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“Tomorrow?”
“You’re awfully determined, aren’t you?” She tried to act as if she wasn’t flattered by his persistence while a traitorous thrill pulsed deep inside her, setting her nerves to jangling and twisting her stomach into knots.
“I’m used to getting my way.”
Indeed. Which was why she’d be wise to keep her wits about her and her defenses on high alert. Her purpose in joining the campaign was to hurt him by causing his sister damage. An eye for an eye, Everly had said.
Zoe hadn’t taken into account how difficult it would be to exact revenge on someone she found herself liking. She had to remember that Ryan was a bad guy like her ex-husband. Focusing on that would make it a lot easier to take him down.
Instead she caught herself daydreaming about his handsome face and gorgeous body. But more worrisome than her double-crossing libido was the way his wry humor made her smile and his easy confidence bypassed her defenses. Add in his devotion to his sister and he appeared to be quite the catch.
The question remained. If he was so wonderful, why was he still single? Everly insisted he lacked a conscience. That he had no qualms about using women and then throwing them aside. He’d certainly done that to Kelly Briggs.
And then he’d sent her to jail after she’d acted out, impulsively deleting engineering schematics that had cost his company millions of dollars. Everly wanted him to pay for leading her sister on and then turning his back on her. From the picture Everly had painted of him, Zoe easily perceived him as someone who deserved payback.
But how was she to reconcile that version of Ryan with the man she’d met? The disconnect worried Zoe and made her question the wisdom of what she’d joined Susannah’s campaign intending to do.
“Where can I pick you up?” he asked, interrupting her train o
f thought.
Zoe shook her head. He would expect her to be renting an apartment or a house. Her living arrangements were far less conventional and he would ask too many questions she didn’t want to answer.
“How about I meet you at the restaurant?” she suggested.
His eyes narrowed as he surveyed her. “How do I know you’ll show up?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“That’s an interesting question.” He leaned forward and his powerful presence enveloped her. “There’s something about you I can’t put my finger on, but you intrigue me.”
His declaration gave Zoe goose bumps. And only some of them were the good kind.
“Me?” She huffed out a laugh and shook her head. “That’s funny. There’s not a single interesting thing about me.”
“Let me be the judge of that. I’m looking forward to getting to know you much better. How about we meet at Charleston Grill at seven?”
The last thing Zoe wanted to do was to eat anywhere close to downtown Charleston where she might run into someone she knew.
“That’s a little too fancy for me,” she said, thinking fast. “How about Bertha’s Kitchen at six?”
The iconic soul food restaurant was located in North Charleston and famous for its fried chicken and Southern sides. The hearty helpings of delicious soul food were served cafeteria-style on no-frills foam plates. Not necessarily a place she’d expect a wealthy businessman like Ryan to dine.
To her surprise, he nodded without hesitation. “I’ll see you at six.” He pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Here’s my number if anything changes.” When she started to pull it from his fingers, Ryan tightened his grip. “But you have to know I’ll be crushed if you stand me up.”
She doubted that anything could crush him, but rushed to assure him. “I won’t.”
With a quick, heart-stopping smile, he got to his feet. “See you tomorrow, Zoe Alston.”
“See you tomorrow,” she echoed faintly, her whole body buzzing with energy. “Ryan Dailey.”
* * *
Buzzing with satisfaction, Ryan headed for his sister’s office. As he entered, Susannah leaned back in her executive chair and the springs creaked ominously. Although his sister had more than enough money to furnish her campaign office with all new furniture, she’d chosen to downplay her wealth by sticking to a strict budget.
“Thanks for calling me with a heads-up that Zoe had returned,” he said, sliding into one of her guest chairs.
“I’m always happy to help out my big brother.” Susannah was five minutes younger than Ryan, but her serious nature had always made her seem years older. “Did you ask her out?”
