grew. “You set this up.”
He smiled. “Yes.”
“But Maggie said ...” Then it dawned on her. Maggie. Of course. The little matchmaker. “Oh, I see. You talked to Maggie.”
“Your friends like me.”
She rolled her eyes and jerked her hand away. “Obviously all women find you irresistible.” She went to grab her purse.
“Except, apparently, you?”
His smirk indicated he wasn’t at all offended by her impending exit.
“I’m leaving. I don’t like being set up.”
He held the door open for her, which only irritated her further, as if he was going to just let her walk right out. She pushed it closed and laid her purse on the table by the door, then advanced on him. “Look, Mick. I had a great time with you. But it was a one and out, okay?”
“Why?”
“What?”
“Why was it a one and out? Didn’t we get along?”
“Of course we got along. You were there.”
“Yeah, I was there. We had great chemistry, in and out of bed.”
She opened her mouth to object, but really, what could she say? He was right. They did have great chemistry. And she’d enjoyed the hell out of that night. “I’m just not in dating mode right now.”
“Because of your career.”
“Yes.”
“Because it takes up every single minute of your time.”
She crossed her arms. “When you’re playing football, doesn’t it take up every single minute of your time?”
That smirk again. “No. I don’t let my career run my life. I like to actually have a life. You should try having one, too. And you managed to have one for a night with me, didn’t you?”
“That was different.”
“So is this. You do have to stop and eat now and then while you’re busy becoming rich and famous, so we’re going to eat.”
“I don’t appreciate your lying to get a date with me.”
He held out the chair for her. “Then stop turning me down.”
This was ridiculous. She should just walk out. Then again, she was hungry. And if he wanted to pay for her to eat an expensive dinner, then it was fine with her. He certainly owed her after setting up this ruse.
She took a seat. “Fine. But this is the last time.”
“If you say so.” He sat across from her, and the waiter came in bearing menus and a wine list.
“Would you like some wine?”
Tara looked up from her menu at Mick, who deferred to her.
“A Sauvignon Blanc would be nice.”
The waiter left while they looked at their menus.
Mick took a long swallow from his glass of water. “So, business is good?”
“It would be if you had been an actual client.”
He smiled over the rim of his glass. “How do you know I’m not?”
She arched a brow. “You have an event to plan?”
“Okay, not really. But I am interested in finding out more about you. What made you decide to become an event planner?”
“I fell into it, actually. I got a job working for a catering company while I was putting myself through college, and discovered I enjoyed the work.”
“Catering is a lot different than event planning, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. But the woman I worked for wanted to be a wedding planner. She and I got to be friends and she told me her idea. It was so exciting. The thought of running an entire show like that, being in charge of everything from catering to entertainment to décor—it just clicked with me.”
“It’s a lot of responsibility, planning someone’s wedding.”
“It is, especially if you’re doing big weddings. But it can be so rewarding to take the bare bones and build it up, see it grow from nothing to something spectacular. Anyway, I helped her with the start-up, then went to work for her when she got it off the ground. It was fun, and her company really grew. But I knew even then I wanted something more than just doing weddings. I wanted to plan other events, too, and that’s when I got the idea to be an event planner. So I saved my money, started making contacts in the industry, and when I could, I started my own
He smiled. “Yes.”
“But Maggie said ...” Then it dawned on her. Maggie. Of course. The little matchmaker. “Oh, I see. You talked to Maggie.”
“Your friends like me.”
She rolled her eyes and jerked her hand away. “Obviously all women find you irresistible.” She went to grab her purse.
“Except, apparently, you?”
His smirk indicated he wasn’t at all offended by her impending exit.
“I’m leaving. I don’t like being set up.”
He held the door open for her, which only irritated her further, as if he was going to just let her walk right out. She pushed it closed and laid her purse on the table by the door, then advanced on him. “Look, Mick. I had a great time with you. But it was a one and out, okay?”
“Why?”
“What?”
“Why was it a one and out? Didn’t we get along?”
“Of course we got along. You were there.”
“Yeah, I was there. We had great chemistry, in and out of bed.”
She opened her mouth to object, but really, what could she say? He was right. They did have great chemistry. And she’d enjoyed the hell out of that night. “I’m just not in dating mode right now.”
“Because of your career.”
“Yes.”
“Because it takes up every single minute of your time.”
She crossed her arms. “When you’re playing football, doesn’t it take up every single minute of your time?”
That smirk again. “No. I don’t let my career run my life. I like to actually have a life. You should try having one, too. And you managed to have one for a night with me, didn’t you?”
“That was different.”
“So is this. You do have to stop and eat now and then while you’re busy becoming rich and famous, so we’re going to eat.”
“I don’t appreciate your lying to get a date with me.”
He held out the chair for her. “Then stop turning me down.”
This was ridiculous. She should just walk out. Then again, she was hungry. And if he wanted to pay for her to eat an expensive dinner, then it was fine with her. He certainly owed her after setting up this ruse.
She took a seat. “Fine. But this is the last time.”
“If you say so.” He sat across from her, and the waiter came in bearing menus and a wine list.
“Would you like some wine?”
Tara looked up from her menu at Mick, who deferred to her.
“A Sauvignon Blanc would be nice.”
The waiter left while they looked at their menus.
Mick took a long swallow from his glass of water. “So, business is good?”
“It would be if you had been an actual client.”
He smiled over the rim of his glass. “How do you know I’m not?”
She arched a brow. “You have an event to plan?”
“Okay, not really. But I am interested in finding out more about you. What made you decide to become an event planner?”
“I fell into it, actually. I got a job working for a catering company while I was putting myself through college, and discovered I enjoyed the work.”
“Catering is a lot different than event planning, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. But the woman I worked for wanted to be a wedding planner. She and I got to be friends and she told me her idea. It was so exciting. The thought of running an entire show like that, being in charge of everything from catering to entertainment to décor—it just clicked with me.”
“It’s a lot of responsibility, planning someone’s wedding.”
“It is, especially if you’re doing big weddings. But it can be so rewarding to take the bare bones and build it up, see it grow from nothing to something spectacular. Anyway, I helped her with the start-up, then went to work for her when she got it off the ground. It was fun, and her company really grew. But I knew even then I wanted something more than just doing weddings. I wanted to plan other events, too, and that’s when I got the idea to be an event planner. So I saved my money, started making contacts in the industry, and when I could, I started my own
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