Page 46 of Rules of Engagement
Fun? Not really. And that was sad, wasn't it? "We need a change of subject," she said. "Tell me about you. Any more news on your book?"
Marsali was silent a moment before Eliza heard her friend exhale.
"My editor said they're getting lots of orders. Like, alot. It's a little terrifying."
"That's great! And not terrifying at all."
"Okay, fine. Intimidating? Maybe that's a better word. I'm working on an outline for another idea now."
"I'm happy for you, Marse. Congratulations. We'll have to go out and celebrate the day it releases."
"I'd love that."
"Mark your calendar. It's a date." The moment the words left Eliza's mouth, she winced because she knew it would bring Marsali full circle.
"Don't cancel, Lizzie. That's an order. Or a personal request. A plea? Whatever holds the most weight."
Eliza leaned her head against the back of the tub and stared at the ceiling.
Once Lincoln and Amelia's wedding was over, Carter would be freed of his promise to keep his interest in check. Which meant, when the time came, would Carter want their business dinner to be more?
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Chapter 17
The days before Lincoln and Amelia's wedding day stretched Eliza's last nerve. She was on edge due to her impending dinner with Carter, her overwhelming desire for this wedding to beperfectbecause of her newfound friendship with Amelia, and the awareness that her business was finally righting itself with every new phone call that landed in her voicemail.
If anything, the break from James and his poor handling of all the clients he'd schmoozed and stolen had done her more favor. Because the clients who'd made that jump and regretted it now touted her skills and professionalism far and wide on social media, especially after she agreed to take them on again.
But with all of that whirling around in her mind, she'd come to a decision regarding her dinner date with Carter. And despite her thoughts on cancelling, she wasn't going to. Not only that, she was going to let the evening flow in whichever direction it might, be it strictly professional or… not.
Marsali was right. It was time to make a move forward into her future, and even though Carter had warning labels all over him, she couldn't help but think an evening spent flirting over candlelight with a gorgeous man would be fun.
But that wasafterthe wedding. Before the wedding came… details and stress and rain, a steady downpour that had covered the Wilmington area and made it impossible to set anything up ahead of time to get a jump on the process.
Eliza, Kellie, and the crew had staged everything they could inside Carter and Lincoln's homes, even arranging the items so that everything would be carried out in the order it was to be set up.
Now Eliza adjusted her headset after the ceremony and watched the happy couple share a tantalizing kiss on the dance floor while staring into each other's eyes like no one else existed.
Marsali had said Amelia and Lincoln had a great story, and having it learned it over the last two weeks, Eliza had to agree. They'd loved, lost each other for a time, and found one another again having learned countless lessons.
And if anyone deserved the perfect day for a perfect wedding, it was them. Maybe that's why it had been.
In her experience, every wedding had something go wrong. A broken zipper, a cranky ring bearer, or drunk groomsmen,something. But not this one. The rain clouds had moved on but left behind cooler temps, and setup had gone down without a single glitch. Like dominoes, the wedding preparations had taken place, each performed with military precision that left Eliza staring in rapt wonder.
"Catering is gathering up," Kellie said via the headset.
Eliza glanced at her watch, amazed to see that the night was almost over. Perfect weddings were hard to come by, and she was sad to see this one end. "Right on time. Thanks, Kel."
"I never knew headsets could be sexy," a deep voice murmured behind her. "By the way, I considered snagging one of those from your crew earlier just so I could talk to you."
Eliza turned to find Carter watching her, and she narrowed her gaze and lifted her chin. "Shouldn't you be flirting with the maid of honor? Or the photographer, perhaps?"
His devilishly handsome lips lifted in a smirk, and she bit back a telling sigh. The man looked ever so gorgeous with his dark tan, white button-down shirt, crisp gray slacks, and suspenders.
Amelia had opted for a beachy-boho-chic style that jived perfectly with her personality and profession as a set designer, which was why Lincoln's best man had wound up looking like a male model. The female photographer had loved getting shots of the brothers and taken quite a few of Carter by himself and with Piper.
Now that the ceremony was over and the reception wrapping up, Carter had rid himself of the bow tie, unbuttoned the shirt, and rolled the sleeves up his impressive forearms. And the picture as a whole?
