Georgia’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? Just dinner, or did you stay for a sleepover?”
“It was a business dinner. Sort of. I went home.” After that kiss on his bike . . .
“I love my brother,” Georgia said. “But he’s not exactly boyfriend material. You know that, right? I can’t recall his last serious relationship.”
“I’m not looking for long-term. Not here in Independence Falls.”
“You’re taking the job?”
“I haven’t received an offer yet,” Katie said. “My interview is set for Thursday.”
“They’ll make an offer. And you should take it.”
“My brothers said the same thing. And I want to say yes, but it’s complicated. Now doesn’t feel like the right time to leave.”
Georgia raised an eyebrow. “Because of my brother?”
“No.” Katie shook her head. “No. I’m not interested in a relationship with Liam.”
“Does that have anything to do with the fact that your brothers don’t like him very much?”
“Maybe a little.”
Georgia nodded. “Now that he is negotiating the deal for your company, things could get complicated.”
“They already are.” She wasn’t about to tell Georgia her plan to seduce Liam and send the small-town rumor mill into a frenzy that would inevitably make its way back to her brothers. But the history? She had a feeling that would rise to the surface soon. “We had a fling. Liam and I.”
Georgia shifted on the bench, turning to face her. “When? While I was deployed?”
“Before that. The summer before I went to college. You’d already left for school.”
“Let me guess, it ended when your brothers found out and started throwing punches.”
“That was part of it.” Betrayal, coupled with the way he’d taken her love and handed it back to her, ended things.
“Are you going to see him again?” Georgia asked.
“Yes. But whatever happens, however it ends—” Given her plan, she knew it wouldn’t end well. “I hope it doesn’t change our friendship.”
“As long as you two are still speaking when it comes time to stand up at our wedding, we’ll be fine.”
Katie nodded. But she had a feeling that in a few days, Liam Trulane would have every reason to never say another word to her.
FOUR MILLION DOLLARS.
Liam stared at the paper the receptionist had handed him. Brody Summers had dropped off their counteroffer while Liam had been out on a job site. But Liam didn’t have the first clue what to make of that number. He’d known their initial bid was low, but to counter with freaking four million dollars?
He walked past the closed door to his own bare office and stood at Eric’s door. Knocking once, he waited for Eric to call him in—just in case Georgia had stopped by.
“Just the man I wanted to see.” Eric stood and went to the mini-fridge in the corner of his office. “Georgia pushed up the date of the wedding. She’s thinking Valentine’s Day. Claims she doesn’t want to wait until spring.”
“A holiday wedding, huh?”
“I’d marry her tomorrow, but she wants to do this right. I spent my morning looking at wedding venue sites online and setting up appointments to see them.” Eric tossed him a water bottle. “So if you’ve got a crisis, you’re going to have to handle it.”
“Not a crisis.” Not yet. But shit, if the Summers brothers knew where their sister wanted to take their dinner last night—one wild night of no-holds-barred sex—Liam had a feeling this deal would blow up in his face. Or maybe they’d caught wind and the counteroffer was a form of payback? No, they’d come looking for him with their fists if they found out that Liam was trying to start something with their sister, not send a piece of paper.
“I have the counter from Brody,” Liam said. “They’re asking for a helluva lot more.”