He knew she was probably familiar with camping out under the stars because of her uncle Jake’s ranch, but the thought of her being by herself didn’t sit right with him. He should find it strange how protective he felt toward her, but he didn’t. Even though his sisters had been older, he’d still felt the need to look out for them.
“I think I’m going to grab that apple right there,” she said, pointing to one of the branches.
“Can you reach it? Or do you need me to get it for you?”
“I can get it.”
Roman watched her stand on tiptoe to get the apple while thinking she had been a gracious hostess. Over dinner he’d noted she’d not asked him anything about his work, and he appreciated that. His work was in DC, but he wanted to clear his mind of Washington and she was allowing him to do that.
“So what do you plan to do tomorrow?” she asked him.
“Take the boat out to a different spot. What about you? Tomorrow is a workday for you, right?”
“Unfortunately, yes. And Mondays are my long days because of meetings I have. I usually don’t get home until after seven.”
She was right—that was a long workday. A part of him wanted to make arrangements to see her again, but wasn’t sure that was a good idea. He had enjoyed his weekend with her and wanted to do it again next weekend, but wasn’t certain he could wait that long before seeing her again.
“I have an interesting show this week. Great lineup and interesting topics. Maybe you can catch it one day this week.”
“I’ll check out a show or two,” he said, deciding not to mention he watched her show every day.
Then, because he couldn’t help himself, he asked, “What do you do about meals during the weekdays?”
She looked up at him as if studying his features for a moment, concentrating on his eyes. He wondered what she saw in them. Did she see a man who was interested in her, but was fighting it? “Since I don’t have to be at work until ten, I usually have breakfast at Witherspoon Café around eight. Not every day, but most days. I guess you can say I’ve become a regular.”
He nodded, smiling. “You like their muffins that much?”
“I don’t always get the blueberry muffins. They have quite an extensive breakfast menu. And depending on how tired I am in the evenings when I get home, which on most days is around four, I prepare something of my own here or I visit one of the restaurants in town or on the pier.”
They walked around the grove for another ten minutes while she pointed out other interesting things on the property, including a huge tree reputed to be over a hundred years old. She also showed him the five-mile path that led to one of the waterways that fed into Moulden River. “I walked it one Saturday morning,” she told him. “It was a nice place for a picnic. Are you ready to go back?”
“Yes, I’m ready.” In all honesty, he wasn’t ready because he was enjoying being with her, but knew he couldn’t dominate her time any longer. They turned and headed back toward her home.
When they had reached her house, he opened the porch’s screen door for her. He liked the place where she was staying. It was an older home with a wraparound porch and a slanted roofline. The yard looked well cared for and she had mentioned the cost of lawn care was included in her monthly rent. The place was cozy, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a dining room. He definitely liked the back porch that was screened in and faced the apple grove. He could see her sitting out here and enjoying the view.
“Thanks for coming to dinner, Roman.”
“And thanks for inviting me.” Again, he just couldn’t seem to stop himself, and he said, “I hear there’s something special happening here starting Thursday night.”
“It is. It’s the week before Labor Day and they will have fireworks across the water every night, then on Monday they will have a beautiful light show.”
“I bet it’s beautiful.”
“I’ve never seen it, but I heard that it is. Each night is dedicated to one of the primary colors, with all three featured together on Sunday. Then, Labor Day night is the grand finale with a fireworks display I hear is simply breathtaking.”
“Sounds like it. Would you join me on my boat to watch it?”
She looked over at him. “Which night?”
“Any night you want or every single night.”
She glanced down at her shoes before looking back at him. “I wouldn’t want to wear out my welcome.”
“You couldn’t do that.”
“Okay, I’ll take your word for it. It would help if I had your number to call. I don’t want to just pop up.”
He took his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and clicked it on. “What’s your number?”
She gave it to him, and he called her. “Now you have mine and I have yours.”
They had made it to her front door. “Don’t work too hard this week,” he said.
“I won’t.”
“And thanks again for dinner.” He leaned in, wanting to kiss her to appease his desire for her, but he didn’t. Instead, he placed a light peck on her cheek then stepped back. “Goodbye, Victoria.”
“Goodbye, Roman.”
Then he walked out the door.
CHAPTER NINE
“WHERE IS ROMAN, MINT?”
Mint Stover looked up and stared into Audria Wayfare’s not so happy face. How had she gotten past his personal assistant? He then recalled Tisha had left to do an errand. Most people would not have had the gall to just walk into someone’s office like Audria had just done, but then she was special...or at least, she thought so. Daughter of a high-ranking senator, he knew her to be the self-centered brat that she was. She honestly thought she was entitled to Senator Roman Malone.
Like Roman, he had tried putting up with her haughty ways, tried to reason that she could somehow be an asset to Roman instead of a liability. She was twenty-six, attractive and well-educated. But the woman could leap from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde in a moment’s flash. That wasn’t good for a man with aspirations of one day becoming president.
She had deliberately gotten her name out there with Roman, a link that the press assumed meant something. They’d even started speculation about, of all things, an engagement announcement. Then, when Roman had stopped dating her, he had effectively thrown Audria’s illusions under the bus. It was obvious she didn’t like it one damn bit.
“Senator Malone is taking a little R and R,” he said, leaning back in his chair.
“Don’t ‘Senator Malone’ me, Mint. I want to know where Roman is.”
Mint knew she had most people fooled, but he was glad Roman had seen through her facade and dismissed her. However, Mint didn’t intend to dismiss her that easily. He didn’t trust her and thought it was best to stay on her good side to keep track of what she was up to with regard to Roman.
“I can’t tell you that, since he wishes not to be disturbed. You have his number. Have you tried calling him?”
“He’s not answering my calls.”
He nodded while thinking that would tell any logical person something.
“I’m sure the only reason Roman isn’t taking my calls is because he’s busy,” she said, as if to explain why he hadn’t called her.
Busy while on vacation? Yeah right. “If you think that then why do you want to disturb him?” Mint asked her.
“Because I need to verify that I will be his date for the Capital Ball.”
He could dash her hopes now by letting her know she wasn’t, but that was something Roman needed to tell her. “I have no idea. Roman will be returning to the office in around three weeks. I suggest you contact him when he’s back.”
“It will be too late,” she said, actually stomping her foot like a bratty child. “I need to start shopping for a gown now.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that it would make s
ense for her to shop for a gown whether or not she would be Roman’s date, if she intended to go to the ball. But he decided to keep that opinion to himself.
“Why can’t you tell me where he is, Mint?”
Evidently, she hadn’t heard him the first time. “I have strict orders not to divulge his whereabouts to anyone. He’s already told those who he wanted to know.” So in other words, if he didn’t tell you, then he didn’t want you to know. “Like I said, he doesn’t want to be disturbed, not even by me. However, if he calls in, I’ll make sure to tell him you’re trying to reach him.”
She leaned over his desk. “Daddy told me about his meeting with the majority leader and what Roman was told.”
Mint frowned. Senator Wayfare should not have told her anything. Such meetings were confidential. “And?”
“And I think it’s great and he’s going to need me to pull such a thing off. I have name recognition, and I’ve been in a political family all my life. Everyone loves my father.”
But you, not so much, he thought. He’d overheard conversations between her father’s staffers. Like him, they’d seen the transformation from lady to spoiled brat in the blink of an eye. But because they were loyal to her father, they’d never leak anything negative about her to the press.
He could see that she was taken with Roman. Most women were. However, he was beginning to think Audria was obsessed. Not just with Roman, but with the entire idea of one day becoming first lady. “Like I told you, Audria, if Roman checks in I’ll let him know that you have an urgent need to speak with him.”
“Yes, you do that.” Audria turned and walked out of the office.
Mint released a deep sigh before picking up the phone to call Roman.
* * *
ROMAN FROWNED WHEN his phone vibrated. After setting aside his fishing pole, he pulled his phone out of his back pocket. “You better have a good reason to disturb my vacation, Mint.”
“I think so, although you may not.”
“What’s the reason?” he asked, feeling both hungry and agitated. He’d pushed off from the dock before sunup and had yet to catch anything, and it was close to noon.
“Audria. She came here looking for you. Claimed she tried calling you several times and you haven’t called her back.”
“I think that will tell you a lot,” Roman said. He put the call on speaker and set the phone aside while he picked up his rod again.
“It tells me everything. Unfortunately, it’s not telling Audria anything.”
“It doesn’t have to. I spelled things out to her myself. She’s heard it directly from me. If she chose not to accept it, then—”
“She knows you made the list. Her father told her. I guess that confidentiality clause Senator Wayfare signed doesn’t mean a damn thing when it comes to his daughter.”
“I guess not.”
“You don’t seem upset by it.”
Roman frowned. “I’m not upset, Mint. I’m cranky because I haven’t eaten breakfast and so far today the fish aren’t biting. Yes, I’m disappointed that Senator Wayfare can’t keep his mouth shut. And as far as Audria goes, she knows where we stand.”
“Obviously not since she thinks she might be your date to the ball.”
“There’s no way that she will be,” Roman replied.
“She wants to be FLOTUS one day, bad. Real bad.”
“And she can, but not by my side.”
“Maybe you need to return her call and reiterate everything to her again. I got some bad vibes coming off her today,” Mint said.
Roman rolled his eyes. “Need I remind you that you’re the one who thought she would make the perfect wife for me?”
“That was before I saw the true Audria Wayfare. At the time, I saw her as an asset more than a liability. I now admit I was wrong about that.”
“Yes, you were.” Roman knew that very few people rattled Mint, and for Audria to have done so meant she’d really gotten on his last nerve with this most recent run-in. “I’ll talk to Audria sometime today, Mint.”
“Thanks.”
Roman ended the call and continued fishing. The only woman he wanted to talk to today was one he knew he wouldn’t be talking to, and that was Victoria. Just the thought of her heated his blood. He had dreamed about her again last night and together they’d done all sorts of things. Things he had no business thinking of them doing.
And she didn’t have a clue he was falling for her.
He drew in a sharp breath with that silent admission. He’d pretty much concluded the attraction he felt for her was more than his testosterone being out of whack. He was his father’s son, after all. His father had fallen in love with his mother within a very short time. There was no reason the same thing couldn’t happen to him...whether he wanted it to or not.
He threw his head back, sighing deeply. Victoria was all wrong for him. First of all, she disliked politicians. And she disliked being in the limelight. And, last, the main reason was because her great-grandmother had already chosen someone for her.
All those were good enough reasons for him to keep his distance from her, but evidently no one had explained this to his heart, which was being tugged in her direction.
* * *
TANNER JAMISON STARED at the man standing in front of his desk, the man who’d just delivered news that he didn’t want to hear. “What do you mean we need to install new wiring in parts of the club, Hank? Says who?”
“The code enforcement inspector from the fire department. They did their inspection today and said the old wiring in the kitchen and bar areas didn’t pass, and before we can go to the next stage of renovations, new wiring has to be installed.”
Tanner rubbed the back of his neck. That’s the last thing he wanted to hear. That would result in more money and more time, and the club needed to open its doors and be fully operational by New Year’s Eve. “Where’s this inspector?” he asked Hank.
“In the lobby. And just so you know, that inspector is also saying that in order for them to approve a total capacity of three hundred for the club, we will need to put additional stalls in the women’s restroom, or add an additional restroom altogether.”
“Three restrooms for women in a club that will primarily be frequented by men? That won’t be happening,” Tanner said, grumbling as he headed out of his office. He and this inspector needed to talk. Negotiate. Do whatever needed to be done to remove any setbacks to the renovation process.
He rounded the corner that led to the main entryway of the club and bumped in to someone. “Whoa,” he said, immediately extending his arms out. “Sorry about that.”
After the person steadied themself and removed their hard hat, he saw it was a female. A very gorgeous female. Tanner knew he was staring, but he didn’t care. The only thing he cared about was that just like that, his testosterone levels were spinning all over the place.
“Mr. Jamison, I presume?”
He could barely remember his name due to the rush of blood barreling through his veins. “Yes, I’m Tanner Jamison. And you are?” he asked extending his hand.
“Lyric Evans, code enforcement inspector for the New Orleans Fire Department,” the woman said, taking his offered hand.
Tanner had the ability to size up a woman’s body in a single sweep, and the one standing before him was absolutely gorgeous. Her breasts were a perfect size—probably a C cup. He particularly liked the way they were tilting upward against her shirt, showing how firm they were. And she had such a small waist that her shirt looked pretty damn good tucked inside her trousers.
Her facial features were striking. Almost too striking. There were her full lips, perfectly shaped chin and high cheekbones. Her eyes were a shade that reminded him of chestnuts and her hair was styled in short twists all over her head, making her face appear fuller. She looked to be in her twenties. Twenty-seven or twenty-eight. And he
was convinced she had to be the sexiest woman he’d ever had the pleasure of meeting, and in his day, he’d met a lot.
“May I have my hand back, Mr. Jamison?”
He immediately released her hand. “Sorry about that.” He quickly reclaimed his senses, which had gone tumbling to the great beyond the moment he’d seen her.
“No problem. I assume your foreman told you what I said.”
Her words brought Tanner’s attention back to the matter at hand. He and his partners had a lot at stake here, and everything hinged on the club opening on time. “Yes, and I’m sure it’s something we can work out.”
She frowned. “There is nothing to work out, Mr. Jamison. Unless the areas of the club in my report are rewired, I can’t sign off on the permit you’ll need to continue your renovations. And then there’s the issue with the number of stalls in the women’s restroom.”
The frown that appeared on his face was deeper than hers. “Is all that necessary?”
“I would not have cited them if they weren’t.”
Tanner was a man who knew the significance of his charm and when to put it to use. “Is it okay if I call you Lyric?”
She met his gaze. “No. I prefer to be called this,” she said, tapping the name tag on her shirt that read Inspector Evans.
So she wanted to play hardball. He would just have to thicken the charm, knowing she would succumb eventually. “Inspector Evans, how about dinner tonight?”
“Dinner?” she asked, surprised.
“Yes, dinner.” He watched her hug the clipboard to her chest as if she’d sensed his interest there. It wasn’t his fault that his gaze had kept drifting to her breasts.
“Mr. Jamison, you do know there are penalties for trying to bribe me. One major one would be my recommendation that the city pull your permit to complete the work on this place.”
Suddenly Tanner felt steam coming out his ears. “You wouldn’t.”
Follow Your Heart--A Novel Page 8