Spotlight: Grand Gestures by Lynne Hancock Pearson
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Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
She will grit her teeth and smile at the snobby and suspicious CFO if it means landing the contract. But she won’t put on a dress and definitely not heels.
Event planner Jane Beckett has big dreams for her small company and is bending over backward to accommodate demanding clients. Jane doesn’t have to like them. She doesn’t have to spend her free time with them. But she wants to tease the grumpy pencil-pushing executive who always seems to be in her way, muss up his hair and show him that there’s more to life than boardrooms and bottom lines. That is, when she doesn’t want to yell at him. Or punch him.
Liam Cross believes every woman has a hidden agenda, one that involves taking advantage of big hearted, clueless billionaires like his best friend and co-worker. He’s watching Jane and her sister to ensure that party-planning is all that’s going on. Even though she manages to steal his assistant, he likes what he sees in the smart-mouthed brunette, admires her stubborn independence, and wants to help her fledgling firm succeed despite his misapprehensions.
Paintballs, punches, and sparks fly when inflated egos and miscommunication threaten relationships between friends, family, and partners.
Excerpt
Jane turned in a circle, admiring the sleek furnishings. “Is this really your office, or are you just trying to impress me?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s my name on the door.” He leaned against the back of a chair, grinning down at her.
She sauntered past him to stand next to his desk chair. Unlike the rest of the furniture, it had seen better days. Silver duct tape crisscrossed the seat, and bits of chrome was missing from the armrests, revealing rusted metal underneath. “I’m suspecting there’s a story behind this.”
Unlike most men of her acquaintance, Liam had never talked about himself in the short time they’d spent together. Looking at the old chair and the worn baseball glove on the credenza, Jane wanted to know more about him. What sentimental attachment did the two objects hold? What part of his work did he like the best? How did he manage to look so good so late in the day?
“You wanted to show me something?”
She snapped out of her daze. “Right! I have some great photos from Jessica’s birthday party, but yours is the only face clearly visible, and I can’t use any of the photos on social media without your permission.” She came out from behind his desk and moved to stand at his side. Instead of taking the phone, he placed his hand around hers and angled the photo toward him. Long fingers cupped her own. They were warm and slightly calloused, and she was acutely aware of his firm bicep inches away from her shoulder. She wanted to press her nose against him and inhale. Since when did laundry starch make her knees weak? She forced herself to concentrate on the photograph. Framed in the center, Liam towered over the girls, who were all in the middle of high-fiving each other. Bullseye Paintball could be clearly seen in the background above Stan and Carl, whose backs were toward the camera.
He stood so close; his breath tickled her ear when he spoke. “I don’t remember you taking these. Those girls sure got me good.”
Jane giggled. He wasn’t wrong. There was barely a spot on his coveralls that wasn’t covered in pink paint. But he wore a broad smile as he stared down at the girls. The other images were similar except for the last one, which caught Liam and the two dads attempting to follow the girls’ dance instructions.
“Oh, hell no. You are not using that one!”
She peeked up at him from beneath her bangs. “Really? I think this is perfect.”
He narrowed his eyes and pulled the phone out of her grasp.
“Hey. Give that back.”
“Not unless you promise to delete that picture.”
She reached out, but his arms were too long. Grabbing his forearm, she yanked with both hands, but it didn’t budge. He raised it higher until she was practically on her tiptoes.
“Looks like we’re at an impasse.” His dark eyes danced with amusement.
She scowled, sweeping her gaze down his chest to his flat belly and back up. “A punch to the kidneys or a well-placed knee would take care of things.”
His eyes fixed on her lips, inches away from her own. “Or you could promise not to use the photo.”
There was no way she could get the phone short of taking him down with violence. Grappling him to the floor would have to wait for another time. “Fine.” She let go, and his other hand came up to press against her back, supporting her.
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
He brought his arm down but still held the phone away from her. “How do I know you don’t have any other compromising images? Perhaps I should go through all your photos.”
The teasing glint in his eyes belied the threat. “That’s okay. The photos I intend to use for blackmail are stored on a hard drive.”
His lips quirked up as he handed over the phone. “Good to know. I’ll have to—” A timer went off on his laptop. “That’s my reminder for the meeting.”
Disappointed that their time was cut short, she pointed at the door. “I should be going anyway. You okay with GG using the paintball photo?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” He stepped back, his gaze warm as it bounced from her eyes to her mouth and back again.
“Great.” She tucked her phone back into her bag and walked to the door.
“Jane.”
She turned, eyebrows raised in a silent question.
In two long strides, he was next to her. “I was a jerk that night at Johnny’s. You didn’t deserve that, and I was totally out of line.” He placed one hand on her arm. “Any chance we can try again?”
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About the Author
Lynne Hancock Pearson writes fun, flirty, feel-good fiction set in the Pacific Northwest. Stories of people finding their way, even if it takes a while to get there.
She lives near Seattle with two and a half finicky felines and one long-suffering husband. She is a left-handed middle child who grew up in the Great White North.
Connect:
https://lynnehancockpearson.com/
https://www.instagram.com/allthatediting/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23099624.Lynne_Pearson
