” She slammed the door behind her, and her assistant shot him a death glare.

“I think that’s your answer, Mr. Lowry.”

Ouch. Garrett stood. “Maybe I should go talk to her.”

She reached under her desk and pulled up her three-inch pump. “You go near the door, and I’ll gouge your eye out with my heel.” Her jaw clenched with anger.

Her reaction caught him by surprise. While she was admittedly very loyal to her boss, her statement seemed a little strong given the situation, if not unprofessional. Frustrated, he considered threatening to report her, but that would only piss off Blair even more. He needed to regroup and come up with a new way to convince Blair to talk to him. Garrett held his hands up in surrender. “I’m rather fond of my eyes, so I guess I’ll go to lunch on my own.”

“Good idea.”

“I’ll go to lunch with you!” a brunette called out from a nearby desk, her voice all sultry promise.

He grinned and pointed his finger at her. “I’m gonna take a rain check, sweetheart.”

He walked out angry, but he only had himself to blame. He’d laid the foundation for Blair to believe he was hitting on her assistant, which meant he was back to square one, not that he’d even gotten very far. Blair was a proud woman, and he’d broken her heart five years ago—just as he’d broken his own.

Well, he couldn’t change the past. He could only move forward, and if nothing else, Garrett Lowry was a stubborn man. He wasn’t giving up that easy. Not this time. Now that she was back in his life—and it was truly starting to seem like this was kismet, even though he and Blair had always laughed at such romantic notions—he was going to try his best to earn another chance.

He went to his hotel and wheedled his way into an early check-in, then grabbed a sandwich before heading back to Blair’s office. His phone rang when he was almost there, and he groaned when he saw it was Nana Ruby.

“Hey, Nana. I’m here in Kansas City. Happy?”

“Hell no, I’m not happy. Your mom and your aunt are at it worse than ever.”

“You seriously thought making me a groomsman would improve the situation?”

“Your aunt and uncle are having dinner with Neil and his fiancée tonight. You’re going with them.”

“Nana. No. I have something else I need to do.” He had hoped to convince Blair to talk after the deposition, maybe even grab coffee.

“The only thing you need to do is help settle this family war. Suck it up, boy. Your aunt’s gonna text you the address. Dinner’s at six.”

Great. Just what he needed. Dinner with his mouthy aunt, his whipped uncle, his dick cousin, and said cousin’s fiancée, who was probably as dull as dirt given her choice of mate. Yippee. He couldn’t wait.

He arrived at Blair’s office forty-five minutes early and asked for early access to a room so he could have