wouldn’t have been sending out invitations right away.
But logic had never had much to do with anything where her relationship with Alex was concerned.
Now, taking an expansive breath, Daisy smoothed the invitation flat and lowered the lid, then pushed the scanning button.
The phone rang as it was appearing on her screen. She picked it up absently. “Daisy Connolly.”
“Daisy.” The voice was gruff and instantly recognizable. “I have a favor to ask.”
“Alex,” she said as soon as she could breathe again. “What do you want?”
“A date.”
Once more Daisy’s breath caught in her throat. Then she realized what he was really asking for. “I am not matchmaking for you.”
“I don’t want you to fix me up with a date. I want you.”
I want you
. She knew he didn’t mean it the way it sounded. She didn’t
want
him to mean it the way it sounded. But she didn’t know what he did mean, either. “What are you talking about?”
“I need a date for Saturday night.”
“
Need
a date?” That had to be a first.
“There’s a big charity fundraising dinner and dance at the Plaza. Remember I told you I designed a new wing for a hospital? Well, I’m on the guest list—and they’re giving me some plaque or something—so I have to show up. With a date.”
Daisy waited a beat. “What happened to Caroline?”
“Caroline had to fly out to Hong Kong this afternoon. Unexpected breakdown of some project she’d been overseeing. She won’t be back for a week. I can’t show up alone. I’ve already committed for two. They expect me to bring someone. Head table and all that.”
“Head table?”
He grunted. “So I need a replacement.” And apparently in his mind it was perfectly logical that she would drop everything and accompany him to some society event in another woman’s place.
Daisy focused on the wedding invitation on her screen. “Get your matchmaker to find you one.”
“Can’t.”
“Of course you can.”
“No,” Alex said tersely. “I can’t. Thanks to you.”
That startled her. “Me? Why me?”
“Because, damn it, you’re the one who told me to take it slow. ‘Don’t ask her to marry you yet. Get to know her,’ you said. Make sure she’s ‘the one.’”
He’d listened?
“So I have been. It isn’t easy because half the time I’m out of town or she is. But we’ve gone out more.”
“As well you should,” Daisy said firmly, still surprised that he’d done it.
“So I can’t ask Amalie to find me a date, can I?” Alex said. “If I went out with someone else now—someone new—what would that say to Caroline? Not to mention that I’d be creating false expectations in whoever Amalie found.”
Daisy was somewhere between dazed and amazed. “You thought of that all by yourself?” Since when had Alex put thought into the repercussions of relationships?
“Can I help it if you put ideas in my head?”
“Good for me.” She grinned in spite of herself.
“So you see the problem. It has to be you.”
Daisy pressed back against the desk chair she sat in and asked, “Why won’t I upset Caroline?”
“She knows I need a date. I told her I was going to ask you. She’ll be glad I’ve found an old friend to go with.”
“Old friend?” Daisy echoed.
“You know what I mean. So,” he went on briskly, “Saturday night. Black tie. The equivalent for you. I’ll pick you up a little before eight. Where do you live?”
“What? No! Wait. I didn’t agree.”
“So you don’t stand behind your own advice?”
Daisy opened her mouth to object, and couldn’t find words to convince herself, let alone ones that would convince as stubborn a man as Alex.
“I can’t,” she said feebly.
“Why not?”
Because I don’t have a babysitter
. She didn’t say that, even though it was certainly true. “I—My wardrobe doesn’t run to that sort of thing.”
“Get something suitable,” he directed. “I’ll pay for it.”
“You will not. I
But logic had never had much to do with anything where her relationship with Alex was concerned.
Now, taking an expansive breath, Daisy smoothed the invitation flat and lowered the lid, then pushed the scanning button.
The phone rang as it was appearing on her screen. She picked it up absently. “Daisy Connolly.”
“Daisy.” The voice was gruff and instantly recognizable. “I have a favor to ask.”
“Alex,” she said as soon as she could breathe again. “What do you want?”
“A date.”
Once more Daisy’s breath caught in her throat. Then she realized what he was really asking for. “I am not matchmaking for you.”
“I don’t want you to fix me up with a date. I want you.”
I want you
. She knew he didn’t mean it the way it sounded. She didn’t
want
him to mean it the way it sounded. But she didn’t know what he did mean, either. “What are you talking about?”
“I need a date for Saturday night.”
“
Need
a date?” That had to be a first.
“There’s a big charity fundraising dinner and dance at the Plaza. Remember I told you I designed a new wing for a hospital? Well, I’m on the guest list—and they’re giving me some plaque or something—so I have to show up. With a date.”
Daisy waited a beat. “What happened to Caroline?”
“Caroline had to fly out to Hong Kong this afternoon. Unexpected breakdown of some project she’d been overseeing. She won’t be back for a week. I can’t show up alone. I’ve already committed for two. They expect me to bring someone. Head table and all that.”
“Head table?”
He grunted. “So I need a replacement.” And apparently in his mind it was perfectly logical that she would drop everything and accompany him to some society event in another woman’s place.
Daisy focused on the wedding invitation on her screen. “Get your matchmaker to find you one.”
“Can’t.”
“Of course you can.”
“No,” Alex said tersely. “I can’t. Thanks to you.”
That startled her. “Me? Why me?”
“Because, damn it, you’re the one who told me to take it slow. ‘Don’t ask her to marry you yet. Get to know her,’ you said. Make sure she’s ‘the one.’”
He’d listened?
“So I have been. It isn’t easy because half the time I’m out of town or she is. But we’ve gone out more.”
“As well you should,” Daisy said firmly, still surprised that he’d done it.
“So I can’t ask Amalie to find me a date, can I?” Alex said. “If I went out with someone else now—someone new—what would that say to Caroline? Not to mention that I’d be creating false expectations in whoever Amalie found.”
Daisy was somewhere between dazed and amazed. “You thought of that all by yourself?” Since when had Alex put thought into the repercussions of relationships?
“Can I help it if you put ideas in my head?”
“Good for me.” She grinned in spite of herself.
“So you see the problem. It has to be you.”
Daisy pressed back against the desk chair she sat in and asked, “Why won’t I upset Caroline?”
“She knows I need a date. I told her I was going to ask you. She’ll be glad I’ve found an old friend to go with.”
“Old friend?” Daisy echoed.
“You know what I mean. So,” he went on briskly, “Saturday night. Black tie. The equivalent for you. I’ll pick you up a little before eight. Where do you live?”
“What? No! Wait. I didn’t agree.”
“So you don’t stand behind your own advice?”
Daisy opened her mouth to object, and couldn’t find words to convince herself, let alone ones that would convince as stubborn a man as Alex.
“I can’t,” she said feebly.
“Why not?”
Because I don’t have a babysitter
. She didn’t say that, even though it was certainly true. “I—My wardrobe doesn’t run to that sort of thing.”
“Get something suitable,” he directed. “I’ll pay for it.”
“You will not. I
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