Chapter Six
“What’s up man? Thanks for picking me up,” Tyler said when he tossed his carry-on bag in the back seat, and climbed into Quinn’s Escalade truck.
“Not a problem. How was your flight?” He pulled away from Chicago’s Midway Airport and onto Cicero Avenue, heading to I-55.
“Nice and short, just the way I like it.” Tyler glanced over his shoulder to the back seat. “Did you remember to bring the blueprints?”
“Got ‘em. They’re all the way in the back. Who are we meeting with again?”
“Mark Darley. He’s the new architectural engineer overseeing Kevin’s projects.”
Quinn shook his head. “I can’t believe Kevin had a stroke. What is he like, forty-five or something?”
“Something like that. Just goes to show, it can happen to anyone.”
“Yeah, you’re right about that.” Quinn merged onto I-55. “I hope this new guy can guarantee the condos will be completed on time. I want several models ready before A Taste of Chicago kicks off in June. I’ve already set up open houses during that time, and have several realtors excited about the project.”
“I hope so too.”
On the ride downtown they discussed the Chicago project, a few changes and challenges, as well as the new timeline for completion. Traffic, known to look like early morning rush hour at any given time, was surprisingly light. Twenty minutes later they stepped off the elevator onto the 50th floor of the newly renovated space of Dartsworth Engineering Firm. The plush office impressed Tyler with its high ceilings, top of the line lighting and fixtures, and he liked that they spared no expense on the furnishings. Housed on the top three floors, the firm occupied 50,000 square feet of space.
“Hi, may I help you?” A receptionist Tyler hadn’t seen before came around the corner and approached them.
“Hi. Tyler Hollister and Quinn Hamilton to see Mark Darley.”
She walked around her immaculately kept desk and typed something into the computer. Seconds later she picked up the telephone and dialed. “Hi Liz, Mark’s 10 o’clock is here,” she paused then said, “Okay, will do.”
“Sorry to keep you gentlemen waiting. It looks like he’s on a conference call that should be ending shortly.”
“No problem,” Tyler said. “We’re a little early anyway.”
She stood and walked around her desk. “Here let me show you to the conference room.”
“Thanks,” Tyler and Quinn said in unison.
As they made their way down several short hallways, Quinn made conversation with the young lady. Tyler only heard bits and pieces of the conversation since his mind had again returned to thoughts of Dallas. He definitely had a problem if he couldn’t even go minutes without thinking of her.
“All right, here we are.” They walked in and took a seat where she directed. “Can I get you gentlemen a cup of coffee or water while you wait?” she posed the question to Quinn, and Tyler shook his head and smiled.
“How about you on a silver platter?” Quinn flirted, his long jean clad legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. He exuded confidence with his white linen shirt hung loose and the top two buttons unfastened like a model gracing the cover of GQ magazine. His dreadlocks were pulled back and bound at the nape of his neck making it easy to see the African bone necklace he had hanging around his neck. He was dressed more like a man hanging out with the guys, than one attending a business meeting.
The receptionist blushed. “Sorry. I’m not on the menu, but I am free tonight,” she whispered, though loud enough for Tyler to hear her. She ripped a sheet of paper from a nearby tablet, jotted down her number, and slipped it to Quinn. He glanced at it, folded the paper, and put it in his pocket.
“I’ll be in touch,” he said, allowing his eyes to follow her until she’d left the room.
“Man, I can’t take you anywhere. You have this girl risking her job trying to flirt with you.”
Quinn shrugged and leaned back in his chair. Rubbing a hand down his goatee, he said, “Hey, what can I say, women love me. Besides, you should talk. Don’t get me started on that woman at the hotel in North Carolina a few weeks ago who practically fell over the counter trying to get next to you. ‘Oh, you have the most incredible eyes I’ve ever seen,’” Quinn imitated in a high pitched voice, batting his own eyes. “Heck, I’m surprised she didn’t show up at your hotel door that night.”
Tyler laughed and removed his notepad from his briefcase. “I hope she didn’t lose her job giving me the Presidential Suite for the same price of a king size room.” Too bad I don’t have that affect on Dallas. He shouldn’t have left without saying something, but Dallas’s presence in his life was wreaking havoc on his control. Even with her smart mouth, and fierce independence, he still wanted to pull her into his arms and get reacquainted with her gorgeous lips. Oh yeah, they needed this time apart. No. He needed this time apart.
“Tyler Hollister?” A tall, fair skinned, well dressed man walked in carrying several blueprints.
Tyler stood and extended his hand. “Hi, I’m Tyler and this is my business partner, Quinn Hamilton.”
“Mark Darley.” He shook their hands and laid the prints down at the end of the table. “I’m glad you guys could meet.”
“I understand you’re new to the city. Where you from?” Tyler asked reclaiming his seat.
“I’m originally from Arkansas, but have lived in Louisiana for the past 14 years. I moved here about a month ago, but I’m still trying to get acclimated. I can’t believe Chicago’s traffic and how crazy people drive around here.”
Quinn chuckled. “Don’t worry you’ll get used to it.”
“Yeah, in a few months, I’ll probably be one of them.” They laughed and participated in small talk for the next fifteen minutes.
Halfway through the conversation, Tyler found himself mentally drifting in and out. Mark’s high opinion of himself was getting old. It wasn’t often he met someone who dominated the conversation by talking about himself, and who claimed to have single handedly kept a Fortune 500 company out of bankruptcy. He stole a quick glance at Quinn. His doubtful, thin-lipped expression let him know they were thinking the same thing.
Tyler peeked at his watch waiting for the perfect opportunity to interrupt. There was something about this guy that unnerved him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He’d met plenty of people who loved to hear themselves talk, but this was different. Finally, he’d had enough.
“Well, we probably better get started. Quinn and I have several meetings scheduled today.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Here I am going on and on.”
Tyler and Quinn filled Mark in on some of the ideas they’d talked about on the ride there, the history of the building that was being renovated, as well as time expectations. Standing over the blue prints, Tyler pointed out some of the issues they’d been facing in some of the units and decisions that had been made regarding them.
“I see you also made a few changes to the penthouse units,” Mark said studying the second set of prints.
“Only the one I plan to occupy,” Tyler said.
Mark glanced at him. “You’re leaving Milwaukee?”
“My time is split between Milwaukee and Chicago, so I figured I’d get a place here.”
“I see.”
“This is what I’m thinking.” Tyler drew their attention back to the prints. “I want to get rid of the wall between the living and dining room to open up the space more. And here, I want to add a walk-in closet in the master bedroom. There’s already one in there, but another one won’t hurt.”
Mark grinned. “I understand. There can never be too many closets for our women. I’m sure your lady has enough clothes and shoes to fill up both closets.”
“Actually, that closet is to increase the resale value of this unit,” Tyler continued. “I’d also like to push out this bathroom wall. I’m a little surprised they had such a small bathroom in there considering the size of the bedroom.”
Mark nodded and took notes.
“Outside of that, I’m impressed with the suggestions you sent. Your ideas definitely take full advantage of the downtown views.”
“I’m glad you think so.” Mark unrolled the prints he’d brought with him to propose additional changes and alternatives. “I know things are underway in your unit. Did you want your wife in on the next meeting to discuss the decorating details?”
“Actually, Kevin set me up with an interior decorator.”
“I know I’d let my woman do all of that,” Mark said as if not hearing Tyler. “You’re probably the same with your wife, huh?”
Quinn’s eyes bore into Mark. “Man, what’s up with all of the wife questions?”
Mark shrugged. “Just making conversation. Most people like to talk about their family.” He turned his attention to Tyler. “So, is she going to be a part of any of the decision-making?”
Tyler frowned. “She who?”
“Your wife. You know how women like to—”
“I am so sorry to interrupt Mark,” his assistant said from the door, “but you have an urgent call that requires your attention.”
“Okay thanks,” he said and returned his attention to Tyler and Quinn. “My apologies for the interruption. Let me see what the call is all about and then—”
“Hey you know what? We can stop here,” Tyler said. “We need to be going anyway. Besides, we’ve gone over the most important changes. Everything else is pretty self-explanatory, and you can always call if you have additional questions.”
“All right, will do,” Mark said and shook their hands before making a quick exit.
“What the hell was that all about?” Quinn seethed when the door closed behind Mark. “Why does he think you’re married?”
Tyler shrugged and began rolling up the prints. “I have no idea. I’ve only talked to him a couple of times and never about my personal life.”
“I don’t like him.”
Tyler glanced at Quinn and took in his clenched jaw, rigid back, and his arms folded across his wide chest. The conviction on his face made him look dangerous. Rarely did he see this side of his friend. Normally he was the laid back one, keeping things light. So when he said he didn’t like someone, which was unusual, Tyler took it seriously.
****
Knowing she’d hurt Tyler and that he was avoiding her, was driving Dallas crazy. This is why I don’t do relationships. The amount of time she’d spent thinking about him was distracting her from what she needed to be doing - generating money for her clients. If she was serious about making partner this year, she needed to step up her game. This was not the time to daydream about Tyler…or his incredibly sexy eyes, or how good he always smelled - like sandalwood mixed with some delicious spice.
A frustrated sigh slipped through her lips. “Stop it, stop it, stop it,” she scolded herself and slid her arms into the sleeves of her shirt. She didn’t have time for a relationship, especially with Tyler. But on the other hand, she couldn’t stand the thought of him being mad at her. I have to fix this.
Dallas had just finished buttoning her top when the house phone rang. It wasn’t until after the third ring that she moved to get it.
“Hello,” she answered out of breath. Even with the short distance from the closet to the side table, moving with a cast slowed her down.
Silence greeted her on the other end. “Hello,” she repeated. Her stomach churned with anxiety at the thought of the caller being the same person behind the threatening calls she’d received on her cell phone. “Hello,” she said one last time.
“Is Tyler there?”
Dallas released a sigh of relief. “No he’s not. Would you like to leave a message,” she asked. She sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed her notepad.
“Who is this?” the caller demanded.
Dallas frowned, surprised at the woman’s attitude. “This is a friend of his. Would you like to leave a message?”
“What friend?” the lady shouted.
Dallas pulled the phone away from her ear. No she ain’t tryin’ to get loud with me. “It doesn’t matter who I am. Do you want to leave a message, or not?”
“I’ve left several messages, and he hasn’t returned my calls. Are you even telling him I’ve called?”
“Hey, I have no idea what you’re talking about, because I haven’t taken any calls from you, but if you want to leave him a message, I’ll make sure he gets it.”
Skylar walked in with a laundry basket and caught that part of the conversation. “It’s probably Desiree. Just hang up.” Dallas snickered at the face Skylar made.
“As a matter of fact I do want to leave a message. Tell him Desiree called and that it was good seeing him the other night. He left a couple of things at my house, and I also want to confirm our date.” Her silky voice held a challenge.
“Okay, I’ll tell him.” Dallas disconnected the phone. Who was Desiree? She wrote down the message and removed the sheet from the pad of paper.
“Give me that.” Skylar gestured for the note. Dallas handed it to her, and watched as Skylar, balled up the yellow piece of paper and walked it over to the trash can.
Dallas sat opened-mouthed. “I can’t believe you did that. I know never to leave a message with you if that’s how you handle them.”
“Girl, that child has called about a hundred times, and apparently my brother doesn’t want to talk to her.”
“Are you even giving him the messages? They might be important,” Dallas said, not believing it herself.
“Yeah, sure, and I’m the queen of Sheba. That girl wants Tyler to escort her to some awards banquet. I don’t know why he won’t say no and be done with it.”
“Maybe he wants to go.” Dallas secretly hoped he didn’t, but with the way she’d treated him days ago, he deserved to be with someone who wants to be with him.
Skylar put her hands on her hips. “I doubt that. Besides, do you mean to tell me you would let him take that witch on a date?”
Dallas stared at her. “Your brother is a grown, single man. He can do whatever he wants. Who am I to tell him who he can and cannot go out with?”
“Well, I thought you two were getting back together.”
“Why would you think that?”
“What? Are you kidding me?” She shook her head and unloaded the clothes basket. “Whether he admits it or not, that man is crazy about you. Yet, you’re going to push him into the arms of another woman.”
“Sky—”
“You gon’ mess around and lose him. Desiree has been after my brother since they were in high school.”
“Ty is not mine.” Dallas said and shuffled into the sitting area and eased herself into one of the chairs, Skylar standing next to her. “I can’t very well tell him not to go. I don’t have any papers on him. Besides, once I can move around a little better, I’m outta here.”
“I can’t believe you want to leave. What about Tyler?”
“What about him?”
“Any blind person can see that you guys are crazy about each other.”
Dallas snorted. “Oh, you mean by the way we argue all the time?” She cared deeply for Tyler, but nothing could ever come of it. No way would she put a man before her career again. Doing so would mean starting over, and she’d eventually end up with a broken heart. Been there, done that. I’ve worked too hard to go backwards.
“You know I appreciate you hanging out here with me, fluffing my pillows, fixing amazing meals, and doing laundry. But Tyler and I are just friends.”
Skylar sighed. “Okay, but I think you’re making a big mistake.”
****
After two days in Chicago, Tyler couldn’t wait to get home. He and Quinn were riding in the back seat of a town car on their way to the airport. When his traveling had increased last year, instead of purchasing a plane, Tyler started chartering a plane making it more convenient to get a flight whenever he needed.
“I’m surprised you’re flying back wit
h me. For a person who loves Chicago, you’ve been spending a lot of time in Milwaukee.”
“Yeah, I know. I need to do some work on one of my rental properties and figured this weekend is as good a time as any. And since you’ve already reserved the plane, why drive?”
Tyler laughed. “Oh sure, just use me,” he joked, knowing that he’d do anything for Quinn. His friend had his back more times than he could remember.
Tyler glanced at his cell phone for the second time in ten minutes, debating on whether or not to call Dallas. He had wanted to call and check on her since he’d left Milwaukee, but he waited, hoping she’d call. But why would she? He’d said her job was stupid, despite knowing her work meant everything to her. For as long as he’d known her, she’d had tunnel vision when it came to making partner.
What she told him about her love life still stung. What did he expect, for her to shrivel up in a corner and never date?
Tyler felt his friend’s eyes on him. “Whatever it is, just say it.”
“For the past couple of weeks, you’ve been looking for more reasons to do business in Chicago. It wouldn’t have anything to do with that gorgeous fireball living with you would it?”
Tyler angled his head at Quinn. “What would Skylar have to do with my business decisions?” he said straight faced.
“Ha, I see you got jokes. But I’m serious. Ty, man, you haven’t been this interested in what Chicago has to offer in quite awhile. Why now?”
“What do you mean why now? I’ve done plenty of business in Chicago over the years. It’s just that now more lucrative opportunities have come our way.”
“Nah, I think it has to do with that doe-eyed beauty.”
“Yeah right.”
“Hear me out. Something has changed. You’re different - distracted, not sleeping.”
Tyler frowned.
“Oh, yeah, I’ve noticed. Your red-rimmed eyes and constant yawning gave you away.”
“I have a lot on my mind,” Tyler grumbled and stared out the passenger side window watching cars and buildings pass in a blur. “With the huge project in North Carolina and this one in Chicago, man, I’m tired.” He turned to face Quinn. “And don’t get me started on the three in Milwaukee.”
Blue Roses (Reunited Series) Page 5