compensation. Welcome to Hurst House.” Avery smiled and excused herself.
And now Meredith had three bosses. Four if you counted Cara, who was patiently waiting for Meredith to rejoin the wedding-dress business.
Meredith’s head swam. For a woman who’d been floundering, she certainly seemed to have found a life raft full of opportunities.
Five
M eredith and Avery talked far longer than Jason would have ever put money on. And Avery looked far too satisfied with the conversation for his comfort.
What were they saying to each other? Had Avery dropped any worthwhile information into the mix? No. Surely not. She’d just met Meredith, and Avery wasn’t much of a blabbermouth. Everything she did came about through careful calculation.
Finally, his sister and Meredith parted, and Avery’s smile was enigmatic and dangerous. He didn’t like it. Anytime his sister smiled, it made him nervous.
His mother snapped her fingers in his face. “Earth to Jason.”
“Sorry. I’m a little distracted.” He refocused on Bettina and tried to put Meredith out of his mind.
With an indulgent smile, Bettina swirled her club soda and lime. “Yes, that’s certainly one way to describe Avery’s gorgeous new friend. As I was saying...”
She launched into a lengthy speech about ideas for her new swimwear line targeted at younger girls. Jason offered a half-formed opinion, wondering how his mother had known he was watching Meredith when he’d been careful to give everyone the opposite impression. Obviously, he was slipping.
Swimwear. That’s what he needed to be thinking about. Bettina had been running the company for two years and was ready to jump back into the design side. Perfect timing, in Jason’s mind. If she eased away from her CEO role, he could slide right into the gap, ready to take over and execute his merger plans. His mother needed confidence in him and a new project to keep her busy.
Then Meredith left the ballroom in a swish of glittery dress and mahogany hair and Jason left his mother midsentence with a terse, “Be right back.”
He had to know what Avery said to Meredith. The suspense was killing him.
Meredith ducked into the ladies’ room, forcing Jason to cool his heels in the hall. He sipped his martini and tried to pretend he was getting some air.
When Meredith’s distinctive dress flashed in his peripheral vision, he tilted his head toward the opposite end of the hall, away from the ballroom. He strolled in that direction without looking over his shoulder to be sure she was following him. She better be.
He turned the corner and lucked into a small alcove with a plush bench and side table. It was empty. Meredith’s exotic perfume hit him a moment before the most striking woman in attendance appeared. The one-two punch put him on edge.
“What’s up?” she asked. “Isn’t meeting like this a little risky?”
He conceded the point with a small nod. “Yeah. So talk fast. What did Avery say?”
“Maybe you should learn the art of patience, hmm?” She perched on the edge of the bench and made a big show of fixing a buckle on her shoe.
“Don’t be difficult. You talked to her for a long time. Avery doesn’t chat. She strategizes. What angle did she play?”
Meredith flipped her hair behind her back and stole Jason’s martini, which she downed in one gulp. “Pot, meet kettle.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She arched a brow. “It means you two are cut from the same cloth, no pun intended. Maybe you should stop thinking about the angles once in a while.”
With a growl, he snatched the empty glass from his wife’s hand and checked his temper before he slammed it down on the side table and shattered it into a million pieces. Which might ease his frustration but wouldn’t get the answers out of Meredith any faster. “What is your problem? I’m asking you to give me information. That’s why you’re here, Meredith.”
“No, that’s why you’re here, darling.” She raked
And now Meredith had three bosses. Four if you counted Cara, who was patiently waiting for Meredith to rejoin the wedding-dress business.
Meredith’s head swam. For a woman who’d been floundering, she certainly seemed to have found a life raft full of opportunities.
Five
M eredith and Avery talked far longer than Jason would have ever put money on. And Avery looked far too satisfied with the conversation for his comfort.
What were they saying to each other? Had Avery dropped any worthwhile information into the mix? No. Surely not. She’d just met Meredith, and Avery wasn’t much of a blabbermouth. Everything she did came about through careful calculation.
Finally, his sister and Meredith parted, and Avery’s smile was enigmatic and dangerous. He didn’t like it. Anytime his sister smiled, it made him nervous.
His mother snapped her fingers in his face. “Earth to Jason.”
“Sorry. I’m a little distracted.” He refocused on Bettina and tried to put Meredith out of his mind.
With an indulgent smile, Bettina swirled her club soda and lime. “Yes, that’s certainly one way to describe Avery’s gorgeous new friend. As I was saying...”
She launched into a lengthy speech about ideas for her new swimwear line targeted at younger girls. Jason offered a half-formed opinion, wondering how his mother had known he was watching Meredith when he’d been careful to give everyone the opposite impression. Obviously, he was slipping.
Swimwear. That’s what he needed to be thinking about. Bettina had been running the company for two years and was ready to jump back into the design side. Perfect timing, in Jason’s mind. If she eased away from her CEO role, he could slide right into the gap, ready to take over and execute his merger plans. His mother needed confidence in him and a new project to keep her busy.
Then Meredith left the ballroom in a swish of glittery dress and mahogany hair and Jason left his mother midsentence with a terse, “Be right back.”
He had to know what Avery said to Meredith. The suspense was killing him.
Meredith ducked into the ladies’ room, forcing Jason to cool his heels in the hall. He sipped his martini and tried to pretend he was getting some air.
When Meredith’s distinctive dress flashed in his peripheral vision, he tilted his head toward the opposite end of the hall, away from the ballroom. He strolled in that direction without looking over his shoulder to be sure she was following him. She better be.
He turned the corner and lucked into a small alcove with a plush bench and side table. It was empty. Meredith’s exotic perfume hit him a moment before the most striking woman in attendance appeared. The one-two punch put him on edge.
“What’s up?” she asked. “Isn’t meeting like this a little risky?”
He conceded the point with a small nod. “Yeah. So talk fast. What did Avery say?”
“Maybe you should learn the art of patience, hmm?” She perched on the edge of the bench and made a big show of fixing a buckle on her shoe.
“Don’t be difficult. You talked to her for a long time. Avery doesn’t chat. She strategizes. What angle did she play?”
Meredith flipped her hair behind her back and stole Jason’s martini, which she downed in one gulp. “Pot, meet kettle.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She arched a brow. “It means you two are cut from the same cloth, no pun intended. Maybe you should stop thinking about the angles once in a while.”
With a growl, he snatched the empty glass from his wife’s hand and checked his temper before he slammed it down on the side table and shattered it into a million pieces. Which might ease his frustration but wouldn’t get the answers out of Meredith any faster. “What is your problem? I’m asking you to give me information. That’s why you’re here, Meredith.”
“No, that’s why you’re here, darling.” She raked
Similar Books
