by Gina Wilkins
Chapter Five
Maybe it was the dress. It looked amazing on her. It was all he could do to keep his gaze focused on her face, especially when she happened to turn her back to him. She did so again, to reach for a glass of champagne from a passing server, and he couldn’t resist noticing how the snug dress cupped her shapely bottom. He was only human after all.
“Scott. Good to see you. How’s it going?”
Drawing his attention back to the networking he was here to do, he shook a couple of hands and exchanged meaningless small talk before his gaze was drawn inexorably back to Tess mingling on the other side of the crowded room. Even among the other guests crammed in the almost overly decorated large living area of the Holiday Open Home, she stood out—at least to his eyes.
There was something different about her tonight. He couldn’t quite decide what it was. She’d chatted easily enough with him during the drive. She worked the room like the pro she was, making nice with people who were either potential clients or referrals for PCCI. He was quite sure she worked his name into every conversation, subtly extolling his business acumen. She’d always been his most loyal cheerleader—and his most bluntly honest critic. His most valuable asset. But there was something different about her tonight.
Maybe it was the dress.
Or maybe it was the knowledge that tonight he’d be taking her home when the party ended.
As if in confirmation, she glanced his way, saw him looking at her and smiled. He lifted his champagne flute in acknowledgment. He took a sip, but what he really wanted was to taste her lips again.
A surge of hunger swept through him, and for a moment, he was unnerved by the strength of it. He reassured himself with the reminder that sexual appeal was a plus when it came to choosing a compatible mate. He wouldn’t examine too closely how long he’d been aware of his attraction to Tess, but now that they were dating there was no real reason to continue to suppress it. He could handle, even welcome, a mutually gratifying physical relationship. It was romance he simply couldn’t seem to comprehend, and at which he’d proved so incompetent.
He didn’t want to mess this up. There was too much at stake to take unnecessary risks. But fortunately he and Tess seemed to be on the same page in both their business and personal agendas. Her sexy red dress hadn’t changed anything. But she did look damned good in it.
For the first time since they’d arrived an hour earlier, he’d found a moment to himself, sipping champagne in a relatively quiet corner of the two-story living room. Between the Christmas music playing from cleverly hidden speakers and the chatter of milling guests, not to mention that he’d been too busy to eat more than a few bites all day, his head was beginning to ache dully. He hoped he’d hidden his discomfort behind his best social smile as he’d worked the event. They’d already been given the official tour through the impeccably styled and glitteringly festive six-thousand-square-foot house, and now it was just a matter of making sure his company was represented to maximum effect before they could make a graceful escape. No one had seemed surprised to see him enter with Tess at his side; everyone who knew them probably assumed they were simply attending in a business capacity. It would take a few more appearances to get the message across that their relationship had changed.
A movement next to him made him glance around to find a petite blonde in a sparkly dress frowning at him. She smoothed her expression quickly, but not before he’d seen the disapproval on her pretty face. “Is something wrong, Stevie?”
“I was just looking for Tess.”
“She’s over there, by the Christmas tree, chatting with the mayor and his wife. Apparently Tess and the mayor’s wife are on some sort of civic committee together.”
“I’m sure she’s worked you and your company into the conversation a few times,” Tess’s friend murmured, echoing Scott’s thoughts from only moments earlier. “You have to admit she’s your most dedicated ally.”
“No argument here. I owe a great deal to her. She’s a big fan of yours, too. I’ve heard her directing several people to look at your kitchen this evening.”
Stevie nodded. “She’s the most loyal and supportive person I’ve ever known. Always the one in the background quietly doing all the work and getting too little of the credit.”
Okay, there was definitely a message here. He just wasn’t entirely sure what it was. Was Stevie implying that he hadn’t given Tess enough credit at work in the way of salary, title, promotions? Or was there a more personal implication to her comments? How much had Tess told her?
“Tess has certainly been instrumental in the success of my business,” he said to reassure Stevie that he was fully mindful of that fact. “I’ve told her many times, both publicly and privately, that I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
“You’re lucky to have her. She has plenty of options, you know.”
He was well aware that Tess had been approached by other employers, some who’d met her through his business and coveted her organizational skills for their own enterprises. One of his own friends had recently offered her a position as human resources director for his trucking company, promising he’d add 20 percent to whatever Scott was paying her. Lane hadn’t even bothered to be subtle about trying to hire her away; he’d made his move in Scott’s own office. Scott had been gratified when Tess had made it clear she wasn’t looking for a new job, and he’d tried to be good-natured about it with Lane. But come to think about it, they hadn’t really spoken since, though Scott wasn’t carrying a grudge. Still, if the truth were told, he’d been annoyed. Maybe even territorial in a way that hadn’t been entirely business related. Had it been about that time that the seed of this marriage plan had been planted unknowingly in the back of his mind?
“Anyway,” Stevie said when he sipped his champagne to avoid having to figure out a way to respond to her, “I’m just saying I wouldn’t want Tess to be taken for granted. I would hate for her to be hurt. By anyone.”
He lowered his glass and met her eyes. “So would I.”
“Good.”
“Hey, you two. Sorry I got detained for so long, I got caught up in a conversation about the chances of my nephew’s basketball team making the state playoffs,” Tess explained as she rushed up to join them. “Stevie, the mayor’s wife wants to remodel her kitchen within the next few months. I told her she should be sure to talk with you before she leaves. Be ready to make a pitch,” she added with a smile.
“I’ll be ready. Thanks, Tess.”
Only moments later they were interrupted by someone who wanted to question Stevie about a function of a trendy new feature in the impressive chef’s kitchen.
Scott turned to Tess after Stevie had moved away. “What’s with your friend?” he asked quietly. “She seems unusually subdued this evening.”
On the few occasions when he’d met Stevie before, she’d always been laughing, animated, a bundle of barely suppressed energy in a compact package. Tonight she’d seemed more serious than he’d ever seen her, and he didn’t know if it was only due to her doubts about Tess and him.
He saw concern flit across Tess’s face as she glanced in the direction in which Stevie had just disappeared. “I think she’s going through some issues with her boyfriend,” she murmured. “But I don’t really know, so I’m only speculating.”
That seemed to be all she was willing to say about Stevie’s problems, so he changed the subject. “I think we’ve put in our time, don’t you? How about if we duck out now?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Do you want to say good-night to your friend?”
She shook her head. “Stevie’s busy. I’ll send her a text later. Let’s go before someone else corners us.”
Smiling at her eagerness to escape, he moved across the room with her, exchanging nods and quick handshakes on the way out. Tess shivered as she slid into
the passenger seat of his car. She grabbed her coat from the backseat and wrapped it snugly around her over the seat belt. “I think the temperature has dropped a few degrees since we went inside.”
He started the car. “Some people know better than to wear sleeveless dresses in December without a coat.”
She laughed. “I brought a coat.”
“And left it in the car.”
“I didn’t want to bother with having to check it and then wait to reclaim it. It was worth a few minutes of freezing to make a faster getaway.”
“That was a bore, wasn’t it? I was expecting live music or some sort of entertainment other than just walking through the rooms, then standing around with cheap wine and dry canapés.”
“I have a feeling there will be a new chairperson for the Holiday Open Home committee next year,” she agreed wryly. “It’s been so much better planned in the past.”
“Oh, well, as long as they met their fund-raising goals, I guess that’s all that matters.”
“True. And I’m sure Stevie will get some new business from it. Her kitchen was gorgeous, wasn’t it?”
“It was very nice.” It still bothered him a bit to remember the way Stevie had frowned at him, as if she had some valid reason to worry that he would hurt her friend, but he shook off the concern. Maybe it was only that Stevie was having relationship troubles of her own, as Tess had implied, and was subsequently pessimistic about any new relationship. Maybe if they’d been in a place where they could have had a private conversation, he would have assured Stevie more forcefully that he had no intention of hurting Tess. Considering his belief that broken hearts were the result of unrealistic expectations, his plan was much healthier and saner than Stevie’s idealistic and deliberately naive approach to the search for a life partner. Would Tess’s friend see his point if he explained, or would she still disapprove of his prosaic tactics?
Not that it mattered. The only concern to him was that Tess approved.
Feeling a bit more cheerful now that their first official outing had been generally successful, he said, “I’m starving. I’ve hardly had time to eat anything today and those little nibbles at the party didn’t fill me up. Want to stop for something to eat?”
“I ate before the party. But if you’d like to come in to my place, I’ll make you an omelet or something.”
His fingers tightened a bit on the wheel, but he made sure to keep any hint of surprise from his voice. “Sounds good, thanks.”
Oh, yeah, he thought. This was all working out just fine.
* * *
“And this,” Scott said, his head close to hers as they peered down at the phone in his hand, “is Miranda holding Henry after Thanksgiving dinner. She and Madison love being the older cousins and taking care of the baby.”
“Do you just remember who this is, or can you really tell those girls apart?” Tess asked with a laugh and a shake of her head. It always amazed her that Scott’s family seemed to so easily identify each twin, though they looked exactly alike to her.
“I can usually tell. Their personalities are different enough that their expressions sort of give them away, even when they’re dressed alike, which isn’t very often. Eli and Libby think it’s important that the girls develop their own identities, so that they aren’t just known as ‘the twins.’ Still, every so often I mix them up, and they call me on my mistake pretty quickly.”
They sat side by side on the deep-cushioned sage-green couch in her living room, flipping through family photos stored in Scott’s phone. He’d already eaten and effusively complimented the generous omelet she’d made for him, and he’d quickly accepted her offer of herbal tea afterward. He seemed to be in no hurry to leave, and Tess was enjoying this relaxed, private time with him.
“Your nieces are really cute. And Henry’s a little doll. Thanks for showing me the pictures. It looks as though you had a great Thanksgiving.”
“We did.” Setting his phone to one side, Scott touched her hand. “I’m sorry you didn’t have a good Thanksgiving with your family.”
Her first instinct was to deflect the sympathy with a shrug and an assurance that her gathering with her sister’s family had been fine and she’d had a lovely time. It was a bit embarrassing to compare her strained situation with his close clan. But if Scott was going to become a part of her life, he might as well know everything he was getting into. “I guess you know that Nina and I aren’t close. I can never seem to live up to her standards, and I think it annoys her that I’m not jealous of her. Does that make sense?”
“It does, actually. You being jealous of her would be a validation that she’s important. Impressive. If you don’t want to be her, she probably wonders what you find lacking. Needing to be envied is a common weakness for people whose sense of self-worth comes only from the amount of admiration they receive from others.”
He sounded like an amateur psychologist, but he was right. “That does sound like Nina,” she agreed slowly. “It sometimes seems as though everything she does is slanted toward impressing others. She pores over fashion magazines and trend blogs trying desperately to stay current. She’s raising her kids the same way. Nina would pretty much pawn her soul to buy them the ‘right’ label. She and Ken aren’t wealthy, but they try so hard to keep up with the Joneses that it exhausts me just watching them.”
“I’ve had friends fall into that trap before they realize it’s a game they just can’t win. There’s always someone with more money, more toys, more admirers. I like nice things as much as anyone, but I buy what I like, not because someone else would be impressed by it.”
She knew that about him, of course. She couldn’t have worked side by side with him for six years without learning something about his core values. It was another point in their favor as a budding couple that they shared so many of those principles. Smiling, she waved a hand around her living room. “Same here, obviously.”
“I’ve always admired your sense of style.”
The compliment pleased her. She smiled. “Thanks. But I have to give credit to my friends—Stevie with her flair for design and Jenny for keeping my wardrobe reasonably up-to-date.”
Draping an arm casually across the couch behind her, he ran a fingertip along the bateau neckline of her red dress. “If this dress is an example of Jenny’s contribution, then I applaud her advice. You look spectacular tonight. I could hardly take my eyes off you at the party.”
The brush of his hand against her throat made her pulse flutter there. She wasn’t sure he’d even noticed her appearance this evening other than the perfunctory compliment when he’d greeted her. “Thank you. And yes, I bought the dress at Jenny’s boutique for the party.”
“Then, I can see why her business is doing well.”
“She deserves every bit of her success. And her happiness.” Tess thought of her best friend. “You know, Jenny got caught up in that game we were just discussing when she dated a man before she met Gavin. Thad Simonson runs in an exclusive crowd, and with his political aspirations, everything he says, does, wears or eats is shrewdly calculated. Jenny said she felt as if she was losing herself in that life. She spent so much time trying to please Thad and his followers—not to mention her overbearing grandmother—that she wasn’t even sure what she wanted anymore. Since she married Gavin, she’s happier than I’ve ever seen her. She says she feels as if she’s just getting to know the real her, pursuing her own dreams. She and Gavin are planning a camping trip in the Smoky Mountains next summer. It’s something she always secretly wanted to do, but Thad wasn’t interested in sleeping in a tent and her grandmother would have called it a waste of valuable time.”
“Sounds like fun to me. My brothers and I have been on several camping hikes.”
“I know,” she reminded him with a smile. “I was the one keeping the offices running while you were gone, remember?”
&n
bsp; He tapped the shallow cleft in her chin in a teasing gesture. “You’ve taken a few vacations, yourself. We struggled to stay in business while you were gone, but somehow we managed.”
She laughed, though she was increasingly aware of his proximity on the couch, the way his thigh brushed hers when he shifted his weight, the air of intimacy surrounding them in the quiet room.
“How about you?” he asked. “Do you like camping?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been.”
He looked surprised. “You’ve never camped?”
“No. You have to understand, my dad was almost fifty when I was born. He had his first heart attack when I was only nine. My mom was forty-five when they were shocked by her pregnancy with me. She was diagnosed with lupus when I was still in junior high and her health was never good after that. Neither of them was interested in outdoor pursuits. Usually we just went out to eat or to watch Nina perform in pageants or at college. She majored in music, though she only attended for two years before she left school to marry Ken. She has a beautiful voice, but she sings only in her church choir now.”
“What were your extracurricular activities in high school and college? Do you sing, too?”
“Oh, no, not really. I can carry a tune, but I don’t have Nina’s talent. By the time I was in high school my parents were both in such poor health that I had to help out at home a lot. I was on the school newspaper and yearbook staffs, because those were activities I could do during the schoolday. Nina was a young bride with small children, so she couldn’t help much at our house. I contributed as much as I could preparing meals and doing housework.”
Realizing she might sound as if she was whining, she shook her head and spoke more brightly. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a good life. My parents made sure I had everything I needed. They paid for my tuition and made sure I had a little nest egg to set me up in this condo when they were gone. I have good friends. I have a job I love, thank you very much. My relationship with my sister isn’t really close, but it’s not as if we’re actually estranged. Considering the age difference and the lack of anything in common, we get by okay.”