“So go for it,” he said. “I’m not stopping you. In fact, I have no idea what this has to do with me. Am I supposed to hold your hand? Applaud when you score? What?”
“You know how close the sisters are. Dahlia’s distracted by her friends, because it’s her hen night, but Daff probably won’t allow herself to be diverted by me if the other one is left to fend for herself.”
“And you want me to what?”
“Talk to her.”
“Her who?” Mason asked, genuinely confused.
“The other one, Daisy . . . distract her. Flirt with her, pay her some flattering attention. Daff will—”
“See right through that,” Mason completed with a snort. “That’s the dumbest plan you’ve ever come up with, Spence, and that’s saying a lot, considering your history of dumb ideas.”
“Come on, Mason, you can be convincing. You’re great with women. She’ll be so flattered to get some attention from a stud like you that she’ll probably fall all over herself for the opportunity to hang out with you.”
“I’m kind of insulted on this chick’s behalf, Spencer. You’re being a dick.”
“It’s Daisy McGregor,” Spencer dismissed. “She’s used to it.”
“Doesn’t make it right.” Mason was a little disgusted with his brother’s attitude. He couldn’t believe that people actually treated the poor girl this way. She was a McGregor; she couldn’t be that bad. And if she were, it was still no excuse to be an asshole to her.
“Come on, Mase, please. It’s Daffodil McGregor. I’ve been half in love with the girl since high school.”
“Man, this is just all kinds of wrong,” Mason muttered, running an agitated hand over his head. He kept his hair cropped military short. Seven long and eventful years after leaving the army, and it was still hard for him to wear it any other way.
“I’m asking you to be my wingman, bro,” Spencer pleaded. “I’ve never asked you for anything before. Well, hardly ever . . . but this is important to me.”
“It’s not going to work.”
“But can we at least try? There’s no harm in trying, right? If they shoot us down, so be it, but I really need to try.”
Mason stared at his brother for a few long moments. That bitch, Tanya, had really done a number on him. Spencer had always been a steady guy, had loved Tanya with everything in him, yet she had cheated on him with just about every available guy in town. Worse, after Mason had returned from England, she had tried to seduce him as well. Luckily Spencer had discovered her infidelity before Mason had been forced to tell him about it. But he still felt like a douche for not warning his brother about Tanya before Spencer caught her in bed with two guys at the same time. And it was because of that guilt that he now found himself nodding in response to the plea he saw in his brother’s eyes.
“So what’s the plan?”
“Well, they’re still busy with the hen party thing—no boys allowed—but according to Ralphie’s intel, Lia has to leave the party early, so they’ll probably be winding down soon. Daff, the other one, and a few of the ladies will be staying on a bit afterward, so that’s when we should make our move.”
Mason thought this was all a bit skeevy, but he folded his arms over his chest and nodded, keeping his discomfort with the entire plan hidden behind a blank mask. A thought occurred to him, and even though it pained him to ask, he felt he had to.
“Spencer, if she rejects you, that’s it, right? You won’t persist?” His brother looked wounded that he had even asked, but Mason had seen enough crazy shit in his lifetime to feel that the question was warranted, even if the guy he was asking was his brother. Spencer had been through so much with Tanya that Mason wasn’t sure if any of his brother’s hatred for the woman had bled over into his dealings with other females. He hoped not, but one could never be certain.
“I like her, and I just want a chance to prove that to her,” Spencer said. “I won’t go all crazy stalker on her, Mase. Come on.”
Mason held his hands up and shrugged.
“So which one is Daisy McGregor?” he asked, changing the subject as he glanced discreetly over at the women.
“You serious?” Spencer gaped at him, and Mason lifted his shoulders again.
“It’s been years since I’ve even thought of the McGregor girls. And I don’t think I’ve exchanged a single word with the youngest one. Refresh my memory.”
“In the corner, next to Dahlia.”
Mason subtly scrutinized the woman he hadn’t noticed before. She seemed to be hiding in that corner, completely overshadowed by the beauties sitting at the table with her. She didn’t appear to be interacting with them much and kept looking down at her phone. Mason wondered if she were chatting with someone or keeping an eye on the time.
She seemed as interested in being here as Mason was, which was not at all. It piqued his interest, and he diverted his attention back to his beer.
“You’re in, right?” Spencer asked, and Mason hesitated, directing another quick look over at the woman in the corner.
“Sure, why the hell not?”
Daisy McGregor sat in her corner, quietly sipping her drink while listening to the avid gossip of the other women around the table. She really wished she was at home, cuddled under a blanket in front of the TV with her sweetie, but her sister was getting married. Daisy loved her sisters and would do anything for them, even if she sometimes felt like she had nothing in common with them.
“Mason apparently sold his stake in the security business last year. For millions.” Sharlotte Bridges, one of her sisters’ friends, said in a stage whisper, referring to the younger Carlisle brother. The women had been all abuzz since spotting the two men at the bar. Mason Carlisle was something of a unicorn around these parts: a mythical, wondrous, and beautiful creature.
“Can you believe how well the Carlisle brothers have done?” Zinzi—another friend—hissed.