“Hey, it’s Derek. Are you busy?”
“Not at all.” The sound of his voice made her forget about the unknown Amber, and she relaxed against her pillows. “If I was busy, I wouldn’t have answered the phone.”
“No multitasking?”
“Don’t get me started on the evils of multitasking. Trust me, all my attention is on you.” There was a long pause, and she winced when she replayed the words in her head, and then kept going to fill the silence. “What’s up?”
“I was looking over the list of prizes we have so far and trying to think of some more items that would appeal to the people Jess was talking about. And it seems like you work in that world, too, so I figured we could brainstorm together?”
“I love brainstorming,” she said, and then wondered if it sounded weird. But it was true. Pen, paper and people just throwing ideas down was a great way to stimulate the more creative parts of the mind. “Were you thinking now, or did you want to come up with a time that’s good for both of us?”
“I was actually thinking this kind of thing would be a lot easier to discuss in person. Are you open for dinner at all?”
Olivia’s pulse quickened, but she forced herself to ignore any non-professional reaction she might have to his invitation. Of course it was easier to brainstorm in person. She’d eaten countless meals with people for exactly that reason.
It was silly to get excited just because the question had been asked in a deep voice that belonged to an undeniably sexy man.
“Let me look.” She picked up her planner—which usually sat on the bed next to her until it was time to sleep—and scanned quickly through the days. “We’re far enough apart so we wouldn’t want to eat too late, but I have meetings right up to the end of the work day. Saturday I’m speaking at a local business conference, so Sunday’s my only totally open day.”
“Sunday works, unless you left it open on purpose. It sounds like you don’t have much free time, so I don’t want to butt in on it.”
Shedidn’thave much free time, but Sunday was only open because other people liked having the time off. “No, it’s fine. Sunday’s great. You can just text me where and when sometime between now and then. I’m not picky.”
“Sounds great. I’m looking forward to it.”
So was she, she thought as they ended the call. Even though she could tell herself it was a work-related meeting, she was going to be alone with Derek for longer than the time it took an elevator to go down—even with an unexpected stop—andthatwas the part her nerves were focusing in on.
Not a date, she told herself. She wasn’t even looking to date. She was already busy all the time, she had a book to finish, and she’d learned young that success came from making a plan and sticking to it.
She feared Derek Gilman was going to be one hell of a distraction. But as long as he was a diversion and not a derailing, she’d be okay. Probably.
* * *
On Sunday evening, Derek watched the door, his stomach in knots for stupid reasons he couldn’t shake. The restaurant was one of his favorites—a family-owned place that served up food that wasn’t fancy, but was damn good—but it probably wasn’t the kind of place where a woman like Olivia McGovern usually ate.
He hadn’t even been sure they had wine until he got there and, now that he’d looked at the list, he had no idea if the wines were any good or not. Judging by the price, they probably weren’t fancy. And no, he didn’t know if Olivia drank wine, but he assumed she did. Women like her seemed to.
Women like her.He tried to kick that thought out of his head. Sure, she had expensive clothes and shoes. And her hair and makeup and nails were flawless. And maybe that made him feel a little like he was from the wrong side of the tracks. But that was on him, not her.Sheseemed really genuine, and she was smart and funny and driven and...
Holy shit.She was goddamned beautiful.
Derek didn’t wait until she got to the table. He stood as soon as she appeared in the door, and the way her face lit up when she saw him tightened the knots in his stomach until he felt as if his insides were vibrating with the tension.
He felt himself returning her smile as she crossed the dining room and could only hope it was a friendly-but-professional smile and not a goofy grin.
She wasn’t wearing a suit tonight. Not that he minded seeing her long legs showcased by the skirts and the high heels, but her legs looked amazing in slim navy pants, too. Her white T-shirt would have been casual, except it was a little shimmery and she was wearing jewelry that dressed it up. And in place of the high heels were strappy sandals that showed off her feet and bright purple toenails.
For some reason, that amused him. He would have guessed she’d choose a classic color or muted pastel for her toes, and he liked that unexpected pop of color.
“Thank you,” she said as she settled in the chair he pulled out for her. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
Derek glanced at the ornate clock hanging over the door as he sat down. “I hadn’t even noticed, since it was literally two minutes.”
“On time is late,” she said, and he was pretty sure she was serious. “Just ask my parents.”
He wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but then her mouth curved into a smile and he realized she was kidding. Or maybe she wasn’t kidding about her parents or punctuality, but she had a sense of humor about it.
“About the only thing I’m not late to is work,” he said. “It drove my ex-wife crazy.”
