Her lashes fluttered as she seemed to wrestle with what he’d said. “Wow.”
“Too much?”
“Um, no.” She shook her head. “I’m just surprised.”
“By what part? Surely you know how I feel about you. Surely you know that I’d take a chance with you if I had one.”
“And to what end? So we can date for a week or two and you can get bored of me?”
His heart pounded fiercely. If he’d ever been bored with a woman, it was only because she wasn’t the complete package. She wasn’t like Melanie. “I would never get bored of you. Ever.”
“How am I supposed to believe that, Adam? Even when you were engaged, she didn’t manage to hold your interest.”
Thirteen
Roger Langford was paying Melanie a significant sum of money, but her job description didn’t include party-planning duties. She took on the extra work partly because the annual LangTel gala also raised money for charity. The other half of the equation was that all of her work with Adam led up to this one night. It had to be perfect. She would do everything she could to make sure that it was nothing less.
Several minutes late and fighting a monster headache, Melanie rushed into the grand ballroom where the gala was to be held. Anna, Adam’s sister, was already there.
Anna smiled and shook Melanie’s hand. “Thank you for meeting me and helping out. I’m a fish out of water with this sort of thing.” Her long chestnut brown hair, the color exactly like Adam’s, was pulled back in a high ponytail. Also like Adam, she was confident, but hers was more reserved than cocky. Her demeanor exuded grace and professionalism.
Melanie placed her bag on a table, wishing she’d taken more pain reliever before she’d left the office. “It’s not a problem. I have a fair amount of experience organizing parties. Every now and then I end up doing one for a client.”
Just thinking about the gala made the corners of Melanie’s mouth draw down. That night would spell the end of working with Adam. He’d go back to his life, she’d go back to hers. As to what that entailed, she wasn’t sure. She’d thought once or twice that maybe she and Adam could go out to dinner once her assignment was over, although she wasn’t sure how that would work either. Did she have the guts to ask him out on a date? Sitting around and waiting for him to do it would be torture. Not that it would matter. For all she knew, Julia and Adam would be running away together after the party.
The two women walked the opulent space, going through the notes Roger Langford’s assistant had given them. Table linens, decor and menu had been decided months ago. It was really Melanie and Anna’s job just to discuss how the flow and timing of the party would work, since Roger would be making his big announcement and Adam making the closing comments.
“An hour for cocktails should be sufficient, I think,” Melanie said. “I’ll make sure the media has an unobtrusive spot to view everything. Your dad gives his speech, which I hope will be short.” Her phone rang, but she let it go to voice mail.
Anna let out a breathy laugh that said she didn’t find it funny. “Don’t bet on that one. My father loves the sound of his own voice.”
“I already need to work with Adam on what he’s going to say, so I’ll coach your dad, as well. If he goes too long, the networks will chop it up for broadcast. There are already enough misperceptions about your family. We don’t need to add to them.” In her planner, Melanie scribbled down a reminder about the speeches. “After that, Adam takes the stage and addresses everyone, we have a toast and dinner is served.”
“The king will have ascended to the throne.”
Precisely—Adam’s long-awaited chance to take over his father’s massive corporation. “It is almost like a coronation, isn’t it?”
Anna nodded slowly. “From everything my mother says, my father has been waiting since the moment Adam was born for this to happen.” Her voice faltered, but she wasn’t choking back tears. As near as Melanie could tell, Anna had extreme command of her emotions. “Of course, we all thought it would happen when my dad retired. We never imagined it would be because he’s dying.”
Melanie’s heart ached for Anna, and for Adam, as well. Watching their father fade away had to be so difficult. Did it make things easier that Roger had opted to keep the severity of his illness a secret, or had that added to the family’s burden? Adam didn’t always talk about it, but she’d seen how much it weighed on him. “I can only imagine how hard this must be for you.” Her phone rang, but she let it go to voice mail again. If only there was more she could say, or something she could do to make it better, but it was an unsolvable problem. They’d be lucky if Roger Langford lived to see another Christmas with his family.