My One And Only (Very Irresistible Bachelors 5)

“You’ve got guilt written all over you.”

“Skye, honestly, I didn’t mean to roast his ass. I wanted to go through all the notes I made on the contract, and he didn’t. He was all broody and full of swagger.”

“Wait a second. There’s more to this.”

Damn, my sister was giving me that knowing eye.

I sighed, pressing my chin to my chest. “Yes, we went to breakfast, all his idea. Liam suggested that getting to know each other would make it easier to build trust. And it seemed a good idea, since business-wise we’re at odds.”

“But?” Skye questioned, drawing the word out. She knew me too well.

“We ended up kissing.” I said it all so fast that it was a wonder she understood me.

Skye gasped before grinning. “You what? Oh, Tess.”

“I know.” My face warmed. Ugh, I knew I was turning red.

She continued prodding me while I tried to calm myself. “I mean, I was teasing you about him looking at you with sexy intentions, but I didn’t think you’d actually kiss him.”

“Neither did I. Can we please forget about it?”

Skye wiggled her eyebrows. “If you insist.”

“I do. I feel guilty enough as it is.”

“I just have one question.”

“Shoot.”

“On a scale from one to ten, how good was it?”

I threw one of the fluffy pillows from the couch at her and then squeezed another one to my chest. Skye was a pillow freak.

“Ten all the way,” I confessed. How could I lie? She was my sister, after all.

She opened her mouth, but I pointed at her. “You said one question. That’s it.”

She narrowed her eyes, shrugging. “Okay. So, what are the next steps?”

“Well, he suggested you and I talk to a lawyer about all the legal stuff we’ve highlighted and then meet again with him to discuss our business concerns.”

“That makes sense. A lot of our questions were of legal nature. Harrington & Co. certainly has a detailed contract.”

“I’ve already messaged Josie. She said she has time at three o’clock.” That was in two hours. Josie was not only our cousin’s wife and our best friend but also a fantastic lawyer.

“Okay, we can review the document until then,” Skye suggested.

“That’s what I thought too.”

We analyzed it right until it was time to talk to Josie. We spent two and a half hours on the phone with her, going through the contract line by line, and she was extremely helpful. The first time I read it, I flagged everything that sounded even a little bit vague. I could see now how that could annoy anyone. Josie patiently explained every legal question we had in layman’s terms, which was exactly what we needed.

In the end, we reduced the number of issues we wanted to discuss with Liam from sixty-five to eighteen. Josie also pointed out that they had a silent partner, Albert McDowell, and encouraged us to ask what his involvement would be. I was worried about the clause that said they could pull out of the deal within six months in case of force majeure, but Josie assured me that was just a precaution and the chances of that happening were slim.

“You still have some work ahead of you until you can reach an agreement though,” Josie commented, “but I think you’re on the right track. They’re offering you a solid deal, ladies. If you can smooth out those few things, you should have a great partnership.”

“I think so too,” Skye said.

“Thanks so much, Josie,” I told her sincerely. Just having her approval made Skye and me feel more comfortable. I could see my sister’s relief in her posture, and I’m sure it was reflected in mine.