The Engagement Project / Her Surprise Hero: The Engagement Project / Her Surprise Hero. Abby Gaines
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down—”
“And picked up stars in your eyes,” Paige interjected.
Megan shook her head. “I have no illusions.”
Ashley frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“He’s just not the type of man who would ever notice a woman like me.”
“Define a woman like you,” Paige demanded.
Megan loved that her cousin and her sister were so quick to defend her, but family loyalty didn’t allow either of them to see her as clearly as she saw herself. She wasn’t beautiful or sexy or charismatic, qualities that both Paige and Ashley had in spades. She was the girl next door, the reliable friend, the neighborhood pal. And that was why she and Gage Richmond would never be anything more than colleagues and possibly friends.
“I only meant—”
The doorbell chimed, sounding a reprieve.
“That will be Mom,” she said, pushing her chair away from the table.
“Mom doesn’t ring the doorbell,”Ashley reminded her.
When Megan opened the door, her sister’s statement was confirmed. It wasn’t Lillian Roarke on the doorstep. It was Gage Richmond.
“I called Lois Edmond in H.R. to find out where you lived,” he told her.
“Why?” Megan asked, too stunned by his unexpected appearance to think of anything else to say.
“Because you forgot this—” he held up the bag from Chaundra’s Boutique”—in the toy store, and I didn’t know if it was something you needed tonight.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not. But thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Before Megan could say anything else, she heard footsteps in the hall and knew that curiosity had drawn her sister and her cousin to the door to check out their visitor.
“Hi, I’m Ashley,” she said. “Megan’s sister.”
“I would have guessed that,” he said.
“Really?” Ashley said, while Megan resisted the urge to snort her disbelief. No one who didn’t already know they were related had ever commented on a resemblance between the sisters.
“You have the same eyes,” he explained, an observation that made Megan rethink her own opinion of Gage Richmond.
While people frequently commented on Ashley’s unusual eyes, they rarely took note of Megan’s, hidden behind her glasses. Maybe he wasn’t quite as shallow and self-absorbed as he was painted by his reputation.
“Handsome and observant,” Paige noted with approval.
Megan found herself wishing for an earthquake again. Hadn’t she embarrassed herself in front of the boss’s son enough already without her sister and cousin adding to her humiliation?
“My cousin Paige,” Megan told him, reluctantly making the introduction.
“And you are?” Ashley prompted the man on the doorstep.
“Would you believe the deliveryman from the boutique?” Megan suggested before Gage could reply.
“No,” her sister replied flatly, not taking her eyes off of Gage.
Not that Megan could blame her for that.
“Gage Richmond,” he said, and offered one of his infamous heart-stopping smiles.
“Thanks for bringing the bag,” Megan said, silently urging him along before her well-intentioned but misguided family members could say or do anything to embarrass her further. After all, she didn’t need their help when she’d already done a fine job of that entirely on her own.
“Yes, thank you,” Ashley said. “Since the dress is for my engagement party, I very much appreciate that you returned it to Megan.”
“It was my pleasure,” Gage said. “And bringing it by gave me another chance to thank your sister for her help with my shopping.”
“Handsome, observant, considerate and appreciative,” Paige amended, with a nod of approval. “Why don’t you come in for a glass of wine so we can chat some more?”
“I’m sure Gage has somewhere else that he needs to be,” Megan interrupted quickly, desperately.
She caught the gleam of amusement in his eyes and suspected that he was considering Paige’s invitation, if only because he knew she didn’t want him to. But when he finally spoke, it was to say, “As a matter of fact, I should be getting home. I have some birthday presents to wrap.”
“Another time?” Paige said.
“Thank you again.” Megan spoke clearly, determined to take control of the situation—and the flutters in her tummy.
Gage nodded, accepting the dismissal, before turning his attention to the two women hovering in the doorway behind her. “It was nice meeting you both.”
“You, too,” they chorused, leaning closer to watch him walk down the driveway.
Though Megan was probably even more reluctant to tear her gaze from his retreating form, she firmly closed the door and turned back toward the kitchen.
Paige raised her brows. “Now I understand why you forgot the dress.”
Megan held the bag aloft, eager to talk about anything but Gage Richmond. “Didn’t you say you wanted to see this?”
“Later.” Ashley took it from her and hung it in the closet. “Right now, I want to hear more about Mr. Tall, Dark and Yummy.”
“There’s nothing more to tell,” Megan insisted, turning back toward the kitchen as the door opened behind her again.
As Ashley had noted when the bell rang earlier, their mother wasn’t the type to observe such formalities at their home.
“Who was that just leaving?” Lillian Roarke asked in lieu of a greeting.
Before Megan could reply, Paige said, “That was Megan’s new boyfriend.”
Gage was wrapping Lucy’s presents—or at least stuffing them into decorative bags with tissue—when Allan Richmond stopped by on his way home after a late meeting. He’d seen his dad at work earlier and would be seeing him again at Lucy’s birthday party the next day, so Gage guessed there was a specific reason for this visit now, even if he couldn’t figure out what that might be.
He offered his father a beer and a microwaved meal. Allan took the drink but declined the frozen lasagna.
“Grace is holding dinner for me,” he explained.
“Must be nice to go home to a hot meal,” Gage said, shoving the box back into the freezer.
“It’s even nicer to have someone to go home to.”
“Is that the real reason you stopped by—to extol the virtues of married life?”
It certainly wouldn’t be the first time—nor the last. Though Gage couldn’t remember exactly when his parents had become so interested in his marital status, he thought it was some time after his brother and sister-in-law had announced—after the birth of their fourth child—that they weren’t planning on having any more. Grace absolutely doted on her grandbabies and had apparently turned her attention to her younger son in the hope that he would settle down and add to the clan.
Actually, Craig and Gage were Grace’s stepsons, but she had always been more of a mother to the boys than the woman who had given birth to them. As a result, there wasn’t anything Gage wouldn’t do for Grace—except marry and have children.
“No,” his father responded to his question. “I stopped by to tell you that Dean Garrison is planning to retire