Free Eclipse of the Heart by Carly Carson Page B

grin, and offered her a stick of gum.
    She shook her head no, frowning slightly at the way he'd
singled her out. His blonde hair waved back from his forehead in a perfectly
styled cut that had undoubtedly set him back more than a hundred dollars.
Though he was a bit too boyishly Hugh Grantish for
her taste, she couldn't rule him out. He seemed disposed to like her and he was
certainly young and attractive.
    With a final cool glance in the direction of Amanda, Logan
began the meeting. He didn't look her way again unless she spoke, and she
wasn't sure if she should be grateful or alarmed.
    Alarm won the day when the meeting ended and everyone rose
in a buzz of talk and scraping chairs.
    "Amanda." Logan had to raise his voice a bit to
call down the table. "I'd like to see you in my office."
    Her head jerked up in surprise. But she managed to reply
calmly enough, "Be right there."
    "Hey, Amanda." Josh
touched her arm.
    She turned to look at him. "What—"
    "Amanda." Logan's deep voice cut through the
post-meeting buzz. "Now, if you please."
    "Geez," she muttered under her breath. "The
drama continues."
    "He's not too bad," Josh murmured. "As long as you don’t make any mistakes."
    Amanda watched covertly as Logan tucked his laptop under his
arm and strode from the room. What did he want with her? Had he seen her flirting
with Josh? Was that the cause of the thunderous scowl on his face?
    No, she couldn't be so arrogant as to suppose it was. She
reminded herself of how he'd left her both nights in Philadelphia. He was
hardly pining after her.
    On that thought, courage spurted through her. She had her
own life to make and it certainly wasn't going to revolve around Logan Winter.
    She walked into his office, faking a confidence she didn't
really feel. He'd been facing out the window, but he swiveled around at her
approach. She had to order herself not to gape, but it was hard. He was so
attractive. His white Oxford shirt emphasized the breadth of his shoulders, and
he'd rolled up the sleeves neatly, showing off his strong forearms.
     With the air of a man opening negotiations on an
unpleasant topic, he announced, "I have to attend a wedding next
Saturday."
    "Scary." Amanda bit her cheek to keep from smiling
at the tense look on his face.
    "Unavoidable." He tapped a pen against the leather
blotter on his desk. "One of my financial backers."
    "You want me to ask Rosie to order a gift? Can't go wrong with Tiffany's."
     "Damn." He snapped his fingers. "You're
right. That's something Ms. Lockwood would have handled."
    Amanda turned. "I'll get Rosie on it."
    "Wait." He paused.
    She raised her eyebrows. What was the problem? It wasn't
like him to hesitate over his words.
    "I rarely attend such an event."
    She nodded.
    "Never bring a date."
    She had to smile at that. "Might give a woman ideas ."
    He rolled his eyes. "You can't imagine."
    "No," she said politely.
    "In this case, however—" He started tapping again
with the pen. "I thought it might be useful for you to go."
    "Me?" She almost dropped her laptop. "I'm not
invited."
    "With me, Amanda," he snapped.
    It had to be the least gracious invitation she'd ever
received.
    "With you?" She couldn't
prevent herself from repeating the words.
    "No big deal." He waved a hand. "Excellent
contacts for you."
    "Contacts." She managed
to nod her head as if any of this made sense. Everyone attended weddings to
make contacts, right?
    He met her gaze. "Yes or no?"
    Did she see a hint of uncertainty in the back of those gray
eyes? Impossible. No one in the world had more
self-possession than he did.
    "Fine."
    "Good." He put down the pen. "It's black tie.
8 p.m. I'll pick you up at 7."
    She turned on her heel and walked out. Even if people didn't
attend weddings to make connections, it was a fact that she'd still meet
people. People worth meeting.
    Josh was standing at Rosie's desk, booking an appointment
with Logan. He turned with a smile when Amanda walked up.
    "Did you survive the inquisition?" he