Read Online His 24-Hour Wife (The Hawke Brothers 2) by Rachel Bailey - Free Book Online Page B

I’ve only been in this house a couple of times before, but I’ve only realized this time that there are no flowers.”
    “You live at the flower farm,” Adam said pointedly. “Of course your house is full of flowers.”
    Jenna shook her head. “Yes, but I didn’t always live at the farm.” She turned to Callie. “I met Liam when I was Dylan’s housekeeper—I’d run from my family and my homeland when I found out I was pregnant. I would have never forgiven myself for causing a scandal for my family because I was an unwed mother. I wound up working incognito as Dylan’s housekeeper. Dylan lives in a downtown apartment and he has a delivery once a week. When I worked for him, it was the highlight of my week to arrange the fresh flowers.”
    Callie looked around. Now that Jenna mentioned it, it did seem strange that a man who had made his fortune from flowers didn’t have a single one in his house. In fact, besides furniture, the space was practically empty. No personalized...well, anything.
    “It would be a waste since I’m at work all day.” He waved a dismissive hand.
    Intrigued, Callie persisted. “Do you have any on your desk at work?”
    “No.” He shifted in his seat. “But I do look at photos of flowers several times a day.”
    Perhaps Adam Hawke needed to slow down and literally smell the roses. He had this great view from the living room, but had admitted he was rarely here. It seemed most of his life was work. But she didn’t want to push too hard in front of Jenna.
    In front of Jenna?
Jenna was his actual family—if anyone was going to press him, she would have more right. Not a virtual stranger who’d been plonked down in the middle of his life.
    Uncomfortable with the stark reminder of reality, she changed the subject. “Okay, is there anything else we need to focus on at this stage?”
    Jenna glanced from Adam’s hands to Callie’s. “Do you have rings?”
    Callie felt her thumb rub over her naked ring finger of its own volition.
    “Not yet,” she said to Jenna. “In fact, Anna asked about them at the photo shoot and I said we were getting new ones for our fresh start, but then the whole thing slipped my mind.”
    “I’ll call a jeweler this morning,” Adam said. “I’ll get them to come to the house with a selection as soon as they can arrange it.”
    Adam had spoken in a pragmatic tone, yet the idea of looking at rings with him sounded just a little bit magical. Ruthlessly, she pushed the thought away. This was not the time for flights of fancy.
    Jenna flicked through her notes and looked up. “What about the bachelor and bachelorette parties?”
    Adam cocked his head. “Is that what we’d call them when we’re already married?”
    Jenna shrugged. “We can call it something else if you prefer. Technically you’re not a bachelor, but it’s like the vow renewal being called a wedding.”
    “You know,” Callie said, “I think it would be simpler for the sake of the campaign to call them bachelor and bachelorette parties, even if it’s not strictly correct. Everyone knows what the term means.”
    “Suits me.” Jenna made a note. “Here’s another thought. Since neither of you need a traditional farewell to your single life, how about we do something different with them?”
    “How different?” Callie asked.
    Jenna smiled. “We could hold them jointly.”
    “A bachelor-bachelorette double bill?” Adam asked, rubbing his jaw. “Sure, why not?”
    Callie’s mind kicked into high gear. “That could work. It would be an integral part of the overall strategy, and we’d invite a journalist along to cover the event.”
    Jenna nodded. “And instead of bachelorette games, we could have some fundraising events during the night.”
    “That’s just the sort of thing that’s non-traditional enough to get some traction in the media. I’ll start getting some ideas together and send them to you.” Callie glanced down and reviewed the notes she’d made. “I think we