Slowly, he disentangled his fingers from hers, but instead of putting distance between them he lifted his hand and brushed her cheek.
She stayed still, her gaze trapped by the molten shimmer in his. She couldn’t have looked away if her life had depended on it.
Usually he teased her, goaded her, drove her insane.
It was as if he’d tried to give her a thousand reasons to fall out of love with him.
This tenderness was something she hadn’t seen in him since she was a teenager, and seeing it now caused a sharp pang of pain.
She’d missed this. She’d missed this easy relationship, his wisdom and his kindness.
She swallowed. “When you have no choice, it isn’t brave.”
“Of course it is.” His mouth tilted in a half smile and she felt a twinge of envy for all the women he’d kissed.
Unfortunately she wasn’t one of them.
And she never would be.
Unsettled, frustrated with herself for spinning fantasies when reality was right in her face, she turned away. “Thanks for the advice.”
“I’ll give you one more piece.” He didn’t try and touch her again, but his voice held her captive. “Weigh up the pros and cons, but don’t overthink this. If you focus on the risks, you’d never do anything.”
“I feel as if I’ve lost my security.”
“Your security wasn’t the job, Paige. Jobs come and go. You give yourself security, with your skills and your talent. You can take those elsewhere. What you did for Star Events, you can do for another company, including your own company.”
His words gave her a burst of much-needed confidence.
And they made sense to her.
She felt like a wilting plant that had suddenly been given a large drink of water.
“Thank you.” Her voice was croaky and he gave a smile.
“When you find yourself working eighteen-hour days for seven days a week you might not want to thank me.” Jake strolled off to rejoin the others but Paige stayed where she was for a moment, thinking about what he’d said.
You give yourself security.
Eva and Frankie were laughing at something Matt had said and it was so good to hear them laughing that her own spirits lifted.
She walked back to them. “What’s funny?”
“We’ve been thinking up company names.”
“And?” She could still feel Jake’s touch on her hand, and she wondered how the casual brush of his fingers was enough to send a thousand electrical currents soaring through her body.
“We’re trying to sound bigger and better than Star Events.” Eva grinned. “Global Events. Planet Events. Universe Events.”
“We’re not only an events company.” Paige settled herself on the arm of Eva’s chair, careful not to look at Jake. “We’re more personal. And we need to differentiate ourselves from the competition.”
“We’re going to be a happy company. That makes us different,” Eva said.
“It’s lifestyle as well as events. While you’re busy working we can choose the perfect gift for your wife, or arrange flowers for your mother-in-law.”
“Or we could poison your mother-in-law,” Eva said happily. “Belladonna muffins.”
Frankie ignored her. “It sounds as if we’re offering a concierge service.”
Paige thought about it. “That’s it. That’s what we are. An event concierge service. We don’t just organize your event, we do all the extras. If you’re our client, we take care of all the little things you never have time to do.”
Eva snuggled back against the cushions. “So all we need now is the name and an office.”
“We need clients more than we need an office. We can work from the kitchen table to begin with. We’ll be out and about most of the day anyway. Or on the phone.”
Frankie frowned. “Where do we start? I’m a floral designer. A gardener. I can arrange flowers for your birthday party or your wedding, and I can do a design for your roof garden, but don’t ask me to cold-call clients. I can’t sell myself.”
“But I can.” Paige reached for her bag and pulled out her phone. Jake was right. Organization was what she did best. The excitement was back, and this time so was the confidence. “That’s the point of our company. I can’t do the flowers for your engagement party, but I know someone who can. That’s you by the way.” She glanced at Frankie. “And cooking isn’t my thing, but when Eva and her team cater your work party it will be something people talk about for months.”
Eva looked mystified. “I have a team?”
“You will have.”
“Outsourced,” Matt advised. “Don’t inflate your payroll.”
Frankie gave a crooked smile. “And don’t make anyone kale and spinach smoothies.”
“She does that?” Jake winced. “If a woman ever made me that, our relationship would be over.”
“It’s breakfast,” Eva said cheerfully. “Your relationships never last until breakfast, so you’re safe.”
“Breakfast is the most serious meal of the day and the word serious doesn’t appear in my vocabulary.”
A statement Paige knew to be untrue. She knew that Jake advised on cyber security at the highest level. Her brother had once told her Jake was the smartest guy he’d ever met. It was only in his relationships that the word serious didn’t appear.
And she knew why.
He’d talked to her about it, before she’d created a rift between them.
“This is exciting.” Eva gave Frankie a light punch on the shoulder. “I’m going into business with my two best friends. Maybe you could give me a fancy title. That would make my day. How does Vice President sound?”
Paige felt a flicker of tension. Being responsible for herself was one thing, but being responsible for both her friends was something else entirely. Jake, she knew, employed hundreds of people in several cities across the globe.
How did he sleep at night?
How did Matt sleep at night?
Paige glanced at her brother and he gave a faint smile of understanding.
“Ready to ask me for help yet? You might find I know a thing or two if you ask me. And Jake deals with start-ups all the time. He gives advice and he invests. We both have contacts. We can talk to a few companies—get
