The Wedding Pact Box Set - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,206

out on her forehead, and she felt like she was suffocating. “The deposition is in twenty minutes. I need to get it together.”

“Maybe we should postpone.” Her voice faltered as though she expected Blair to dress her down.

“I can’t.” And to her dismay, her voice broke.

Melissa leaned forward. “Blair, there’s no shame in needing personal time. This is a big deal.”

She blinked her tears away. “I can’t. If I want to be the one who takes this deposition, it has to be today. Otherwise someone else will be doing it, and I don’t know that they’ll fight for Mrs. Norfolk like I will.” Her nerves pinged, and she stood and moved to the center of the room, needing space, needing something . . . if only she knew what. “I’m going to lose my job.” That was the biggest bitch of all. Marry an asshole or lose her job.

“You don’t know that for sure.”

Blair stopped moving, and her gaze pierced her assistant. “Melissa. Neither one of us hides from the truth. It’s not the time to start.”

Melissa stood. “I’ll get us both a glass of water.”

Blair knew she should be getting ready for her deposition. She should be preparing to face Garrett in the conference room, but all she could do was relive her kiss with him in the Vandemeer kitchen. How she’d thrown herself at him. How he’d been just as eager to kiss her. But that was before she’d overheard him and Neil fighting over who would win the contest. Was that his true motivation? So why had he told her he still loved her? To try to earn points in some pissing contest with his cousin? She knew they had a rivalry, but this . . .

Her office door opened, and Melissa walked in with a huge bouquet of flowers. “These were just dropped off.” Her eyes flashed with anger as she set them down on Blair’s desk.

“Who are they from?”

Melissa hedged. “I didn’t open the card.”

Blair stomped over and snatched the card from the middle of the flowers. It was a beautiful bouquet of red roses and white lilies. They were her wedding flowers, so she knew who’d sent them before she even read the card.

Blair,

I’m gutted. Please let me explain.

Forever yours,

Neil

“Blair?”

She spun around to see him looming in the doorway, a wary expression on his face.

Melissa hurried over and began to shove him out of the room with a surprising amount of strength for someone so slight. “I told you that you can’t come in here.”

Blair sighed and shook her head. “He can come in.” No matter the outcome, she needed to talk to him. There were too many complications to walk away without ever seeing him again. Melissa left the room, but she gave Blair one last significant glance before shutting the door behind her.

“Blair.” Neil rushed to her and tried to pull her to his chest, but she pushed him back.

“No.”

He took several steps backward and raised his hands in surrender. “Okay. Your rules, Blair. Just tell me what to do so I can fix this.”

She shook her head. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Can I explain what you saw? Please?”

“I have a deposition in fifteen minutes, Neil. Fifteen minutes.”

“Blair.” He reached for her hand. When she didn’t pull away, he continued. “I know things got out of hand last night, and you have no idea how sorry I am. I confronted Garrett about cornering you in the kitchen and . . . Let’s just say I couldn’t stand by and let him insult you like that.” His brow lowered with indignation.

“What are you talking about?”

“He was bragging about how he could win you from me.” He took a deep breath. “He was rude and disgusting about how he planned to go about it, and I refused to listen to him talk about you that way.”

“What way?”

He moved closer to her and slowly slid an arm around her back. “Darling, don’t make me tell you. I had enough trouble listening to him say it. So I hit him.”

Neil had to be one of the most non-confrontational people she’d ever met. She had a hard time picturing him throwing a first punch, yet she’d clearly seen them scuffling in the pool, and there was no denying the bruise under his eye now.

“I really don’t have time for this. I have to be ready for this deposition. Now more than ever.”

He slowly ran his hands up and down her bare arms. “Darling, we were