Page 51 of An Inconvenient Plan
“All you have to do is say goodbye to the prince and things will go much better between us.” She’d had a friendly text exchange with Phillip this morning. It wasn’t like they were sexting.
“Why can’t you get that he’s important to my business? And he respects what I do. He wants to help me, and the least I can do is help him by showing up at a couple of weddings. If you trusted me…” She trailed off as it hit her that he didn’t trust her, another consequence of their long contentious relationship. Her trust level in him was pretty low too. What in the world were they thinking trying to be a couple?
Josh spoke gruffly. “I want to trust you, but it’s kinda hard when you plan on being another guy’s date.”
“It’s not like that! How many times do I have to say it?”
“How many times do I have to explain myself? It’s like you only hear what you want to hear.”
Grrr.She wasn’t hearing a single thing she wanted to hear out of his mouth. She hung up.
Her phone rang a moment later. Josh. She sighed and picked up. “What?”
“Don’t hang up on me. It’s a coward move, and the thing I like most about you is your warrior spirit, so duke it out with me, but don’t wimp out.”
She flushed and then she found herself smiling. No one had ever called her a warrior before. That implied great strength and a badass attitude she always wished she could pull off. Most people only saw her as a perky wedding planner with excellent taste in clothes. Josh saw a warrior?
She threw her shoulders back. Yes, she could feel it now, the warrior spirit filling her chest. She stepped away from her desk and stood, legs braced apart, head held high, imagining taking on a foe and winning. She kicked at the air. Warrior Hailey kicking ass and taking names with a battle cry.Roar!
“Still there?” he asked.
She promptly sat down, embarrassed to be caught mid-warrior role-play, even though he couldn’t see her. “I like that warrior thing.”
“Good. Cuz you are and so am I. That’s why we belong together.”
“But maybe that’s bad. We fight so much. Maybe you should be with someone who needs a warrior’s protection. I don’t.”
“I need my equal.”
She stopped breathing. All this time she’d thought he was secretly laughing at her when he actually thought she was his equal? Suddenly his complete cluelessness didn’t scrape so rough. This was really good stuff he was saying. “That’s really good to hear.”
He grunted.
She supposed she could put up with some grunts and grumbles if he occasionally shared gems like “warrior spirit.” Now she should reciprocate with something equally good. “If anyone gets in your way, let me know and I’ll kick ass and take names. I’m very well connected in this town.”
“I’ve got goose bumps.”
“Really?”
“Sure.”
“You’re teasing again. I thought you were finally taking me seriously.”
“So much frigging work,” he grumbled.
“No one is forcing you to put work into me. Do what you want.”
“I wish I could.” He sounded morose, like she was a noose around his neck! Forget that!
She wanted to hang up on him so badly, but her warrior spirit wouldn’t let her take the coward’s way out. The chime rang, signaling someone was at the front door of Ludbury House. Maybe Josh had run to her. Maybe he’d be standing on the front porch with a bouquet of fresh-picked wildflowers, ready with the romantic words to make her forget how irritating he was. “I have to go. Someone’s at the door.”
“Later.” He hung up.
She shut her office door, locking Rose in so she wouldn’t distract her from Josh’s romantic gesture. She took her time walking to the front door, making sure she was completely composed. One peek at the front porch through the glass panel by the door brought a shock. Prince Phillip!
She answered the door to Phillip and his two security guards. Phillip was dressed casually in a short-sleeved white cotton shirt and black athletic shorts. His guards were equally casual in black T-shirts with black pants. “Hello!” she exclaimed. “I wasn’t expecting you today. Come in, come in.”
The guard went first. Phillip smiled at her, his blue-green eyes sparkling. “I finally got free of meetings. I hoped you could give me a tour of Ludbury House and the town. I’m seriously considering investing in Ludbury House after our talk.”
