“Only my mom would believe that the two of us were dating,” he said.
Margot couldn’t have thought that. Could she?
“No one who knew us—other than your mom—would think that, but Margot doesn’t know us. And please, that woman so has the hots for you. I saw the way she looked at me, right at first, before she recognized me. That was not an Oh, my new employee is here, that’s nice look. That was a I can’t believe this motherfucker is on a date with this bitch look. Don’t get me wrong, I respect that. And then she was so extra gracious to you. Obviously, it’s because she can’t let you know how she wishes she was at this table with you right now, but I promise you, that’s exactly what she wishes.”
Luke dropped the menu that he’d been gripping since they sat down and stared at Avery. Then he shook his head.
“I know you’re just saying that to make me feel better, but please don’t bullshit me here,” he said.
Avery laughed at him.
“Oh God, you have it bad, don’t you? But I’m not bullshitting you.” She looked around, and then lowered her voice. “Margot Noble does not have normal boss-employee feelings for you, that much was very clear to me.”
Could Avery be right? Luke thought about the night before in the car, their warm, friendly conversation. Their completely-devoid-of-flirting conversation. There had been that moment at the beginning, when they’d gotten in the car, sure, but that had just been a shared joke. After that, there had been no undercurrents, no significant eye contact, not even when they’d pulled up in front of his building, the one she’d walked into with him almost exactly a week before.
He shook his head.
“You’re wrong. She doesn’t act like that to me at all. She’s just friendly, professional, like she was tonight. There’s never any sign from her that anything ever happened between us.”
Or could ever in the future. Unfortunately.
“Luke. You were too busy being in shock that she was right there in front of you to see the way she looked at us when she noticed us. She definitely thinks we’re on a date, and she’s definitely pissed about it.” Avery raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you want her to keep thinking that? I’ll pretend for Margot, as well as your mom, if you want.”
He didn’t even have to think about it.
“No.” He sighed. “Not like it matters, she’s made that very clear, but . . . still no.”
“That’s what I thought.” Avery picked up her wineglass. “See, Luke, this is why I adore you. Some men would want her to think that, to make her jealous, make her more interested, or whatever. You’ve never been like that.”
A genuine compliment like this from Avery was rare. She usually just made fun of him. Her breakup had clearly had an effect on her. Speaking of.
“Enough about me. How are you doing?”
Avery flashed him a smile.
“I’m fine.”
“No, really,” he said. “How are you?”
She picked up her menu.
“I’m fine. Really.” Okay, she obviously didn’t want to talk about it. That was like Avery. He wouldn’t push her.
“Okay, how’s work going?” he tried.
Avery perked up, like he knew she would.
“Really well, actually. Things have gotten so busy I might have to hire my own assistant. And speaking of your mom, she sent me a couple who got engaged at the inn—I don’t do a ton of weddings these days, but they were so nice that I couldn’t say no to them.”
“Oh, that’s great,” he said. “I’ll tell her that.”
Avery smirked.
“Oh, I can tell her that, in my new role as your fake girlfriend.” She took a sip of her wine. “And don’t worry: when I meet Margot for breakfast, I’ll make it clear to her that you and I are just friends and were definitely not on a date tonight.”
He did not want Avery discussing him with Margot.
“Please don’t,” he said.
“But you said you didn’t want Margot to think we were dating!”
He never should have said that.
“I don’t, but—”
“Well, I’ll make sure she doesn’t.”
If Margot knew he’d told Avery about the two of them, she’d be furious.
“Avery—”
She waved a hand in the air.
“I swear, I won’t drop the slightest hint that I know what happened between the two of you, okay? I will just casually mention that you’re an old friend from high school, make it clear you and I could not be less interested in one another.”
Luke looked over at Margot and Sydney’s table. They were laughing again.
“There’s nothing I can say to keep you from doing this, is there?”
Avery grinned at him. He didn’t like that grin at all.
“Absolutely nothing, no.” She picked up her glass of wine. “It’s very funny to me that I have to make it clear to your mom that we are dating, but also make it clear to your boss that we are not dating.” She rubbed her hands together. “This is going to be fun.”
He dropped his face into his hands.
“Fun at my expense, you mean,” he said.
“My favorite kind,” Avery said.
Eight
THURSDAY MORNING, MARGOT DROVE over to the upscale bakery/café where she was meeting Avery for breakfast. She was very glad she’d had lots of experience forcing a warm professional smile onto her face at all times, because she still couldn’t fucking believe she had to have breakfast with Avery a few days after she’d seen her on a date with Luke.
“It’s not like you’re dating him,” she reminded herself out loud in the car, for the twentieth or so time. “Or that you were ever dating him. You don’t even want to date him! He’s too young for you, remember? And he’s leaving Napa Valley in a few months, he told you that. And even if he wasn’t, I’m sure he wouldn’t want anything serious—guys like him never do. And I don’t know why you’re even saying any of this to yourself because he is your employee!”
She let out a long sigh, pulled into a parking space, and touched up her lipstick. Sure, she wasn’t dating and couldn’t date Luke Williams, but if she had to see his new girlfriend or whatever right after she’d seen them on a date together, she was at least going to look fantastic.
She walked into the bakery and looked around. Avery wasn’t there yet. Maybe she’d forgotten about their breakfast date. Maybe Luke had distracted her. Maybe she was in bed with him right now. Oh God, stop it, Margot, what is wrong with you?
She went up to look at the display case, but heard her name a few seconds later. Avery walked up to her, a smile on her face.
“Hi, Margot, there you are. I highly recommend their apricot croissant if you haven’t had it yet this spring.”
Margot smiled at her.
“I haven’t, but I’m a real sucker for their ham and cheese croissant. I think I have it every time I come here.” She looked back at the bakery case. “Let me get one of the apricot ones for my brother, he loves those.” She waved toward the case. “Is that what you want? This is on me, you’re doing me a favor here.”
“Oh, I’m happy to help, but if you insist, yes, an apricot croissant and a large coffee,” Avery said. She glanced around the room. “I’ll grab us a table while you order.”
When she got to the front of the line, Margot ordered the pastries and their coffees. She really did appreciate Avery taking the time to talk to her, even though she wished they’d done this before she’d seen Avery and Luke together. Avery had been doing event planning for years—first with a local wedding planner, then bigger corporate events, many of which were at wineries. If Margot could have afforded to hire Avery to plan the party, she would have, but she was doing it all herself, so she was trying to glean all of the information she could about how to do this right. Avery didn’t have to take time out of her schedule to give Margot advice.
Damn it.
Margot caught Avery’s eye when she brought their coffee over to the milk station, and Avery shook her head at the milk, but nodded at the sugar, so Margot brought a few packets over to the table, after she stirred some milk into her own coffee.
“Thanks again for meeting me this morning,” Margot said when she sat down. She pulled out the new notebook that she’d designated as The Notebook for this event. “I’m really excited about this event, but I have to admit that I’m starting to feel a little in over my head.”
Avery laughed.
“Oh, that happens to me every time, but don’t worry, you have lots of time. All you really need is to have obsessively organized spreadsheets, and this will go great.”
“Avery, that’s music to my ears,” Margot said. “If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s obsessively organize spreadsheets.”
They both laughed, and then got down to details.
“Okay, so that’s all of the most important stuff,” Avery said, thirty minutes later. “I’m sure I’ll think of other things, but like I said, the key is hyperorganization leading up to the event, and then flexibility on the day of, because everything is going to go a little sideways.”