Page 29 of Worth the Trouble

Jason’s focus dipped to her mouth and he found himself taking a step toward her, eating up the distance between them until their bodies nearly touched. “Not sweet,” he murmured, “just honest.”

Her smile widened and he found he wanted to be the only reason she smiled like that. Her attention moved to his hat, and she reached up. He almost expected her to take the hat from his head, but instead she flicked it. “I like this look on you.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her what other look would she expect, but before he could, she stepped past him, her arm brushing against his. When he turned to face her, a question in his eyes, he found she’d spun around and was walking backward.

“Drive me home, cowboy?”

He gave her a curt nod. “Yes, ma’am.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Serenity: Cece, you’re coming tonight, right?

Wendy: Of course she’s coming. She can’t miss the party of the century.

Faith: It’s not the party of the century.

Wendy: Brent, this is the girls’ chat. Give Faith back her phone.

Faith: Sorry. Yeah, Cece, this party is going to be awesome. Mostly because the girls know what they’re doing when they plan something like this.

Cecelia smiled as she put her phone back into her purse before she followed her father into the restaurant. They had a lunch date scheduled today. It had been a couple days since she’d been rescued from the side of the road by her literal Prince Charming.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Jason. It had gotten so bad that she had finally decided that she was going to make a move. She’d ask him out since he wasn’t willing to ask her first. There was no telling how long she’d be in town for, and she didn’t want to waste a moment of it.

Her father gave her a look as he took a seat in the booth where the hostess deposited them. “Have somewhere to be?”

“What? No. Why do you ask?”

“The way you’re looking at your phone. I’ve never seen you smile like that.”

Cecelia had to pull her lips between her teeth to avoid smiling wider. She loved her father. Sure, he was all business and sometimes that was his whole identity. But she didn’t doubt that he loved her back and wanted what was best for her. It was one of the reasons he’d never pushed her to find love and settle down. There was a time and a place for love and relationships. And the two of them were on the same page when it came to how important their work truly was.

Well, they’d been on the same page until recently.

“Just some friends,” she offered before reaching for the menu in front of her. His stare pressed on her as she sat across from him. Cecelia knew if she looked up at him, she’d find him staring and probably wanting more of an explanation. So rather than give in to the temptation to meet his gaze, she changed the subject. “Hey, Dad?”

He grunted and the stare lifted.

“I was thinking about the future. After we’re done with this project, I’d like to look into what it would take to start my own firm.”

The air turned several degrees colder.

At least it did for her. She didn’t want to, but she forced herself to meet his eyes.

They were stern as she’d expected, but she read more than that in his depths. He wasn’t ready to let her go yet. She couldn’t tell if it was for his benefit or for her own.

He heaved a sigh, the kind that made her small. “Sweetheart, we’ve been through this. You’re not ready.”

She shook her head. No, she wasn’t going to accept the brush off. Not this time. Jason wouldn’t want her to. Or she didn’t think he would. “I’m ready, Dad. I know you think it’s risky⁠—”

“Darn straight I think it’s risky. Starting a business isn’t for the faint of heart. You’ve still got a lot to learn. Just because you know the ins and outs of my business, doesn’t mean you would know how to handle someone else. You need more practice.”

She ground her molars and returned her attention to the menu. “How am I to get more practice when all my time is spent working with you?”

At that, her father went eerily still. Cecelia didn’t dare meet his gaze. She wanted more than anything to make him proud, to prove herself to him. But how was she supposed to do that when she was trapped?

“You’re right,” he muttered.