Free Sydney (Book One) (That Wedding Girl 1) by Maggie Way Page A

cringing at my flowing tongue. I take a sip of the coffee and my heart races. It’s even stronger than the first batch he made!
    “No, not at all. You love what you do, and you work hard for it. I love your passion. Love of the job is why I went into event planning myself. It doesn’t matter about how much you charge them, if you create the perfect day its—”
    “Priceless,” I blurt out.
    He looks at me appraisingly. “Precisely.”
    “I’m glad somebody gets it, Adam always thought—”
    “Adam is a fucking dumbass,” he growls, his voice hostile.
    “What?”
    “Adam is a fucking dumbass, letting go of someone like you.” His eyes blaze at me.
    I laugh shyly, flattered by his sincerity. “I wasn’t perfect either—”
    “Are you kidding me? If you were mine, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you.” That low grumble emerges again, those whiskey coloured eyes stare at me heatedly. My heart races and I don’t think it’s the coffee. How can he be so sweet and so damn sexy at the same time? Oh my! Stop these ludicrous thoughts. He quickly resumes a straight face.
    “Ahem, what I meant was you didn’t deserve to get hurt like that, Straight-laced,” he adds tersely.
    How does he do that? The way he looked at me just now, he made me feel like the only girl in the world. Then the very next second, he’s back to his usual self and he's just that annoying boy who would come over every Friday night in that ugly, ratty hoodie. It’s unnerving.
    He clears his throat, resuming a steely resolve. “Anyway, that business proposition I had for you. Are you ready?”
    “Yeah, hit me!”             
    “Two words: Destination Weddings.”
    I raise an eyebrow, “Go on.”
    “I’m starting my own firm, and I want you to come work for me.”
    I nod gently, maintaining a deadpan expression to avoid giving anything away, “Why the change? You have an amazing job—”
    “Had. I quit.”
    “Why? Did you fool around with the boss’s daughter?” I blurt out casually, laughing softly.
    His eyes widen. “Perceptive one, you are.”
    Oh.
    Oh.  

CHAPTER NINE
     
    “Seriously, is that why?”
    Tristan might be a womaniser but surely he’s responsible enough to not jeopardise his career like that, or so I thought.  
    He shrugs, seemingly unworried.  “We were having fun, and then she decided she wanted more.”
    I raise an eyebrow, interested in some gossip. “And then what?”
    “Well, let’s just say it was easier to come back and start afresh. I can’t go breaking hearts all over America too, it’s not fair to the female population,” he says with a cocky chuckle.
    Suppressing the urge to roll my eyes, I stare at him in disbelief. “Have you ever heard of the phrase mixing business and pleasure? And that it’s bad?”
    Those full lips quirk up in a smile. “It’s all pleasure to me.”
    I swallow nervously at the way he is looking at me. You’re seeing things . Tristan is a renowned flirt. He’s just a friend.
    “So are you interested or not?” he says it so suggestively and my cheeks warm.
    “To what?”
    “Us, working together. Destination weddings?”
    Oh , here I thought he meant something else. I nod, signalling him to continue.
    “I’m going solo, becoming my own boss. The company will be all about destination events, high-end private parties and luxury event planning. That’s where you come in. You’re great at what you do, and I think you are competent to take the leap and plan high-end destination weddings.”
    Competent ? I’m more than competent at what I do. But that’s for Australia only - the rest of the world I’m not so sure about.
    “I’m a Day of Wedding Coordinator,” I point out, “For speedy, last minute weddings.”
    “I’m aware of that. It will be one of the services I offer – clients who just need someone to help get them to the finish line and deliver the wedding. They will have already booked their own caterers, venues and