Читать книгу Engaging The Enemy - Reese Ryan - Страница 13

Four

“Now you expect me to date Kayleigh Jemison, too? Have you all lost your freaking minds?” Parker paced the floor in the conference room. “It’s bad enough I have to spend a week pretending to be her fiancé.”

“You know this plan will never work the way things stand between you and Kayleigh now,” Savannah said calmly. “Besides, it’ll give you two a chance to finally hash things out.”

“Your sister-in-law is right, son,” Duke piped up. “This feud between you two has gone on for too long.”

“It isn’t a feud,” Parker clarified. “She hates my guts. End of story.”

“You hurt her, Parker, and you never even apologized,” his sister pointed out. “What do you expect?”

“For the hundredth time... I didn’t say anything she hadn’t said herself.”

“I love you, Park,” his sister said. “But you can be an asshole sometimes. You’re so determined to prove yourself right that you’re not giving the slightest consideration to Kayleigh’s feelings.”

“Let’s not stoop to name-calling, baby girl,” their father said sternly, glancing around the room at all of them.

He came to stand beside Parker in front of the conference room windows and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Son, I realize that I’m asking a lot of you, but this is important to me because it’s important to your mother. She’s put her heart and soul into supporting my father’s dream and into raising this family. This is our chance to help her revive her father’s legacy. It’s something she’s dreamed about for years, and now we finally have the opportunity to make it happen. I’m sorry that the bulk of the load will fall to you. But this is important, Parker. Not just for your mother, but for King’s Finest, too.”

Parker groaned as he stared out the window. They had no idea what they were asking of him.

Kayleigh Jemison loathed him, but despite what his family believed, he didn’t despise her. He was angry with Kayleigh. Maybe even hurt by her unrelenting disdain. But spending time with her at Blake and Savannah’s wedding had made it clear that he was still very fond of her.

Being forced to spend a week with Kayleigh would test his will in more ways than they knew.

“I’ll do it for Mom.” Parker nodded. “And for the sake of this deal.”

His father clapped a hand on his back and smiled. “Thank you, son. This means a lot to all of us.”

His father was counting on him. Hell, his entire family was counting on him to make this deal happen. He’d been given a gift. He wanted to prove that when it was time to name a successor to the King’s Finest throne, he was the obvious choice. What better way to show his fitness for the role of CEO than by proving that he’d go beyond the call of duty to ensure the company’s success?

Their receptionist, Lianna, called the conference room to announce the arrivals of Kayleigh and their attorney, Lane Dennings.

“Speak now or forever hold your peace.” Max could barely contain his grin as Blake and Zora dissolved into laughter in response to his marriage pun.

Parker wouldn’t give his siblings the satisfaction of reacting. He simply ignored them.

“Ready, son?” His father held back a smile.

Parker nodded and sat at the table.

“I’ll clear the room. Go ahead and send them up, Lianna,” his father said. “I’ll meet them at the elevator.”

“You’re putting us out?” Zora groused.

“We don’t want to intimidate her. Parker, Lane and I have to be here, and Kayleigh requested that Savannah stay.”

“Well, I’m going down to the day care to spend some time with Davis before I go back to work.” Blake looked especially happy. He leaned down and gave his wife a quick kiss before exiting on the heels of Max, Zora and their father.

“Right this way, ladies,” his father was saying.

Parker’s eyes met Kayleigh’s as she entered the room. His pulse quickened and his mouth went dry.

He’d expected her to show up in tattered jeans and a T-shirt, with her hair a mess. But she hadn’t.

Kayleigh was stunning in a simple white blouse and a plain black skirt with a hemline that hovered just above her knees. Her hair fell below her shoulders in bouncy curls that swayed with every movement.

He’d barely managed spending a single day with her when he’d been charged with escorting her down the aisle at Blake and Savannah’s wedding.

Ten weeks and ten dates?

He was an absolute goner.

* * *

Kayleigh Jemison was not easily intimidated. But there was something unnerving about Parker Abbott’s appraisal as she entered the conference room.

His eyes widened with surprise as his gaze met hers and then slowly trailed down the length of her body.

Savannah had been right. Dressing the part was a good choice. It’d thrown Parker for a loop.

What she hadn’t expected was that she’d find his reaction unsettling. Her cheeks felt warm and there was a fluttering low in her belly.

Parker scrambled to his feet and buttoned the heather-gray suit jacket that fit him so well. He offered a stern nod.

Kayleigh returned the gesture before turning her attention to Duke Abbott, who stood beside his son.

“Ladies, please have a seat.” Duke gestured toward the chair beside Savannah. “Kayleigh, thank you for agreeing to meet us here.”

She smoothed down the black A-line skirt that skimmed her thighs before taking her seat next to her friend, who squeezed her arm reassuringly. “Thank you for agreeing to my price and terms.”

Kayleigh insisted that the purchase agreement for her building clearly spell out that the deal was contingent on Parker fulfilling his end of the bargain. Duke agreed readily, assuring her that he was a man of his word, as was Parker.

In her experience, neither Duke nor his son were trustworthy. But she needed both of them for now, so she’d play nice.

“I appreciate your willingness to accommodate my unusual request.” Kayleigh tucked her hair behind her ears to keep it from falling forward.

Parker cleared his throat. “Ready to sign the contract?”

“My attorney went over the agreement thoroughly, but I’d prefer to schedule the ten agreed-upon dates prior to signing the agreement.”

A deep frown creased Parker’s forehead. He opened his leather-bound planner. “For the sake of simplicity, why don’t we make it the same day and time each week?”

“What if we already have an event planned that day?”

Parker shrugged. “Then we make that our ‘date.’” He used air quotes.

Kayleigh wasn’t looking forward to combing through her calendar to schedule ten dates with Parker Abbott any more than he seemed to be.

“That’s a reasonable way to settle this, but I think we should allow for flexibility on the time of the ‘date.’” She used air quotes, too.

Parker grunted his agreement without looking up.

“How about Sunday afternoons?” she offered.

“We have our family dinner on Sundays.” Parker frowned. “How about Wednesday evenings?”

“In the middle of the week?” Now it was Kayleigh’s turn to frown. “That’s when I do most of my metalwork, and I’m in the studio pretty late, so that won’t work for me.”

Parker stared up from his datebook. “Saturday afternoons?”

“I can make Saturday work.” Kayleigh opened the calendar app on her phone. She’d gotten some part-time help on the weekends; otherwise she would’ve had to work on Saturday afternoons.

Parker stroked his goatee as he contemplated the calendar. Kayleigh couldn’t help studying his handsome features. Neat, thick brows framed his pensive, dark eyes. Full, kissable lips tugged down in an ever-present frown. His slim-cut gray suit accentuated his long, lean frame.

Okay, so she could definitely see why some women might consider Parker Abbott’s handsome-geek-chic look hot.

“How long will these dates be?” Parker skipped the air quotes this time, but his tone indicated that they were implied.

“We should allow for flexibility, but two to three hours on average should give us time to rehearse our story and get to know each other.”

“Agreed.” Parker made careful notes in his datebook. “How do we decide what we’ll do on each date?”

“We’ll take turns choosing.” Kayleigh shrugged.

“Seems fair.” Parker nodded. “Why don’t you choose first?”

“Actually, I have a suggestion for your first date,” Savannah interjected.

They both turned toward her.

“Blake and I want you to come to our house. Nothing fancy, just homemade pizza and a friendly board game or two, after we iron out your story.”

“Story?” The lines in Parker’s forehead deepened.

“How you two met, why you fell in love with her, your plans for the wedding. The kinds of questions that Kayleigh’s friend and her—” Savannah paused when Kayleigh frowned and subtly shook her head “—family are sure to ask.”

“I have an excellent memory.” Parker tapped his temple.

“It’s not about repeating data verbatim, Parker.” Savannah was remarkably patient with him. Perhaps because she was the only person in the room accustomed to managing the whims of a toddler. “You must be convincing when you say it.”

Parker didn’t acknowledge Savannah’s statement, but he didn’t object either. In Kayleigh’s book, that was progress.

“Besides, it’s a low-stress way for you two to ease into this arrangement,” Savannah added.

“Sounds reasonable.” Parker jotted the appointment down in his book. “What time should we be there?”

After the time was set, Duke stepped in to move the process along. He reiterated that the confidentiality agreement prevented her from discussing the deal with anyone other than Savannah or the six members of the King’s Finest executive board: Duke, Blake, Parker, Max, Zora and founder Joseph Abbott. She wasn’t even permitted to discuss the arrangement with his wife, Iris. Though they wouldn’t share the details of the project, it was to be a surprise for her.

“Won’t she wonder why Parker and I are suddenly spending so much time together?” Kayleigh frowned.

“She’s always hoped that you two would try and repair your friendship.” Savannah smiled warmly. “So, as far as Iris is concerned, this is Project Friendship.”

Kayleigh had zero interest in trying to resurrect a friendship that had been in tatters for far longer than it had existed. But if that would make Iris feel better, fine.

Once the paperwork was signed, Kayleigh shook Duke’s hand, then Parker’s.

There was something in his firm handshake and piercing gaze that sent a shiver down her spine. She hugged Savannah and quickly excused herself, eager to make her way back to her Jeep. When she did, she sank into the driver’s seat and leaned against the headrest.

Had she really been ogling Parker Abbott? And had he been doing the same?

No, of course not. She despised Parker and he obviously felt the same way about her. It wasn’t attraction; it was nerves, plain and simple. She’d insisted on Parker being the one to escort her to Kira’s wedding because with him there would be no blurring of the lines. She could count on Parker to keep their dealings strictly business. And she needed to do the same.

Ten dates, then one week together on the island. Afterward they’d both walk away with exactly what they wanted.

Negotiating the deal had been the easy part. Getting to know each other well enough to make Kira and her family believe they were a couple in love and engaged to be married...that was the hard part.

But she’d do it, no matter what. Because the looks of pity she’d garner from her ex and his family if she arrived alone were something she simply couldn’t endure.