The Proposal Playbook Read online

  Nodding, Daniel stood and walked over to the window and looked out at their property. They owned their own security training firm and specialized in cybersecurity as well as physical and personal security. Right now their third partner was out on the training field with a couple of students running the obstacle course.

  “Daniel?” he prompted.

  “Oh, right,” he murmured before facing Xander again. “Yeah, so Daisy is trying to help her brother with his proposal and is looking for some input from other guys. Preferably military guys.”

  “Why?”

  Shaking his head with a low laugh, Daniel replied, “Because he’s a military guy. Army, I think. Anyway, you know Josie’s always looking to have people over when she has a weekend free, so can you please just be…you know, not so you and come out and socialize?”

  Frowning, Xander couldn’t help but take a little offense to that last part. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means I’m getting a little tired of having to argue with you to get you to come to my house! I’m tired of having to make excuses for you to my wife!”

  “No one’s asking you to make excuses. That’s all on you.”

  Growling, Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look, all I’m saying is I’d appreciate it if you came over and hung out with all our friends. Knox already said yes, so…”

  Xander groaned inwardly. No doubt Josie would take it as an insult if he was the only one who said no, but that didn’t make it any more appealing. “I’ll go, just know I’m doing it under protest.”

  “Good Lord…”

  “I’m just saying that you’re forgetting what it’s like to be single,” he explained. “Before Josie, did you want to spend your day off with a bunch of other couples? No. And worse, did you want to spend that time talking about proposals? I mean…come on! I’ve literally got zero contributions to that because I am personally against it.”

  Walking over to one of the chairs, Daniel sat down, crossed his arms over his chest, and sighed. “Now this I’ve got to hear.”

  Swiveling in his seat with an easy grin, he presented his case. “My mom walked out on me and my dad when I was eight. She was the love of my dad’s life and it took him years to move on. Then, when he proposed to wife number two, she left him two years later. Personally, I don’t think it matters how you propose because in the grand scheme of things, it means nothing. Do something big, do something small, it won’t change the fact that most relationships fail.”

  “Wow. That is…wow.” Raking a hand through his hair, Daniel simply stared at him.

  “I’m not saying all relationships will–I’m sure you and Josie are solid–but the fact still remains that it’s not about the proposal; it’s about staying power and most people don’t have it.”

  “Do you?”

  “Do I what?”

  “Think you have staying power?” Daniel challenged.

  With a lazy shrug, he said, “For relationships? I doubt it. Obviously I stuck with the military and I’m committed to this business, but the rest of it?” Another shrug. “No one’s tempted me to even want to try.”

  “And if someone did?” Daniel pressed.

  Standing, he stretched. “I don’t see it happening. I’m not looking for it and I’m fine without it. I enjoy keeping things casual–having some laughs and some good times and then moving on. It works for me.” And before Daniel could argue, he added, “You and I have known each other for a long time, so save me the lectures, okay? You’re in this little honeymoon bubble right now and you think everyone wants the same thing, and I’m here to tell you we don’t. I don’t tell you how to live your life and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to tell me how I should live mine.”

  With a curt nod, Daniel stood. “Fair enough.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So…are we cool?”

  “Yeah. We’re good.”

  “And…Sunday? You’ll be there?”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to try to back out, but…what was the point? “Yeah, but…just know that you’ll probably want to advise Daisy of my stand on this whole thing. No need to turn a fun afternoon with friends into a debate.”

  “Or maybe you could just find a way to share your thoughts without being a jerk. How about that?”

  Everything in him was prepared to keep arguing, but his annoyance had him on the verge of saying something he knew he’d regret.

  “And the date? Can I at least get a name so I can tell Josie?”

  “Nah. I’ll cancel. Not a big deal.”

  “Xander, you don’t have to…”

  Taking a calming breath, he simply asked, “You wanna go out there and help Knox out so he can take a break or you want me to?”

  Fortunately, Daniel didn’t argue. “I’ll go. There are the contracts for Kaplan Tech that need to be looked at. We’ve got an install with them next week. You want to look them over?”

  It was mindless work so he shrugged and said, “Sure.”

  Once he was alone, however, he didn’t look at anything. He simply sat back in his chair and tried to imagine why anyone thought he’d have anything to contribute to a ridiculous topic like wedding proposals. If he shared how he really felt, he knew he’d shock the hell out of Josie and her friends and probably send Daisy running from the house.

  The mirthless laugh was out before he could stop it at the image.

  He remembered their run-in from a few months back and how tough she tried to be–full of defiance and bravado. It was almost laughable. She was a full foot shorter than him and he easily outweighed her by a hundred pounds, and yet she had gone toe-to-toe with him while defending herself. Didn’t she realize how it wasn’t safe to walk anywhere alone at night? Wasn’t she aware of the fact that anyone could have been hiding and waiting for her in the shadows?

  They had argued about that for a solid fifteen minutes before she stomped off, got in her car, and drove away. Xander remembered thinking she probably lived in an apartment and was going to go home and make the same mistake.

  So…he’d followed her.

  And she knew it.

  When they got to her place, Daisy had climbed from her car and curtsied at him and then made a big show of walking around and looking behind every shrub and bench she passed along the way. Then, at her door, she’d turned to look at him before taking a bow.

  Smartass.

  Still, just thinking about it almost made him smile.

  She was all sassy defiance even as she normally walked around as if the sun was always shining and unicorns were real. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she used to be a preschool teacher. He imagined a person had to have a sunny and cheerful personality when working with kids.

  Now that was a thought that made him shudder.

  Kids.

  No thank you.

  Xander knew a long time ago that he was never going to have kids—didn’t want to. There was no way he would risk putting a child through what he’d been through. Even though his dad was the greatest and did everything possible to make sure he didn’t feel his mother’s absence too strongly, it was a lot of work. There was even a part of him that wondered if he was more like his mother and would find it easy to just walk away from his own kids.

  There was no point in testing that theory. It would be a terrible thing to figure out when it was too late.

  The sound of his phone ringing snapped him out of his reverie. Staring down at his phone, he saw Josie’s name and frowned. Why was she calling him?

  “Hey, Josie! What’s up?”

  “Xander, hey. Sorry to bother you, but I was hoping I could ask a favor.”

  Oh, no…

  Clearing his throat, he replied, “Uh…sure. What can I do for you?”

  “Well, we’re expanding again and looking to take on a couple of part-time assistants,” she explained, “and I was hoping you could do some background checks for me.”

  His shoulders practically sagged with relief. He wasn’t sure what she was going to ask of him, but he feared it was going to be something more about coming for dinner on Sunday. Background checks? He could do them all day long without any issues, but…

  “That’s normally Knox’s thing. If you want, I can have him call you?”

  “No, I know he’s working with a group today–Daniel mentioned it earlier to me and said I should give you a call. If you’re busy…”

  “No, no, that’s not it. I’m guessing there’s a rush on these?”

  She laughed softly. “I procrastinated and we’re having a group of applicants come in tomorrow for interviews.”

  “How many are we talking about?”

  “Five.”

  “Pfft…that’s not a problem. I could have them to you by the end of the day.”

  “Perfect! Oh, you’re a lifesaver! Thank you!”

  “My pleasure,” he assured her and was about to say goodbye when…

  “I’m so glad you’re joining us on Sunday! I’m making those barbecue sliders you enjoyed so much the last time you were here.”

  “Um…”

  “And Skye’s bringing her famous crab dip…”

  “O-kay…”

  “Of course, Lea’s baking cupcakes, because that’s her thing. Do you have a favorite I should tell her about?”

  “Chocolate?” Honestly, he had no idea why she was telling him all of this. He already said he’d be there, wasn’t that enough?

  “And Daisy’s bringing a Mezze platter.”

  “Excuse me?” Xander was sure he hadn’t heard her correctly.

  “A Mezze platter. Apparently it’s a Greek thing. She made one for our last girls' night and it was fantastic! I’m telling you, you’re going to love it! It’s got…”

  “Yea
h, I know what it has. I’m part Greek.”

  “Really?” she said, dragging the syllables out until she was practically singing the word. “Then you’ll have to let us know how authentic it is! Not that it really matters because everything on it was delicious, but I’m curious if you’ll enjoy it.”

  “Is Daisy Greek?”

  What the hell difference does that make? He asked himself. It didn’t matter.

  “I don’t think so. She’s just a foodie who loves making up platters and charcuterie boards. I’m telling you, they’re like a work of art.”

  “Yeah, I’m not sure how to respond to that.”

  “Just trust me. You’re going to love it.” And before he could say anything again, she added, “I’m really excited that you and Knox are joining us. Poor Daisy’s having a hard time helping her brother out so I figured our little tribe of guys could help her.”

  “I’m not sure…”

  “Maybe it’s weird and maybe it won’t help, but I’d like to think it will. After all, everyone has different ideas about what’s romantic and what isn’t, right?”

  “Well…yeah.”

  “And it doesn’t matter if you’ve ever proposed or been proposed to. We all have opinions. And who knows? Maybe opening the dialogue like a round table discussion will help her. I know she desperately wants this proposal to go well for her brother. Apparently her other two brothers completely botched theirs.”

  “She’s got three brothers?”

  “Yup. All in the Army too.”

  “Are they all older? Younger? Mixed?”

  “All older,” she told him with a hint of amusement. “And huge! Like you guys! It’s crazy!”

  That explained why she obviously felt comfortable standing up to him.

  And perhaps why she possibly could take care of herself.

  “Anyway,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “I’ll email the information over to you for those background checks and we’ll just plan on seeing you Sunday.”

  “Is there uh…anything I should bring?” he asked hesitantly.

  “Aren’t you sweet!”

  “Well…”

  “I’m not sure if we need anything in particular, but if you want to bring either some beer or maybe some kind of chips and dip, that would be awesome. Thanks!”

  It took him another five minutes to get her off the phone and once he did, Xander let out a long breath. That was probably the longest conversation he’d ever had with Josie and it left him feeling more than a little exhausted. How the hell did Daniel deal with it? It just made him more than a little apprehensive about Sunday. There was going to be a lot of talking and…

  A Mezze platter.

  His mother used to make them all the time when he was growing up and he hadn’t seen or had one in years.

  So maybe there was a little something for him to look forward to, but that was it. It was just the food.

  He was not looking forward to any other aspect of the day.

  None of it.

  Chapter Two

  PROPOSAL TIP #2: PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS

  “And then he said, ‘this is na-cho average date!’ Why do guys do that?” Daisy rolled her eyes and felt mildly defeated when everyone–meaning all the guys–cracked up at her brother’s stupid pun.

  So stupid…

  As if sensing her annoyance, Daniel was the one to clear his throat and diplomatically tell the guys it wasn’t funny, but she already knew he was lying. He’d laughed the hardest.

  “Anyway,” she went on. “I’m not sure how helpful this will be, but Josie suggested I talk to all of you about your proposals–for those who’ve proposed–and for the single guys to sort of weigh in on what you consider to be lame or cheesy or something you’d never do. Will that work?” Then she held her breath and prayed they weren’t going to mock her.

  They were sitting in Josie and Daniel’s living room and there was food on almost every surface–snacks and dips and her Mezze platter. Dinner wasn’t going to be for at least another two hours and she fought the urge to make herself a giant plate of food to keep her mouth full so she wouldn’t have to talk anymore.

  Xander reached over and helped himself to what looked like half the Mezze platter, and Daisy found herself to be mildly pleased. He might think she was some sort of ditz, but at least he wasn’t complaining about the food she’d brought.

  Actually, he wasn’t complaining about anything.

  Miracles do happen…

  That wasn’t very fair, she told herself. She didn’t know much about Xander to make the assumption that he was a complainer. As far as she knew, he’d only griped at her and when she thought about it, he was just looking out for her safety. It should have been sweet, but the way he’d carried on was like hitting every launch button for her. He sounded like her brothers–ALL her brothers. They were always telling her what to do and how to do it and the way Xander approached her that night just screamed of something her siblings would do. And his looks didn’t help either. Not that he looked like Chase, Logan, or Dom, but he did sort of remind her of Logan’s best friend Travis.

  The guy who stood her up for her senior prom.

  It was crazy to even think about him–or the heartless way he ruined her big night–but Xander Madden just seemed to bring out all her defiance and make her want to lash out.

  Ugh…I should probably talk to a therapist about all these issues…

  Either way, the man just irritated her.

  Glancing around the room, Daisy realized no one was talking. Everyone was eating and she had a feeling they were all doing what she secretly dreamed of–keeping their mouths full so they wouldn’t have to answer her.

  Well…drats.

  It was a long shot and she appreciated Josie’s offer to help, but it seemed like no one was really interested in sharing their thoughts. She’d just have to call Dom this week and tell him he was on his own. Every idea she presented him with he’d rejected, so there really wasn’t any point in her making herself crazy over this.

  Only…she knew she was going to.

  “Seriously? No one has anything to contribute?” she asked with a small huff. Then, since no one was willing to speak up, she tried a different approach. “Daniel, when you proposed to Josie, did you plan it?”

  His eyes went a little wide right before he began to choke on his food. Josie quickly began patting him on the back and gave Daisy a small smile. “Maybe come back to him?”

  Inwardly groaning, she nodded. “What about you, Elliott? Did you plan it?”

  Luckily, Skylar’s husband didn’t scare easily. “I wouldn’t say it was overly planned. We had broken up and I knew I wanted her back.” He paused and took Skye’s hand in his, kissing it. “It’s a very long story, but I basically planned on asking her to marry me if she would only give me a chance to talk to her.”

  “Did you have a ring? A special place you wanted to ask her?” Daisy asked.

  “It was in bed, no ring, and we had just eaten like a gallon of frosting,” Skye said with a happy smile. “And it was the most perfect proposal in the world.”

  Huh. Color me surprised.

  “What about you, Brody? Did you have a plan?”

  Brody King was the only one who looked like he should be in a boardroom rather than a living room. He wasn’t quite in a suit, but was still way more business than casual. Putting his plate down, he nodded. “Oh, I had it planned down to the most minute detail, but Lea wore me down a bit. I actually proposed on the way to where I planned on doing it. But I didn’t give her the ring until I could do it where I planned.”

  “Ooh…and where was that?”

  “In Paris,” Lea said dreamily before cupping her fiancé’s face and kissing him.

  And kept kissing him until Daisy felt her cheeks heat.

  Clearing her throat, she glanced back at Josie and Daniel and hoped one of them would say something.

  “I’ll admit our story is very similar to Elliot and Skye’s,” Daniel began. “Josie and I had broken up but I knew she was it for me. I sort of set up a situation to be with her and proposed over dinner. But unlike Elliott, I had a ring.”