by Cara Summers
“Yeah, so? We didn’t talk yesterday. You skipped lunch so you could knock off early. Must have had a hot date or something.”
She looked away. Hard to believe is was only Thursday. That meant she’d met Eric five days ago. That didn’t seem possible. So much had happened. She felt so much more than she should. Feeling the weight of Tony’s stare, she glanced over at him and mentally flinched at the fascinated curiosity in his eyes.
She cleared her throat. “That was only the second meeting. We have a long way to go. We didn’t even have that good a turnout.”
“They’re afraid of losing their jobs. Can’t blame them.”
“I don’t. Believe me.”
“Yeah, I know. So what are you gonna do about it?”
“Me?”
He snorted. “Yeah, you. Who else has the smarts and the guts to get changes made?”
“I just want to get them to the point where they don’t feel they have to take crap from anybody.”
“And then?”
“I’m not their mother.”
He smiled. “I’m just saying…you stirred the pot.”
“That doesn’t put me in charge. What they need to do is unify.”
His eyebrows drew together in a thoughtful frown. “They still need a leader.”
“God, you look like my father.”
“Shit.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “You’re not gonna be able to walk away from this.”
“Who said anything about walking away?” Guilt needled her. She wasn’t exactly anxious to carry the torch. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to organize another meeting.
“Well, butter my toast. Aren’t you getting testy?”
She laughed. “Butter my toast?”
Tony shrugged, looking adorably sheepish. “My mother’s from the south,” he muttered. “She says stuff like that sometimes.”
“Who knew?”
“What?”
She shook her head. “Is she Italian?”
“Nope. Half French and half Irish. Atlanta born and bred.”
“Wow! I always pictured you as part of this big Italian family who’s been here for three generations.”
“Stereotyping, huh?”
“No.”
Tony grinned.
Her indignation died a quick death, and she sighed. “That did sound pretty bad.”
“Nah, I just wanted to bust your chops. Anyway, you got it half right.” Angling his head, he looked past her, the odd expression on his face making her turn to see what had captured his interest.
“Dakota?” She stared as her sister approached from not six feet away, clearly uncomfortable walking in heels on the soft grass. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you, obviously,” she said, the sarcasm in her tone entirely uncharacteristic. She darted an un smiling glance at Tony.
“Why?” Dallas pushed to her feet because she knew Dakota wasn’t about to sit on the grass. Not that Dallas blamed her. The gorgeously tailored navy blue suit she wore hadn’t simply been yanked off the rack. “How did you know I was here?”
“I stopped at your job site.” The clipped tone and the annoyance in her gray eyes pretty much said it all. “How can you work with those Neanderthals?”
Tony started laughing, and Dakota gave him a scathing look. “This is when you’re supposed to say ‘present company excepted,’” he said, dusting his hands together and getting to his feet.
Dakota’s perfectly arched eyebrows went up. She wanted to say something. Dallas knew that look. But Dakota was the genteel one of the siblings. She needed harmony even if it meant trying to please everyone.
Tony gave her one of his killer grins. “You have to be the sister.”
Dakota didn’t seem as susceptible as most women were to Tony’s smile, and Dallas quickly made the introduction before Tony did or said something totally annoying. Dakota grudgingly extended her hand, and Tony made a show of wiping his palms down the front of his jeans. Which would’ve been okay if his jeans were clean.
Dallas sighed. Designer suit, perfect nails, perfect hair, perfect everything, her sister was just the kind of woman Tony liked to give a hard time. At the risk of seeming rude, she gave Tony her back and asked, “So, what’s up?”
“I wanted to remind you about dinner at Mother and Dad’s Saturday night.”
“You came in person for that?”
“Yes, because it’s that important.”
Dallas glanced over her shoulder at Tony. He’d taken the hint, sat down and returned to his lunch. His gaze, however, stayed on Dakota. Poor guy. That was never going to happen.
“Why is it so important?”
“Because you didn’t show up the last two times.”
“Wrong terminology. I didn’t not show up. I declined the invitation. Big difference.”
“You know what I mean.”
Dallas groaned. She hadn’t really thought about dinner yet. “I’ll be there, okay?”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
Dakota grinned. “Want me to pick you up?”
“Don’t you trust me?” She smiled back. “No, thanks, I don’t need a ride.” A wild thought popped into her head. “Hey, are you taking a date?”
Dakota’s eyes widened. “To Mother and Dad’s? I—I hadn’t even considered it.” Her gaze narrowed, and she shot a look at Tony. “Are you?”
Dallas bit back a laugh. Her sister could pontificate all she wanted about the importance of family and the duty of children to their parents, but when it came right down to it, she kept her distance, too. Not as blatantly as Dallas, but she wasn’t exactly ready to open the door to her life.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Dallas said slowly. “I’m thinking about it.”
Dakota blinked, and her gaze briefly flitted to Tony again.
“Not him. He’s just a friend.” Dallas smiled. “But I could bring him for you if you like.”
“Are you—” Dakota lowered her voice. Fortunately a couple of kids arguing over a ball drowned her out. “Are you insane?”
“Why? He’s really a nice guy.”
With a haughty lift of her chin, Dakota adjusted her starched white collar. “Dinner will be served at seven. Mother says to come anytime after six. And I suggest you warn her if you do bring someone else.”
“Thank you. I never would have thought of that.”
Dakota rolled her eyes. “See you Saturday,” she said as she turned and headed for the sidewalk.
Dallas idly watched her go, wondering why in the hell she’d even given the idea of taking Eric a passing thought. Of course, she hadn’t, really. Mostly she’d wanted to tease Dakota.
“Hey, how come she didn’t say goodbye?”
At the sound of Tony’s voice behind her, Dallas smiled and went back to join him.
With an exaggerated sigh he put a hand to his heart. “I think I’m in love.”
“You said that on Monday about the blonde at the deli.”
“Did I?” He frowned. “Hmm.”
She shook her head, chuckling as she reclaimed her spot on the grass and unwrapped a piece of Gouda. She probably ought to set him straight. Not that she thought he was really serious. Or not that she wouldn’t like to see them hook up. Tony would be good for Dakota. He’d loosen her up. But she’d never go for someone like him. Not in a million years.
Tony grinned suddenly, his gaze focused on some thing in the distance, and he lifted his hand in a wave.
Dallas twisted around in time to see Dakota snub him and disappear around the corner.
“She turned for a last look,” Tony said, still grinning. “She likes me.”
“You’re too much.”
“That’s what all the women say.”
“Oh, please.” Dallas laughed, darted another look in the direction her sister had gone. Dakota was not the type to look back. Interesting.
She was about to take a bite of cheese when her cell phone rang. As she pulled it off the clip on her b
elt, she checked caller ID. Her heart skipped two beats. It was Eric.
“Hello?”
“Hey. It’s me,” he said. “Tell me you haven’t had lunch yet.”
“Just had it.” Giving Tony an apologetic look, she struggled to her feet.
Snorting, he tore open a bag of chips. “Nice having lunch with you.”
She glared at him before moving out of earshot.
“Uh, sorry.” Eric cleared his throat. “Sounds like I’ve interrupted.”
“No, not really. That was one of the guys I work with.”
“Ah, well, since you already had lunch, how about a drink after work?”
She glanced down at her miserable-looking nails. “What time?”
“I’m flexible.”
“Okay, well…” Her gaze on her watch, she started calculating the time it would take her to dash home and get cleaned up.
Several feet from Dallas one of the kids playing ball let out an ear-piercing scream.
“What was that?”
“Some kid.” She walked farther away as the fight between the little boys escalated.
“Where are you?”
“In a park.”
“You ate lunch there?”
“Yeah.”
Silence stretched and she knew what he was thinking. A park was a strange place to have lunch with a business associate. God, she didn’t want Eric to think she was jerking him around.
“Okay, well, if you’re busy, no problem,” he said, his tone suddenly and achingly indifferent.
“No, really I’m not. I’d met my sister here. She left a minute before you called.”
“Ah, I didn’t know she worked in the city.”
“Yep. Not far from here.”
“Where’s here?”
Dallas smiled. “Where should we meet for a drink?”
He sighed, his impatience with her evasiveness clear. “Any preference?”
“How about— Oh, no!”
“What?”
“I can’t tonight. I’m meeting Wendy and Trudie.” How could she have forgotten? “My roommate and an other college friend. We get together once a month. Tonight’s it.” Why did she feel compelled to give him an explanation? She didn’t owe him any. “Sorry.”
He hesitated for a long tense moment. “Is everything okay with us?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
Tony approached carrying both their lunch pails. He pointed to his watch, she nodded and he headed back toward the job site. They had five minutes to clock back in. She couldn’t be late.
“Still there?” she asked, starting after Tony but keeping a safe distance so that he couldn’t hear her conversation.
“Yeah, how about tomorrow night then? Have you seen Aida? I think I can get decent tickets, and then we could have dinner afterward….”
She cringed. “I can’t.”
“Okay,” he said slowly.
“I promised a friend I’d help her move out of her apartment. Tomorrow evening is the only time we can do it so she can be out by Saturday.”
“Need a strong back?”
“Who? You?”
“Very funny.”
She stopped several yards outside the door so he couldn’t hear the buzz of electric saws and drills as she scrambled for something to say that wouldn’t put him off. He couldn’t meet Nancy. Tony was going to be there, too. Eric couldn’t meet any of them. Not yet.
She swallowed hard, hoping she wasn’t about to make the biggest mistake of her life. “How about Saturday? Want to go to dinner at my parents’ house?”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ERIC HUNG UP THE RECEIVER AND THEN stared at the phone. They’d been going out for one week and he’d agreed to have dinner with her parents. This whole thing with Dallas could hardly get more bizarre. One minute he thought she was brushing him off, and the next she was asking him to meet her family. Not just her parents but her brother and sister—they were all going to be there. Was he ready for this?
“Hey.” Tom strolled into his office. “You going out today or eating in?”
“What?”
“Lunch.” Tom frowned. “What’s the matter with you?”
Eric picked up a paper clip and absently twirled it around his fingers. “She asked me to go to her parents’ house for dinner.”
“Who?”
Eric blinked at him. “Dallas.”
Tom sank into the chair opposite Eric and stared. “You’re still seeing her?”
“I took her to Horn’s reception last night.”
“No shit.”
“So?”
Tom snorted. “Unbelievable. This is serious.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Dinner with her parents? Right.”
“It’s not like that.” Eric got up to get a cup of coffee.
“This means you must have boinked her already, right?”
“You asshole. Get out.”
“Whoa!” Tom laughed and got up to follow Eric down the hall to the coffee room. “This is serious.”
Too late Eric realized he should never have said anything to Tom. Except how would Eric know he’d receive such a juvenile reaction? They’d never had a serious conversation about a woman in his life. Hell, there never had been anyone with whom Eric had considered having a serious relationship.
He made sure no one else was in the coffee room and then turned to Tom and in a low voice said, “Okay, this may be going somewhere, so you gotta lay off.”
Tom’s eyes met Eric’s and the laughter disappeared. Surprise flickered and then genuine concern. “Sure. I get it.”
“Good.” Eric got his coffee and headed back to his office, hoping like hell Tom didn’t follow. He didn’t expect his friend to give him a hard time, but he didn’t want to field any more questions either. Questions that would expose the embarrassing fact that Dallas had revealed so little about herself.
He got back to his office, and sure enough, right behind him was Tom. Sighing, Eric sat down. “By the way, I’m eating in today. I have a couple of important calls to make.”
Tom hovered in the doorway, a dozen questions in his eyes. “Anyone picking up a sandwich for you?”
“I’m having it delivered.” Eric picked up his phone receiver for added effect.
“All right, tomorrow maybe.”
“Sure. We’ll go over to Pete’s for a Philly cheese-steak.”
“You got it.” Tom checked his watch. “Better go. I’ve got a meeting in an hour.”
“See ya later.” Watching with relief as Tom headed for the lobby elevators, Eric replaced the receiver. He picked up his coffee and took a sip. Today he’d skip lunch. He wasn’t really hungry. If he wanted it later, he had a Snickers stashed in his desk somewhere.
The phone rang, and he muttered a curse when the sound startled him into sloshing coffee onto an expense report. He grabbed the receiver. Before he could greet the caller, Lawrence Horn walked into his office.
“I wanted to give you a heads-up,” the receptionist said over the phone line. “Mr. Horn is on his way to your office right now.”
“Thanks,” Eric muttered and hung up.
“Poor girl, she did try to stop me,” Lawrence said as he sank into the chair Tom had vacated.
Eric didn’t even try to feign innocence. “What are you doing roaming around this side of town?”
“Oh, I thought I’d slum for a while.” Today he wore a royal-blue suit, cream-colored shirt and black tie. “See how the other half lives.”
Used to his harmless sense of humor, Eric paid no attention to the obnoxious remark. “Great party last night. Thanks again.”
“You left early.” Lawrence wagged a finger and grinned. “Although I can certainly understand why. She’s exquisite. Truly exquisite. I applaud you.”
Eric snorted, glad Dallas wasn’t here to hear that. “Wish I could take credit.”
“Oh, was I being politically incorrect?” Lawrence frowned thoughtfully, and then a sly smile cu
rved his mouth. “You’ll both forgive me when you hear my offer.”
“Offer? What offer?”
“I want you to design an ad campaign around her.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know.” Lawrence waved an impatient hand. “Her face haunted me all night. I even dreamed about her. Surely you can use her to link my companies or something. After all, Revlon and L’Oreal have models as spokeswomen or what have you.”
“They’re cosmetic companies. Of course they would use—”
“Oh, you sound like Bruce.” Lawrence muttered an expletive. “You’re supposed to be creative. Think of something.”
Eric shook his head. “She doesn’t model anymore.” Actually he didn’t even know if that was true. He didn’t know anything about her.
“She will.” Lawrence stood and daintily dusted off his lapels with his manicured fingertips. “Money al ways talks. For her and you.” He smiled. “I guess I’ll stop by the old man’s office on my way out. Haven’t seen him in ages.”
Eric recognized the veiled threat. Lawrence was going to fill Webber in. If Eric didn’t produce, Webber would be all over him.
Then again, maybe he was getting worked up for nothing. Maybe Dallas would be open to a modeling contract. Especially if the price was right. It still galled him that he knew so little about her. But that would change. Saturday night. She was finally going to let him into her private sanctum. Suddenly Saturday couldn’t come fast enough.
“YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH. YOU know that, right?” Wendy grabbed a handful of peanuts from the glass bowl the cocktail server had set on their table.
Trudie stopped sipping her margarita long enough to make a face at Wendy. “Why are you so negative?”
“Oh, please. Once he meets her parents, you don’t think they’ll be history?”
Dallas sighed, beginning to wish she hadn’t brought up the subject. “I think Wendy’s on to something. Maybe I do have a death wish.”
Both women looked at her as if she’d just told them she was pregnant. Dallas casually glanced at the guy at the table to the right of her, so close he might as well have been sitting with them. The place was crowded, every table taken, people standing four deep at the bar. Even the poor cocktail servers had trouble squeezing in between the tables bulging with yuppies in suits and loosened ties. She would rather have gone somewhere else, but it had been Trudie’s turn to choose the place.