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Grace forced herself to smile at the high-pitched, screeching voice. Normally she didn t mind
Sarah Cliff, but she d rather not talk about her recent events.
Sarah stood from the rocking chair that rested to the right of the front door of the cottage, and
Grace tried to guess how long she d been waiting. It s been a crazy few days, she said as she
hooked Princess s leash on and guided the dog out of the backseat.
Simon was already out of the car and walking up to Sarah, hand outstretched. Mrs. Cliff. It s a
pleasure to meet you. I m Simon West.
Sarah eyed Simon as if he were a juicy steak and she hadn t eaten in days. Grace couldn t blame
her. Simon filled out his shirt like an athlete who spent a few too many hours at the gym.
Mr. West, Sarah whispered as she met his hand. Sarah was older than Simon, but probably
spent a great deal of time and money on maintaining her beauty. Her dyed red hair was the perfect,
rosy color to make her pale skin glow, and the few wrinkles the surgery and creams couldn t hide
only served to give her face more character. Grace genuinely liked the woman and was eternally
grateful that Sarah hadn t dropped Bell Planning the second the scandal broke.
But that generosity might have more to do with the Summer Blowout being in a few weeks and
less to do with loyalty.
Grace, dear, she called. I knew you had good taste, but you ve outdone yourself with this
one.
Simon looked over his shoulder to Grace. His cocky grin spoke volumes.
He s somethin else. She shot Simon the most loving smile she could manage. Grace climbed
up the steps to stand next to him as Princess gleefully greeted Sarah.
Simon wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her in close, and her body went stiff as a board.
He leaned in and Grace s heart did somersaults in her chest. Relax, he whispered. His warm
breath skated along the sensitive skin of her neck.
Has Andre gotten in yet? she blurted out, trying her best not to focus on his big fingers that
moved back and forth along the hem of her shirt.
Sarah looked up from her cuddle fest with the dog. Oh yes. I sent him over to the Seaside Inn.
Sent him where? Oh no&
Well, once I heard you were bringing Mr. West& She looked up at him. May I call you
Simon?
Of course, Sarah. His voice somehow managed to make anyone s name sound sexy. When was
the last time he said her name?
Sarah beamed. So once I heard Simon was coming with you, I had to make sure you had your
privacy. You re coming to the Blowout, aren t you, Simon?
Of course Sarah would want the most in-demand consultant in the city to be at the Blowout.
Simon West truly was a good catch, thought Grace. Why did that only make her more grumpy? So
Andre s not staying here? she squeaked out.
Oh no. I know both of you are workaholics, so the little bit of downtime you have, I want you to
enjoy together. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous this weekend. Now, I ll be right at the main
house if you need anything. Don t hesitate to call or stop by. Now I ll let you two settle in, she said
with a wink at Grace.
Heat crept up Grace s cheeks as she stepped aside for the woman. The half a dozen or so times
she d stayed here with Andre, Sarah had never once told Grace to come up to the main house if she
needed anything. She had the head butler s cellphone on speed dial for that very reason.
No. This was Simon. No wonder he was so spoiled. The rich elite of the city bent backwards to
make him comfortable.
I can t believe it, she muttered once Sarah was out of earshot.
So which bedroom is yours? Simon let her go and pushed open the screen door.
Grace shook her head as she followed him in and let Princess off the leash. The cottage was a
beautiful, modern home. The side facing the beach was floor to ceiling windows, and the open living
and kitchen area was filled with light. The entertainment center was located in a smaller basement,
which kept the light from reflecting off the television, and the two bedrooms were pretty equal in size.
I normally take the one on the right. She walked past Simon to set her purse in her room,
thereby not giving him a chance to take it.
He walked between the two rooms, glanced in both before he moved to stand in her doorway.
So you get the big bed then?
I m the boss. The boss gets the big bed.
Simon looked her over. You re not my boss, he pointed out.
You re my consultant. That makes me your boss.
You owe me. That makes me your boss.
Grace stared him down, trying to decide whether he was messing with her or whether he really
wanted the bigger bed. The slight grin said playing, but his big frame taking up the doorway definitely
said he was serious. For a brief moment, her mind flashed with all the things she could do to him in
that big bed&
She took a deep breath. No wonder Sarah was all giggly over him. The man was walking sex.
Sure, his normal business attire was attractive, but the full force of that masculine body shown off by
a tight T-shirt and perfectly fitting jeans was way too much for a mortal woman to bear.
You can t have this room, she said firmly as she crossed her arms over her chest.
He tilted his head toward her in defeat. If you say so.
She stared at his muscular back as he walked away, half expecting him to turn around and put up
more of a fight. When was the last time he hadn t gotten his way?
As soon as he was out of sight, she shut the door, thankful for the privacy. She needed to unpack
and then get Andre back here. It was great that Sarah thought she was doing her a favor and all, but
this wasn t a vacation for her. She and Andre had fifteen thousand things to take care of before
Saturday, and she needed him with her.
After seeing that Andre hadn t called, she left him a quick voicemail to head to the cottage as
soon as he could. When she left the bedroom to grab her oversized bag from the back of Simon s
Cadillac, she found it right outside her bedroom door. She looked around to thank Simon, but didn t
see him anywhere.
Grace tightened her lips. Just pretend he isn t there, she told herself. It was almost noon and she
had to confirm all the vendors, review the guest list, tell the caterer the final final count. After that,
she might just have a few hours to head to the country club the Blowout was being held at and get
started on preparations.
Grace pulled her laptop and charger out of the case and ventured into the living area. She set her
station up on the table that faced the wall of windows so she could take in all the beauty of the sea.
Apparently she wasn t the only one with the bright idea to appreciate the scenery. Simon came out
with a jam-packed folder of paper and his own laptop. He set his computer up on the other side of the
table, still facing the water, and she tried not to stare.
She pulled up her email and quickly responded to anything pressing. Then she opened up the
giant cheat sheet she used for events. Each checklist started out the same, but during the course of
planning, the list got longer and longer. Once she could visualize everything that needed to be done,
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