Chapter Fourteen #2
They confirmed their driver’s identity and slid into the back of the Corolla, which was surprisingly well-appointed.
Hank was one of those car-share drivers committed to the five-star rating, and the center console had charging cords, snacks, tiny bottles of water, and an assortment of gum and mints.
Maggie unwrapped a mint and popped it into her mouth, then offered Blake one.
“It’s a gift, not a hint,” she explained.
Smiling, he took it. It was one of the peppermint pillow mints, the puffed kind that dissolved immediately when you bit down on it.
“Good mints,” she told Hank, who perked up under the compliment.
“I like to keep my clients happy.” He smiled at them in the rearview mirror, then turned his attention back to the road. “You two look very nice. Are you headed to a wedding?”
“A charity fundraiser,” Blake answered.
“Oh, very nice!” Hank nodded. “What’s the charity?”
Before Blake could answer, Maggie spoke up.
“It’s for a nonprofit called PlantSeed. They partner with local organizers to promote green space equity in Boston, and to help underserved neighborhoods start community gardens and farmers’ markets and things like that.
Ending food deserts throughout the city. ”
Blake looked over at her, a ripple of surprise and appreciation running through him. “What?” she asked, somewhat defensively. “You think I don’t know everything about my boyfriend’s company?”
He knew she was trying out the “boyfriend” story, getting used to the fib, but he couldn’t deny the spark of warmth that word evoked. “I didn’t know you researched it.”
“Of course.” She shrugged. “I’m a writer. I research everything.”
I research everything. She said it casually, and Blake had the feeling that she meant it, too. At least she wasn’t a CIA agent running background checks on him.
“Hank, would you turn on some music?” Maggie asked. “Anything you like.”
“You’ve got it.” Hank flipped on some R&B, the volume up loud enough that they could talk in the backseat with some privacy.
Blake raised his eyebrows. “You wanted some music?”
She waved a hand dismissively. “No, I want to talk about how we met.”
“What?”
“People are going to ask us how we met. And how long we’ve been dating.” Her expression indicated this was obvious. They needed to get their story straight.
“Oh. Well, we met back in mid-July when you applied to rent the extra room.” Blake smiled at the memory. “We got coffee, and you asked me to tell you right away if I was a murderer so you could save yourself time.”
Maggie pursed her lips. “So, that’s how we met?”
“Yeah, why not?” Blake had enough secrecy in his life. “It’s the truth.”
“We were roommates, then … we started dating?”
Blake nodded. “You fell for my intelligence and my ability to keep even the most difficult houseplant alive.”
Maggie laughed. “That was it. I was unable to resist your green thumb.”
“What’s the alternative?” Blake leaned closer, and he couldn’t help but tease her, lips close to her ear as he whispered. “You want me to tell people you couldn’t resist me in bed?”
Maggie spun, bringing their faces inches apart, and her pupils dilated.
Oh.
Maybe this attraction wasn’t one-sided at all.
She’d teased him, flirted with him, dropped some innuendo, but he’d never turned the tables.
That expression on her face, though, was an expression he’d seen on women’s faces before.
She wanted him. The knowledge ran straight through his body like an electric current, and he thought about kissing her.
It would be easy to bridge this tiny gap between them.
She would breathe in quickly, a small gasp, then kiss him back, sliding her fingers into his hair and slotting her mouth against his, and—
“This is as close as I can get. Front of the building’s blocked off.
” Hank pulled up alongside the venue, jolting Blake out of his reverie.
Maggie seemed similarly surprised, like she’d been lost in her thoughts as well.
Blake helped her from the backseat onto the curb and let his mind and body come back into focus.
He couldn’t afford to get distracted tonight. He had a job to do.
Maggie needed to get herself together or she was not going to make it through this night.
She gathered her thoughts on the curb while Blake completed his ride in the app.
Ever since being in his room, she’d been distracted.
The way he’d been looking at her, for one, but also, something about his desk gave her déjà vu, which also left her off-kilter.
She liked to make jokes to balance herself, and it had worked, mostly, until he’d made that joke about them sleeping together and she’d lost her whole mind.
It wasn’t only his proximity, or the fact that he looked like he wanted to kiss her, although both of those were certainly factors.
But he’d never made a sexual joke like that before.
She’d never heard that side of him, and for him to toss it out effortlessly, like it had been on the tip of his tongue anyway, had shaken her assessment of him right down to every iota of assumption.
“Cold tonight,” he observed, moving closer to her, and she noticed the temperature for the first time. She’d really been deep in her head. “We should get inside.” He offered her his arm.
She took it, and the warmth of him burned into her side all the way along her body, even where they weren’t touching.
Fuck, it was going to be a long night.
She hadn’t expected paparazzi, but as they turned the corner to the front of the building, press photographers had lined up to take their pictures. Apparently, that’s why the road was blocked off. “I didn’t know this was such a big deal,” she whispered.
“I thought we might be early enough that they wouldn’t be here.” He sounded apologetic. “Usually they only care about the donors. Want me to see about sneaking in through a side door?”
“Of course not. This is your night.” She tugged him forward into the short line.
They posed for a slew of photographs, some bright flashes that made spots appear before her eyes, and she tried to smile naturally and look as if she belonged on Blake’s arm.
The whole thing took only a few minutes, and they were inside.
Blake gave their name to the table of friendly well-dressed people in the foyer waiting to take the guests’ initial donations. She gave her wrap to a coat-check attendant and let Blake escort her to their table.
She dropped her purse on the chair next to a placard with her name on it.
“Here’s the timeline,” Blake said. Now that he was in the ballroom, he was all business.
“Cocktail hour goes until eight, when dinner starts. Dessert should wrap up a bit after nine, at which point the executive director of PlantSeed will get up and say a few words, then they’ll share information about the silent auction, and I’ll give my presentation.
Then there’s schmoozing and dancing until it all wraps up, which they tell me is around midnight or one or something like that.
” He reached out and plucked something from the end of one of her loose curls, making her breath catch as his fingers brushed her cheek.
“You had a fuzz,” he said, but his voice hitched. “From your wrap.”
“Right.” She tried to sound calm, but her heart had begun fluttering in her chest. “Open bar, I take it.”
“Of course.” He hesitated. “I probably won’t have anything until after my presentation.”
“Smart.” She nodded. “I won’t overindulge, don’t worry.”
He tipped his head to the side and gave her a soft smile of disbelief. “I would never worry about you.”
Well, that was disarming, and Maggie was left gaping when a sudden presence to her right made her turn.
A tall, slender woman with deep brown skin and wide-set amber eyes had just walked into their space, smiling at them.
She wore an emerald tuxedo that accentuated her height, along with incredible matching heels.
Her short black hair was styled in tight coils close to her head, and she wore large gold hoop earrings that caught the light when she turned.
Maggie could feel her presence, a calming energy that nonetheless spoke of total control.
“Blake.” She extended a hand to him, which he took with a smile. “You look wonderful.” She turned to Maggie. “And this must be your guest.”
“Yes. Candace, I’d like you to meet my–my girlfriend, Marguerite St. Claire.” Maggie was probably the only one who noticed his slight stutter right before the word “girlfriend.” Blake continued, “Maggie, this is Candace Bellingham, the executive director of PlantSeed.”
“Just Candace, thanks,” Candace said, shaking Maggie’s hand and giving her a warm smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Marguerite.”
“Please, call me Maggie.” Maggie returned Candace’s smile. She had an excellent handshake and a sense of gravitas indicating her confident control of the room. “You’ve done amazing work. I’ve been following your organization.”
“That’s kind of you to say.” Candace rested a gentle hand on Blake’s shoulder. “Your boyfriend has been doing excellent work for us this year.”
“He’s very talented.” Maggie didn’t even have to lie. Blake was easy to talk positively about.
Candace turned her warm smile to Blake. “She’s a keeper.”
“Oh, I know it.” He returned her smile and didn’t look nervous anymore, which was impressive.
“Are you all set? Do you have everything you need?” Candace looked around the room. “The AV team has your files already, I believe.”
“Yes, I sent them everything earlier this week.” He’d double-checked and triple-checked before today. “Ready to go.”