“Don’t worry, Mom. I promise you it will be special for them. If anyone deserves it, it’s Greg.”
I closed my eyes and struggled internally. Greg had fought for a number of years as a child with leukemia, and there was a moment in time when it wasn’t certain whether he would make it. He fought like hell, and I remembered how torn up Lucas was over it. It was the only time we’d ever called a temporary ceasefire.
“I know you don’t want to hire Wendy, but she plans all kinds of parties, and I’m sure she’ll do a great job,” Lucas stated.
Wendy would do a terrible job, and we all knew it. I was going to regret what I was about to say.
Forcing the words out of my mouth, I said, “I’ll do it.”
They both turned and looked at me—Rose with a smile and Lucas with a look of relief. Maybe he hadn’t really wanted Wendy to do it after all.
“Are you sure? We don’t want to stress you out, and if you’re just doing it so Wendy doesn’t get the job…,” he started to say before I held up my hand. Anger pulsed through me.
“I could give a rat’s ass about Wendy, Lucas. I’m doing this for your mother and Greg. That’s it.”
Rose threw herself into me and hugged me. “Thank you so much, Hollie! Thank you!”
Lucas sighed and ran his hand threw his hair. He had clearly not wanted Wendy to do the job—that much was obvious—but he also had tried to make it seem like he hadn’t wanted me to do it either. The man was confusing as hell.
Rose stepped back and took my hand and her son’s. “Now, you two figure out the best time to get together and plan this.”
“What?” we both asked in unison.
“Greg asked you to do this, Lucas. Now, you’re in great hands. I’ve got to go! I have a book club party to get back to!”
Lucas and I watched as Rose disappeared back into her house.
We looked at one another and realized at the same time that Rose had put our hands together. I instantly pulled my hand away.
“This should be fun,” Lucas deadpanned.
“I have an idea—why don’t you just let me make all the plans, and we can say you helped?”
He let out a bark of laughter. “Oh, hell, no. I want this to be perfect for Greg and Janet. And you already said you have other parties you’re planning.”
My arms folded across my chest. “Are you saying I can’t do the job without your help?”
“That is exactly what I’m saying, Hollie. You turned this down until you heard Wendy was going to do it.”
“I am doing it because I like your brother, and you and I both know Wendy will not be able to set something up like I can.”
“I still want to be a part of this to make sure my brother has the best engagement possible.”
“I’m sorry, dickhead, this is what I do for a living. I run a very successful business. I don’t need you to babysit me.”
“I want input on this, Hollie. It’s my brother, and I want it to be perfect. So, you’re going to have to just put your desire to be the best at everything away for a bit and learn to work with a partner on this one.”
I gasped and took a step back. “I don’t desire to be the best at everything. And is it a crime to want to do a good job, Lucas? To take pride in my work? I’ve worked my ass off over the years to build this business. It’s called pride, and I’m sorry if that is a turnoff for you.”
Something changed in his eyes. They turned dark, and for a moment I couldn’t tear my gaze from them. It was only when he closed them and ran his hand down his face that my trance broke.
“When can we meet to talk about the engagement?” he asked. “Halloween is less than two weeks away.”
I reached into my bag and pulled out my calendar.
“You have a paper calendar? Why not use your phone?”
I shot him a look that I hoped read that I wanted him to drop dead. “I have tomorrow afternoon open. We can meet for lunch at Turner’s if you want. One sound okay?”