Page 15 of The Billionaire's Angel

Charlie stopped dead in the doorway of the library and stared at me, her blue eyes wide, brimming with amusement and relief. “You want to help with the wedding? Even Lucas doesn't want to help with thewedding.”

“Doesn't Lucas have a new job? And you guys bought a new flip house? Sounds like he's got his handsfull.”

Charlie slipped her arm through mine, and we started toward the living room again. “He does. He seriously does. And he's not a wedding stuff kinda guy. Not that you are either, but if you’re willing to help, I'll take it. The wedding planner squeezed us in last-minute after I begged and she doesn't have time to manage everything the way she normally does. I've got lists coming out my ears. I don't know why coordinating a renovation feels like fun, and throwing together a wedding is making me crazy, but it is. We probably should've waited, but we just wanted to bemarried.”

“Consider me at your disposal then,” I said, as we walked into the living room. Helping Charlie with her wedding would ease some of my guilt at asking her for her time when she was slammed with her owncommitments.

That it would give me an excuse to be near Sophie was just abonus.

Chapter Five

Gage

We strolledinto the living room, arm in arm, to find a small plate of sandwiches and a fresh pot of hot water on the teatray.

Amelia looked up to see us and her face brightened. “The battle-ax said you were coming to raid our teatray.”

Charlie and I sat on the couch opposite the one where Sophie and Amelia had set up camp, the tea tray on a coffee table between us. The gas fireplace had warmed that end of the room with a cozy glow. Winters House was filled with light, even on a gray December day, but the heat of the fireplace waswelcome.

I helped myself to one of the small sandwiches. Charlie fixed two cups of tea, one for her and one for me, saying to Sophie and Amelia, “Gage said he would help with the weddingstuff.”

“Did he?” Amelia asked, raising an eyebrow atme.

I grinned at her, but mostly I was trying not to stare at Sophie. She sat beside Amelia, her lap covered by a towel on top of which she had a stack of white netting, a pile of pink ribbons and a bowl of what looked like birdseed. She was filling the squares of netting with the birdseed and tying them into neat littlebundles.

I had no clue what they were for, and I was pretty sure I didn't want to know. My plan was to do what I was told and take every opportunity to get closer to Sophie while I was atit.

I'd never seen her during the day. In her neatly-buttoned camp shirt, her silvery blonde hair pulled back into a tight braid, she shouldn't have looked tempting. I'll admit to the tiniest flash of disappointment that she wasn't wearing a nurse's uniform. Not that I really would've expected herto.

No one who worked in the house wore a uniform. Not these days. I had childhood memories of the head housekeeper in a starched black dress covered with a white apron, the day maids in similar outfits of gray and white, gardeners wearing dark green shirts and khaki pants. When my uncle Hugh had taken over the house, he cut back on the staff. I remembered him telling my dad that times had changed and a full staff no longer madesense.

So, no Sophie in a nurse's uniform. Probably for the best. I was having a hard enough time resisting her as it was, despite the bulky, shapeless robe she wore at night and the boxy, short-sleeve, button-down camp shirt she had on right now. As far as I could tell, she wasn't wearing much makeup, if any. She didn't need it. Her green eyes were fringed with thick, pale lashes, her cheeks and lips a rosypink.

I was staring at her lips when the sound of someone saying my name cut into my distraction. I blinked and looked up to see Amelia watching me with a knowinggaze.

To cover, I grabbed another small sandwich and said, “Yeah?”

“I asked you what you thought,” Amelia said, and I sensed a trap in herwords.

Cautious, I said, “Aboutwhat?”

“I want Charlie to set Sophie up,” Amelia said, her brown eyes sparkling with mischief. Normally, I found Amelia's antics entertaining, but just then I wanted to shake her and send her to herroom.

Trying to act casual, I said, “Set her up withwho?”

Charlie was watching me with curious eyes. Sophie's cheeks had flushed a deep pink, and her gaze was fixed on the ball of netting-wrapped birdseed in herlap.

“No one in particular,” Charlie said. “Sophie says she doesn't want me to set her up with anyone, and I think we should respect her wishes.” She sent Amelia a hard look we all knew Amelia wouldignore.

Proving us right, Amelia said, “Sophie's been moldering around this old heap long enough with only an old lady and Aiden for company. She's been a widow for two years. If she doesn't get back out there, she'll end up allalone.”

I noticed that Sophie had no trouble standing up to Amelia on the subject of cookies, but was oddly silent as Amelia tried to organize herlife.

Charlie cut in with, “When Sophie decides she wants to date,ifshe wants me to fix her up, I will.” Slanting Sophie a grin she said, “Lucas has some definite prospects on his new team. Smartandhot. Really, when you decide you want to date, you let meknow.”

Sophie's cheeks just flamed hotter. She retied the same bow for the third time, her fingers shaking a little. As Amelia urged Charlie to call Lucas now, I leaned forward and said to Sophie, “Do you want them to leave youalone?”

I wasn't prepared for the sheer relief that washed through me at Sophie's quick nod. My gut had twisted into a tight knot at the idea of Charlie setting Sophie up with one of Lucas’s hackercommandos.