Slap Shot(21)

I frowned. We needed some help. We needed some help fast. “You know anyone who’s on the ball and needs a job?” I shouted to Maddie.

Quiet.

“Maddie?”

“Actually, yes.” She appeared at the door to my office, a broad beam on her face. “My cousin Cassie has just moved back home, she’s been living in Ohio with her boyfriend and it all went wrong. She’s smart, efficient and has turned her hand to all sorts of things over the years.”

“Perfect,” I said, flopping onto my chair. “Give her a call and see if she can stop by tomorrow. Tell her to park for the day. If I like her she can start immediately.”

“You’ll like her,” Maddie said with a grin. “She’s just like me.”

“In that case I will adore her,” I said, smiling back and picking up my mobile. Perhaps that would be one problem solved.

I got busy, booked two venues for events over the next three months. Sorted out a halal buffet and sourced a dozen white doves for a wedding in the spring. I chased up the fountain to be delivered to Carly’s and ordered gladiator outfits for the fifteen male bar and waiting staff.

Despite the rush of business, I had no events to attend this coming weekend—a rarity—and I was looking forward to kicking back in sweats and lazing around. Just me, quiet, no commitments. The blank two days on my calendar looked very inviting.

I nibbled on a blueberry muffin Maddie had brought me and began the satisfying job of ticking off my to-do list.

Suddenly Maddie’s voice, high and authoritative, caught my attention. “I’m sorry, but you’ll need an appointment, we’re rather pushed at the moment.”

“I don’t need an appointment.”

My heart stuttered. I recognized the deep, rumbling voice I didn’t think I would hear again. A voice full of determination and intent, belonging to a man who seriously played with my rules every time I saw him.

“But she is very busy, Mr., Mr.…?”

“Lewis. And I’m sure Miss Wilcox would rather speak to me in her office than have me turn up on her doorstep later.”

What the hell is he doing here? I thought I’d been perfectly clear last night. As irritation spiked my scalp, my traitorous heart did a flip of excitement and my nipples puckered beneath my blouse.

“Well, I-I…” Maddie stuttered. “I’m not sure now is a good time.”

He appeared in the doorway of my office, paused, then strode purposefully up to the front of my desk. The late-morning sunshine cut across his cheek and one corner of his mouth. His big body created a shadow against not just the flecked hessian carpet but also on the opposite wall, creeping up and over a photograph of a giant birthday cake with a team of cheerleaders bursting out of it.

I swallowed tightly. The last thing I needed was a nerve-twisting conversation with Rick. I’d been busy pushing him from my mind and seeing him standing in front of me all heart-stopping, head-turning gorgeous was not going to help me wean myself off him.

“Nice setup you’ve got going on here,” he said, placing his hands on his hips and looking around.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m having a party and I want to book the services of Best Laid Plans.” He pulled up a chair and folded his large frame into it. His gaze trapped mine.

“I’m sorry, Dana, he just walked in and I…” Maddie rushed into the office, pushing her small red glasses up the bridge of her nose.

“It’s okay, Maddie,” I said, my gaze leaving Rick’s for the briefest of moments. “Mr. Lewis won’t stay long.”

His brows tilted and he folded his arms over his wide chest, settling back farther into the chair as if he was planning on staying a while.

I frowned. “I’m sure there are other party planners you could use.”

“I want to use Best Laid Plans. They have a great reputation.” His mouth tipped into a devilish grin. “And I also want you there, overseeing the event.”

“Is this some kind of elaborate way to get me to go out with you again?”

“No.” His eyes widened, feigning hurt. “Of course not.”

“Because you know that isn’t going to happen.”

“You went out with him?” Maddie asked, her mouth forming a perfect ‘O’. “But you never go out on dates.”

I frowned. “I can take it from here, thanks, Maddie.”

She pointed at me then at her chest. “Later,” she mouthed. Her lips pursed and she left the office, not quite shutting the door.

I sighed. “When do you want this so-called party?”

He reached forward and spun my calendar to face him. “This weekend is looking good.”