In response, Penny’s smile grew even more smug and victorious. Before another word was spoken Darius’s phone buzzed in his hand. He looked down at the screen and his jaw instantly tightened when he saw who the caller was?—
"I have to take this," Darius said, turning to walk back out the door.
“Don’t be too long on the phone,” Isabel called after him. “You have to get ready for your date.”
“This won’t take long,” Darius stopped at the door to tell them before turning and heading towards the stairs before he hit the answer button. “ Hello, Baxter," Darius said.
"Hello, cousin." Baxter's voice came through bright and easy, making Darius’s shoulders stiffen as he walked into the home office and closed the door. Baxter always started a conversation with “cousin” when he wanted something. "I’m just checking in on the Sweet Blossom Bay situation. I hear you finally got a meeting with the Heart family in three days.”
"Who told you that?” Darius asked.
"You know how your assistant has to keep the board updated, Darius,” Baxter replied. “I heard it through them.”
“Baxter, I thought I already told you that this was more of a personal project that I will be handling with Penny,” Darius’s voice held an edge of steel and an undertone of warning. “You were told to concentrate on the project I asked you to take over. As to date I still haven’t got the latest update reports on it but you have time to ‘check-in’ on my project?” He raised an eyebrow. “If you can’t handle that project,cousin, I could always give it to someone else and move you to another department.”
The threat hung in the air for a few moments of silence.
“Darius…” Baxter stumbled over his words for a moment. “No… I can handle that project.” He cleared his throat. “I was just wondering if you needed help there. I know you’re also having a bit of a vacation which you greatly deserve.” His cousin started to switch tactics to try to manipulate Darius. “I just wanted to let you know I’m here. I’m up to date on the project if you need me to help.”
“I don’t require your ‘help’ at the moment, Baxter,” Darius told him again. “I have to go. But see to it that I get those missing reports on your project by morning or I’ll have no option but to give the project to Tony.”
“What?” Baxter spluttered. “Wait! No, that’s my project. You’ll have the reports.”
“Good.” Darius got ready to end the call as he glanced at his wrist watch. “See that you do that. Goodbye Baxter.”
He hung up before his cousin could say more and stood letting the anger and annoyance for his cousin work its way out of his system. He stood for a long moment at the office window, looking out across the side garden toward the strip of bay he could see between the trees. The small, slow anger Baxter always woke in him worked its way through his chest and finally settled. Baxter would do what Baxter would do, and Darius would clean up whatever spilled out of it, the way he had been cleaning up after his cousin for years. But tonight was not the night to think about that. Tonight, he was taking Linda to dinner and he was not Darius Wayne of the Wayne Group, he was just a man taking a gorgeous, intelligent, and interesting woman to dinner.
The thought of Linda settled the noise in his head and he put his phone down on the desk not wanting any more interruptions as he turned to leave the home office. His room was at the top of the house and was the main bedroom suite with views from every side of the room out of the large windows that surrounded him.
He took a moment to glance at the sight before turning to get ready for his date.
Thirty minutes later, Darius stood in front of the long mirror buttoning his blue cotton shirt. He looked at himself again in the mirror with his dark semi-formal pants and black hand-made Italian loafers. He was ready for his date.
He gave a soft snort as he turned and glanced at the evidence on his bed of how he’d gone through what to wear for at least ten minutes before jumping in the shower and shook his head.
Darius had gone on hundreds of dates but he couldn’t ever remember feeling this nervous. And since when did he not know what to wear? He gave himself a mental shake.Get a grip man!
Before he could once again second guess his outfit, which reminded him of his sister when she’d gone on her first date with her late husband. He had to spend hours with her giving him a fashion show as she went through her closet. He glanced at the clothes scattered on his bed again thinking he should quickly put them back. If his sister or Penny saw this he’d never live it down. But then he glanced at his wristwatch again. There was no time he had to go or he was going to be late to fetch Linda.
Darius pulled the room door closed as he stepped out and hurried downstairs. But as he climbed in his car the picture of his sister and Penny sitting planning on house renovations flashed through his mind.
“Stop it, Darius,” he admonished himself. “You are quite capable of separating business and your private life.” He started the car. “Hearts Hotel is business. It has nothing to do with my relationship with Linda.”
But as he pulled out the driveway that irritating voice at the back of his head asked:Then why haven’t you told her who you really are?
LINDA
Linda stood in front of her bedroom mirror at Heart House in her bare feet, holding a navy dress in one hand, a soft cream blouse in the other, and looked, on the whole, like a woman who had forgotten how to dress for a date.
"Maggie," Linda called over her shoulder. "Help me."
"Coming," Maggie answered from the doorway, padding in with a glass of water. "Step back from the closet. Let me see."
Linda obeyed. Maggie set the glass down on the dresser and walked the length of the bed, considering the two pieces. She tipped her head. She lifted the navy dress to Linda's shoulders.
"Not the navy dress," Maggie decided. "It's too librarian."
"That's one of my favorite dresses," Linda exclaimed.
