The Engagement Project / Her Surprise Hero: The Engagement Project / Her Surprise Hero

“You’re not honestly suggesting that I should give bugs to Lucy?”

“Of course not.” She smiled again. “She would probably prefer to get them herself.”

Baffled by that response, Gage wordlessly followed Megan to the science & nature department on the other side of the store, where she proceeded to point out magnifying glasses and bug boxes and books and all kinds of other must-haves for an aspiring entomologist.

Gage found her enthusiasm so contagious that there was soon an impressive assortment of packages piled at his feet, beside the dress bag Megan had unceremoniously dumped on top of a display of ladybug houses so that she had both hands free to explore the offerings.

“Look at this,” she said, turning to him with yet another box in her hands.

“What is it?”

“It’s a NASA-inspired ant farm. The bugs live in and tunnel through the gel, which serves as their food and water, too, so it’s very low maintenance. It also has LEDs that highlight the tunnels and let the unit function as a night-light.”

“That’s … practical,” Gage decided. “If maybe a little … weird.”

“You don’t have to like it,” Megan reminded him. “So long as your niece does.”

“True,” he allowed, even while he wondered if his niece’s mother would be so philosophical.

Before Megan could say anything else, her wrist beeped. She glanced at her watch, then thrust the ant farm into his hands. “Sorry,” she said. “But I have to run.”

“No, I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time,” he told her, though he was more sorry that she had to go.

She looked at the pile of potential gifts on the floor, then at the box he held in his hands. “I hope Lucy likes whatever you get for her birthday.”

“I’m sure she will, thanks to you.”

She smiled at that, then lifted her hand and sort of waved. “I guess I’ll see you at work on Monday.”

He nodded, and watched as she walked away. Her oversize shirt was tucked into baggy pants that gave no hint of any curves beneath, and yet, the subtle sway of her hips was distinctly feminine and decidedly intriguing.

He shook his head, as if that action might banish the unexpected thought. She really wasn’t his type. And even if she was, he had enough on his mind right now without the added complication of a woman.

When she was out of sight, he grabbed a vacant cart and loaded it up—then spotted the abandoned garment bag. Despite his recent admonition, he couldn’t deny the anticipation that surged through his veins as he tossed it on top of the pile of gifts.

Now he didn’t have to wait until Monday to see the intriguing Megan Roarke again.

Chapter Two

Megan wasn’t surprised to find that her sister Ashley’s Honda was already in the driveway of the town house they shared when she got home from her trip to the mall. She was surprised to see Paige Wilder’s Audi parked behind it.

Paige was their cousin, though both Megan and Ashley thought of her as another sister since she’d lived with them while they were in high school, and they always included her in any plans they made together. A family-law attorney with a practice that seemed to get busier and busier each year, Paige had declined more invitations than she’d accepted in recent months, so Megan was doubly pleased that she was there tonight.

As she made her way through the kitchen, following their voices toward the dining room, she noticed the two bottles of merlot on the counter, one of which was already uncorked. Another great thing about Paige—whenever she did make an appearance, she could always be counted on to bring the wine.

“Are we planning on doing some serious drinking tonight?” she asked.

“Is your mother coming?” Paige countered.

Megan had forgotten that detail—or maybe put it deliberately out of her mind.

“In that case, two bottles might not be enough,” she warned, accepting the glass that her sister poured for her as she boosted herself onto one of the high-back chairs at the pub-style table.

“I asked Paige to come early so that we could get most of the details worked out before Mom gets here,” Ashley explained.

“You mean, before she can take over,” Megan said.

Her sister nodded, as Paige muttered, “Good luck with that.”

Megan believed that Lillian Roarke had tried to be a good mother to her daughters, and a good aunt to the niece who was dumped in her care whenever a military crisis called Paige’s father to duty. The problem was she didn’t have a maternal bone in her body.

What Lillian did have were exacting standards and high expectations. And while she appeared outwardly supportive of both of her children, what masqueraded as praise was often barely concealed criticism, and encouragement was often a thinly veiled expression of doubt. Even after twenty-five years, Megan hadn’t become immune to her mother’s negativity.

Had there not been doctors and nurses present to witness her birth, Megan might have questioned whether there was truly any familial connection between herself and her mother. Lillian had never been the type to wipe tears or kiss boo-boos or snuggle under the covers to chase away bad dreams. But when there were events to be planned—graduations and engagement parties, for example—she was always front and center to ensure that everything was done just right.

Lillian had always been more concerned about appearances than reality, and at the celebration of her daughter’s engagement, she would be the smiling and supportive mother-of-the-bride-to-be despite her frequently spoken belief that twenty-eight-year-old Ashley was making a mistake in marrying so quickly—and especially in marrying Trevor Byden.

It was rare for Megan to agree with her mother on anything, but she had to admit—if only to herself—that she shared some of those concerns regarding Ashley’s engagement. While she liked Trevor well enough, and there was no doubt that the accountant was devoted to her sister, she wasn’t convinced that Ashley loved him as much as she loved what he was offering her—marriage and the hope of having the babies she wanted so badly.

“So where’s the dress?” Paige’s question jolted her out of her reverie. “I can’t wait to see it on you.”

“Dress?” Megan echoed, then closed her eyes as realization hit. “Oh, no.”

Ashley set a tray of crudités on the table. “Oh, no, what?”

Megan swallowed another mouthful of wine. “I kind of—uh—forgot it.”

“Forgot it? Where? How?” Her sister impatiently tossed the questions at her. “I talked to you while you were at the boutique buying it.”

And Megan knew she’d had the dress when she’d left the store, and when she’d run into Gage and when they’d gone into the toy store. Then she’d put it down somewhere and had obviously forgotten to pick it up again. But how could she admit that to her sister?

“I forgot my keys in the boutique,” she hedged.

“I’m not worried about your keys,” Ashley said.

“And when I went back to get them,” she continued as if her sister hadn’t spoken, “I ran into someone I know.”

“A man,” Paige guessed.

Megan frowned. “What makes you think that?”

“There was the slightest hesitation before you said someone and your cheeks immediately turned pink.”

“You must be deadly on cross-examination,” Ashley mused.

“It’s a talent,” Paige acknowledged, then turned her attention back to Megan. “So—who is he?”

“Just someone from the lab.”