Chapter 14
Dash
Me: Have you checked your schedule yet?
Mallory: What?
Me: Dinner. When are you free for dinner?
Mallory: I’m sorry, who is this?
Me: Haha.
Me: ??
Me: You must have forgotten to respond. I get how that can happen. No harm, no foul.
Me: um, okay…
Mallory: Right? It sucks when that happens.
Me: Can I ever make this up to you?
Mallory: Diamonds wouldn’t hurt. And sure, dinner on Wednesday
“Change of plans,” I say, walking into the lunchroom of the brown barn, where my siblings wait to start our meeting.
“Thanks for gracing us with your presence,” Archer grumbles.
Normally, I’d take the hit for being late, but today, they can all work on Dash Time, which lags approximately thirty minutes behind normal time. I dare them to be annoyed with me after I tell them what I accomplished on my night out with Mallory.
I even take a moment to pour myself a cup of coffee and mix in some oat milk before taking a seat.
“Sure, take your time. Would you like one of us to cook you breakfast while you’re getting settled?” Archer grumbles.
“Oh, cool it, Arch,” PJ says. Since she got engaged to Archer’s billionaire best friend, Colin Hathaway, she’s had no problem putting him in his place. It’s nice to see someone in the family call him on his bullshit moods. “What’s the change in plans?”
Four pairs of eyes stare at me, and I meet each of them before beginning. “I worked something out with Mallory Rutherford. We should be set on grapes as soon as she plants her first harvest.”
Jax grins like a canary-eating cat. “I’ll bet you worked it out. Her favorite way of doing business.”
“Look, just because you two crashed and burned three years ago doesn’t mean she’s not a good person.”
“Mallory Rutherford, a good person?” he asks. “Okay, now I really know she has you bamboozled. The sex must’ve been off the charts.”
“Would you cool it?” Beatrix smacks him across the shoulder. “You’re happy now. Leave Mallory out of it. And let Dash talk, for heaven’s sake.”
Jax looks chastened. He leans back in his chair, head down. “Fine. Sorry. You know I’m just messing with you, right?”
I nod. “And you’d better change your tune about her because she’s about to become a part of the family.”
I let that concept land without explanation, just to enjoy the chaos in the room for a minute. There are a lot of “what the hell?” and “sorry, what?” comments thrown about.
Then I explain our arrangement and how it benefits us both. My siblings seem appeased by the explanation, but then the questions begin again.
“Are you really going to be okay being married to her, even if it’s only temporary?” Beatrix asks. She can’t sit still when she thinks, and she’s already pacing circles around the room.
“I think it’ll be fine,” I say, realizing I haven’t thought everything through. The fake engagement seemed harmless enough, but when we’re married, we’ll be living together. She and I ought to talk about how to pull that off without annoying each other or getting in each other’s way.
Jax pins me with a stare, face a mask of seriousness. “All jokes aside, this is Mallory. She’s out for herself, and I don’t want you to lose sight of that. Just…don’t let your guard down, okay?”
I wave a hand. “I’m a big boy.” Besides, he sees what everyone else does in Mallory. I’m the one in the family who’s a good judge of character. “I don’t see red flags, so let’s not assume the worst, okay? All for the good of the business.”
I get some wary nods and a smile from PJ, who sits next to me. “I kind of love the idea, honestly.”
“Yeah? Why’s that?”
“Because I always thought you got a raw deal in terms of your reputation, and it’s not fair. This will shut people up, and they need some shutting up.”
I reach over and wrap an arm around PJ to hug her. “Thanks, PJ.” The youngest boy and youngest girl need to stick together. We’ve always had a special bond.
As to the rest of my siblings, they’ll just have to go along with it because Mallory and I are setting things in motion at the gala this weekend.
“As long as you’re good with it, so am I,” Beatrix says. My brothers nod in agreement.
“I am.” At least, I think I am.