DYLAN PUT THE phone down and leaned back against his chair, his eyes closed.
This was potentially a huge deal.
And it came with an equally huge sticking point: the client was a family man who liked to work with people who had the same outlook on life.
Strictly speaking, Dylan wasn’t a family man. He was an almost-divorcee who happened to have co-guardianship of his godson. His marriage breakdown would certainly count against him; and his arrangement with Emmy was hardly conventional.
Could he ask her to help him out?
After all, he’d helped her when she’d needed it. And she had offered...
He thought about buying her flowers, but that would be manipulative and tacky. No, he’d just ask her once Tyler was in bed. Talk it over with her. And maybe she’d have a creative way round the situation—because Emmy definitely had a different take on life from his.
It helped a bit that it was his turn to cook that night. And he totally appreciated now why she’d tried to cook the monkfish. Except he played it safe, with pasta. ‘Emmy, can I ask you a favour?’ he asked over dinner.
‘Sure. What?’
‘I’ve put in a tender for a project.’
She looked thoughtful. ‘So you’re going to be working longer hours and need me to pick up the slack for a bit? That’s fine, because you did exactly that for me. Of course I’ll do it.’
He grimaced. ‘Not exactly. I’m learning to delegate, so I don’t need you to pick up the slack. Anyway, I haven’t got the deal yet.’
She frowned. ‘So if you don’t need me to take over from you, what’s the favour, then?’
This was the biggie. ‘The client. He’s a family man. He likes to work with—well, people who have the same outlook.’
She raised an eyebrow. ‘Isn’t that discrimination?’
‘It would be, if he was employing me,’ Dylan agreed, ‘but this is different. It’s a project and my company’s put in a bid for it, so the client can choose his contractor however he likes.’
‘And you want him to think you’re a family man?’ She looked wary. ‘Dylan, this is a seriously bad idea. You’re not a family man.’
‘I’m Tyler’s co-guardian, so technically that makes me a family man.’
‘But you and I...’ Her voice faded and she looked slightly shocked. ‘Oh, no. Please tell me you’re not expecting me to lie for you and pretend that you and I are an item?’
‘I’m not expecting you to lie. Just...’ How could he put this nicely? ‘Just fudge the issue a little.’
She shook her head. ‘It’ll backfire. When he realises you lied—and he will realise, if you get the contract and he works with you—then he’ll have no faith in you. Professionally as well as personally. Which will be a disaster for your business.’
He folded his arms. ‘What happened to looking out for each other?’
She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘I am looking out for you, Dylan. This isn’t the best way forward, and you know I’m right.’
There wasn’t much he could say to that, so he remained silent.
‘But,’ she said, ‘I’ll help you. Invite him round to dinner. I’ll cook.’
He looked at her. ‘Thank you for the offer, but I think I’ll pass on that one.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘You’re not going to let me forget that monkfish, are you?’
‘It was pretty bad,’ he said. ‘Not that I could do any better myself. Which is why I think inviting him to dinner’s a bad idea. The kitchen isn’t my forte or yours.’ He frowned. ‘Though I suppose I could buy something from the supermarket that I just have to put in the oven and heat through.’ His frown deepened. ‘But could I ask you to do the table setting, please?’
She gave him a sidelong look. ‘Because I’m a girl?’
‘No. Because you have an artist’s eye and you’re good at that sort of thing,’ he corrected.
* * *
He’d actually paid her a compliment. A genuine one. And Emmy was surprised by how warm it made her feel.
‘Of course I’ll do the table setting. But this meal needs to be home-cooked if you invite him round. We can’t just give him a ready meal from the supermarket.’ She thought for a moment. ‘OK. If he’s a family man, invite his wife and kids. We’ll make it a family meal.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘So what are you planning? Are you going to talk your mum into cooking for us?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t need to. We’ll keep it simple. Something like...hmm. A roast dinner.’
He grimaced. ‘I remember the student house I shared with Pete. The four of us made our first Christmas dinner and the turkey wasn’t properly cooked. We were all ill for three days afterwards.’
‘This isn’t a student house. And I’ll ask my mum about timings so it won’t go wrong. How old are his kids?’
‘I have no idea.’
‘Find out.’ She looked thoughtful. ‘Actually, if they’re little, they won’t have the patience for a starter, and if they’re teens they probably won’t want to come anyway. So we’ll skip the starter. We can do a roast dinner for the main, and fresh fruit salad and ice cream for dessert. We’re both working and we’re looking after Tyler, so it’s OK to take the odd short cut.’
‘But you’ll be there at the table, won’t you? You’re not just going to be in the kitchen?’
‘Why, Dylan, anyone would think you wanted me there,’ she teased.
He gave her a speaking look. ‘All right. You can have your pound of flesh. I want you there. You have good social skills.’
‘Thank you.’ She grinned and punched his arm. ‘And yours are a bit better than they were. Go and ring him. Find out if there’s anything they can’t eat—either because of allergies or because they hate it. And we definitely need to know if anyone’s vegetarian.’
‘Because then we’ll have to rethink the menu?’
‘Because then dinner will be pasta,’ she said. ‘We can both cook that. And we’ll serve it with garlic bread and salad. Simple and homely.’
* * *
Dylan rang his potential client the next morning, and then rang Emmy. ‘It’ll be just Ted Burroughs and his wife. You were right about the kids—they’re teens, and he says they’ll pass on the invite.’ He smiled. ‘Mind you, he has girls. If I’d said I live with a top jewellery designer...’
‘No, they would’ve been bored with the conversation, so it’s better that they don’t come,’ Emmy said. ‘What about the food?’
‘No allergies, and he appreciated you asking.’ He paused. ‘I appreciate you, too. I wouldn’t have thought of that.’
‘Which is because,’ she said, ‘you only have one X chromosome.’
‘That’s so sexist.’
She laughed. ‘Bite me, Dylan.’
She was adorable in this playful mood.
Then Dylan caught his thoughts and was shocked at the fact he’d used the word ‘adorable’ about her. What was happening? Emmy Jacobs was his co-guardian, and that was all.
The kisses and the hand-holding in the taxi had been...well, mistakes.
Even