“Yep. Fine. I’m good. So good. Like, better than good.”
He placed his hands on my arms and gently turned me around. With his finger under my chin, he lifted my head so that our eyes met. “What’s going on?”
My mouth suddenly felt dry, and I forgot how to form words. Why was Landon’s touch sending little jolts of electricity through my entire body? Why did I want to reach up and kiss him, and why did he have to look so damn good with his stupid, wet, messy hair and soft, plump lips?
It wasn’t like I hadn’t thought about it. Once upon a time I imagined that Landon and I might end up together. But that was years ago, back in middle school and the beginning of high school. Hell, every day I used to pretend what it would be like to be kissed by him. Then we got older, Landon and I started dating other people, and I pushed those feelings for him so far down inside that I had forgotten what it felt like to captivated by Landon. To…to want him.
Was it the auction? The idea that I, of all people, pushed him into a place where women would bid on a date with him? When I blurted out his name, I never thought about the end result. But now, good Lord. Now it was all I could think about. Did my stupid lapse of judgment and all this sudden jealousy pull those feelings back up from the abyss?
I closed my eyes and shook the wandering thoughts away before I focused on that caring gaze of his. “A client of mine has a problem that I’m not sure how to fix.”
He frowned. “Is it anything I can help you figure out?”
I chewed on my lip. “No, I think it’s something she’s going to have to figure out on her own.”
“I’m sorry, Emme. I wish there was something I could do to help.”
Staring up into his blue-gray eyes, I slowly let out a breath. “Me too, Landon.”
The last two weeks had dragged by as I waited for the day of the charity ball to finally arrive. I had avoided Landon like the plague. It hadn’t been hard, really. He’d been so busy with the shop that we’d missed Monday movie night last week, and he wasn’t in town last Sunday for family dinner night because he’d flown to Vegas to do a guest commentary for a NASCAR race. I knew he hated being thrown back into the limelight, but the pay was good and he was a huge part of our fathers’ NASCAR team, as well as being part owner of his own car.
The time away from him was good. At least, that’s what I told myself when I wasn’t searching the Internet for any bit of news on him. Or texting him to see how his day was. Or nearly killing myself listening to his special ringtone every time he returned a text.
To put it plainly, I had been a mess the last two weeks. The longer I stayed away from Landon, the more desperate I was to see him.
As I stared at my gown I had just put on for the charity ball, my phone buzzed, and I looked to see that it was Hailey calling. “Hello?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you planned Francesca Hamilton’s wedding?” she asked.
“Hello to you, too, Hail. Is Mike back in town for the event tonight?”
“Yes and don’t avoid my question! You planned the wedding of one of Hollywood’s most sought-out actresses!”
I grinned as I walked into the living room. “I know. She actually got my name from Landon’s manager after she read the interview in People where he mentioned me. She’s originally from Waco, you know. She wanted her wedding here in Texas, and wanted a local planner.”
“Um, yes, I know! Did you know her wedding is featured in People magazine this week, and she named you as the wedding planner?! They have your Instagram listed!”
I felt my mouth fall open. “Shut up!”
“I’m dead serious. Girl, have you not opened your Insta? Your followers are climbing!”
I quickly put her on speaker and opened my Instagram—and nearly fell over at the number of followers I had picked up. “Holy shit.”
“I know! I mean, you had an impressive following before, but I think that was because you were Landon Lewis’s best friend and all. Now you’re Francesca’s famed wedding planner. By the way, that rehearsal dinner was stunning. I can’t believe you did that last minute after the restaurant flooded.”
I stared at my followers. Eight-hundred thousand and some change. Feeling dizzy, I backed up and dropped down onto the sofa, not even caring about my gown.
“Oh my gosh. Sandra Bullock followed me! Sandra! Bullock!” I shouted.
“Bitch, please, you should see some of the people following you now and all the blue checkmarks next to their names. My girl is getting famous! I wonder who else will want you to do their wedding? Just remember, I come first above all those bitches.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head as I let out a disbelieving laugh. “This is crazy! I have so many messages!”
“Excuse me, but I’m still pissed you didn’t tell me.”
“It’s called an NDA, Hail. I had to sign one. I couldn’t tell anyone I was working on her wedding. We even used fake names at all the venues. There were three photographers there. One, a wedding photographer I arranged, and two others were from the media, but I didn’t know which magazine or news outlet they were from.”
“Well, now you do! You’re famous, Emme!”
I rolled my eyes and stood. “What I am is nervous. I haven’t heard from Landon. I think he might be mad at me.”
“That’s crazy. I saw him earlier today at our folks’ place. He was picking up his tux since it was still at the house.”
With a sigh of relief, I felt some of the tension in my body slip away. “I was afraid the longer he thought about this, the more pissed he would be.”
Hailey huffed. “As much as he’s been complaining, I think he’s looking forward to seeing how much money he can bring in. I heard Noah and him placing bets on it earlier.”
I smiled. “I’ve been so busy the last week and a half, I haven’t had time to really see Landon.”
With a disbelieving snort she asked, “Uh-huh. Is that what we’re calling it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Be honest. You were afraid to see him because you’ve finally opened your eyes to what’s really happening between the two of you.”
“Don’t be crazy, Hailey. As a matter of fact, I have a date next week.”
“What? With who?”
“Bryce Reynolds. We went to high school with him. I ran into him at Starbucks. He’s an assistant baseball coach at Baylor now.”
“Bryce Reynolds? He was a manwhore, Emmerson.”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “That was in high school. He seems like a nice guy. It’s just dinner anyway.”
It was almost as if I could hear Hailey’s thoughts coming through the phone.
“There are a million reasons why it would never work between me and Landon, Hailey.”
“Really? Name one.”
I tried. I actually tried to think of one…and couldn’t.
“I thought so. You can deny it all you want, Emme, but sooner or later you’re both going to pop, and when you do…the sparks are going to fly!”
I glanced at the clock. “Landon will be here soon, and I’ve still got to get ready. Just trust me when I say I was in a weird place, but I’m okay now. I do not have romantic feelings for Landon, and I know he doesn’t have them for me.”