“So that makes three of us then. Great! We can all catch up. See you later!” Then Holly walked off, her attention on her phone, probably looking for reservations.
Knox tipped his head. “Later, Jade.” He winked and strode off after his sister.
Jade tried not to drool as she watched him walk away. Then she turned to her booth and got back to business. But even as she talked with prospective customers and handed out brochures, she looked forward to spending an evening with Knox and couldn’t help wondering what she’d gotten herself into.
***
Knox was ina surprisingly good mood as he pulled out of the parking lot at the expo for the drive back into the city. Sure, Holly had manipulated him and Jade into dinner, but since it gave him an excuse to spend time with a pretty woman who intrigued him, he figured why the hell not go?
From the corner of his eye, he glanced at his sister. “You’re looking pretty smug.”
She turned to him. “About dinner? I am. About having to wait a year for the wedding? Not so much.”
“If you want to get married sooner, pick a different venue. I know the upscale places book out early, but I’m sure we can find you somewhere you’ll be happy.”
She frowned. “That’s my dream location.”
“Then we’ll just have to wait.”
Her cell phone rang and she answered the call. “Theo! Guess where I just went?”
Knox shook his head. She’d never stop trying to get her brother interested in her life.
“Oh! You saw the picture I posted?” She listened to the asshole’s answer. “Yes, I’m still with Knox.” She narrowed her gaze and glanced his way.
He shrugged and merged onto the highway.
“Fine.” She let out a groan. “Theo wants me to put him on speaker.” She hit the button on her screen. “You’re up,” she said to Theo. “What’s going on?”
“There are thousands of wedding planners in Manhattan. You don’t need to use Jade,” Theo said.
Knox set his jaw. What the fuck was Theo’s problem? He was the one who screwed things up with his fiancée. It was none of his business if Holly wanted to work with Jade.
“I want to get married at the Meridian, and she’s their wedding planner. Her family owns the hotel and she runs their entertainment. You know that,” Holly said.
“A place is a place. Pick somewhere else. It’ll be awkward for me.” Theo’s voice sounded more like a whine.
“This isn’t about you.” Knox was growing more pissed by the second. “It’s about Holly. And she is the only one who gets a say.”
He’d like to remind his stepbrother that Knox was the one paying for this wedding since their mother had disappeared with her latest wealthy pawn. Theo hadn’t offered up a dime. But Knox would never make Holly feel bad.
“You’re so full of shit, Knox. It’s not about what Holly wants. You just want to be around Jade. You always did have a hard-on for her. Guess you like my leftovers,” he said, chuckling, but Knox could hear the anger beneath the sound.
He forced out a deep breath and gripped the leather steering wheel harder. “Don’t you have playoffs to prepare for? Or are you still working off your last suspension?” Knox couldn’t help but deliberately goad his stepbrother. If something didn’t go Theo’s way on, or off, the ice, he made everybody miserable.
“At least I’m an athlete. You needed your daddy’s inheritance to be any part of a team.”
“Theo, cut it out,” Holly said, the joy from the day leeched out of her voice.
It was time to end this conversation. “I’d say it’s been a pleasure, but we both know that would be a lie.” Knox glanced at Holly. “Disconnect the call.”
Theo did the honors first and ended the conversation before she could hit the button on the phone.
“Sorry I let him push me into an argument,” Knox told his sister. “But don’t let him get to you. He’s always been self-centered. He thinks everything’s either about him or someone’s done him wrong. None of this has anything to do with you.”
Holly sighed. “I know. He never takes responsibility. Anytime something bad happens to him, it’s someone else’s fault.” She picked at her nails. “I’m sorry for what he said to you.”
Knox reached over and grasped her hand. “Don’t take his shit on yourself. Come on. What happened to the smug, giddy woman who set her brother up tonight?”
Holly blinked in an exaggerated fashion. “Who, me?”
He laughed, glad her good mood had returned. “That’s better. Now get to work finding us a restaurant.”
She turned up the radio and began scrolling on her phone, giving Knox time to think about Theo’s reaction. If a mere photo with Jade had set his stepbrother off, Knox could only imagine what Theo would do if Knox actually spent time with his stepbrother’s ex. And unsurprisingly, he didn’t care.