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From across the table Jake tossed a balled-up napkin at his sister. Callie easily dodged it and kept on talking. “How were the fireworks last night? Dylan mentioned you were taking your date from the auction there.”
“Wish I’d seen you and Derek up on stage. Addie didn’t record it for me,” Trent said.
He’d wondered if any of his family members had recorded it for the sole purpose of embarrassing him.
“We should check with Courtney. I bet she did,” Jake said.
Yeah, if anyone had it would’ve been his younger sister.
“Leave Scott alone, you guys. The whole thing was for a good cause,” Callie said with annoyance.
“Did you unravel the mystery surrounding your date?” Dylan and his half brother Chase walked outside together. The two men resembled each other so much Chase could’ve been a younger version of Dylan. The only real difference between them was their eyes. While Dylan’s were gray like his mother’s, Chase’s were brown like their father’s.
“You didn’t tell me about any mystery, Dylan,” Callie said. “Do share.”
All eyes turned in his direction. Even James seemed to turn and look at him from his father’s arms. “Not much to share. Her grandfather is Michael Foster.” Despite the hours they’d spent together, he’d never really gotten his curiosity satisfied.
“Dominique Wakefield bought you?” Jake asked, referring to Paige’s cousin, a woman well-known in society. Apparently, his cousin hadn’t seen the pictures of him and Paige at the auction on the web, because no one would ever confuse the two women. They looked nothing alike.
Trent gave a low whistle. “Ouch. Man, I’m sorry.”
“He’s got another granddaughter. Paige Foster. She went to the auction with Bebe Fleming.”
“Didn’t know Foster had a son. Wonder if Mom and Dad do.” Over the years, Jake had spent a lot of time at his parents’ ranch in Texas. If anyone outside the Foster family would know of Paige’s father, it would be him.
“And that’s the mystery. We didn’t get into it.” Next time, Scott hoped he got it solved.
Chapter 6
Scott dropped his briefcase and suit jacket on the desk before stripping off his tie. The previous day he’d gone straight from the airport to a meeting. Then today he’d spent all day in meetings before having an early dinner with a few business associates. Judging by the amount he’d accomplished so far, he assumed he had at least one more full day in London. While he loved the city, he’d spent so much time traveling lately he could no longer stand sleeping in a hotel room. He wanted his own bed located in his own bedroom.
Grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, he considered his options. He could call it a night and order a snack, or he could change and head back out. The associates he’d had dinner with had invited him to join them for drinks later tonight. He’d told them he’d think about it, but he didn’t feel much like going out again and being social.
As he passed through the living room area toward the bedroom, he took the room service menu with him. Maybe tomorrow he’d go out. Perhaps he’d even call a few friends he had living in London and see if they wanted to get together. His friend Peter especially was always up for a night out. Tonight he’d order room service and forget the rest of the world existed. He didn’t bother to look over the appetizers or the entrees listed. Instead, he skipped straight to the desserts. At the moment he wasn’t in the mood for anything healthy.
He looked over his options while unbuttoning his shirt, immediately noticing there wasn’t chocolate cake or anything even containing chocolate available. If she were there, Paige would be devastated.
She’d occupied his thoughts a lot since he’d dropped her off Saturday night, which probably explained why tonight he noticed something he never would’ve picked up on before.
How did she spend her nights? She seemed like the type of person to have a lot of friends. Did she go out with them after work? Or did she work nights? She’d told him where she worked but hadn’t gone into details. A hospital had nurses on 24-7. She could work any shift. Perhaps she had her afternoons free and spent her nights at the hospital. Next time they talked, he’d have to ask. If she worked nights, it would make seeing her more difficult, especially if she worked most weekends too.
Scott checked his watch. It was three o’clock in Providence. He’d planned to call her when he returned to New York. Tonight he didn’t feel like waiting until then. What were the chances she’d be free to talk if he called now?
Before he did anything else, he changed into shorts and ordered room service.
He could’ve dialed her number without pulling up Paige in his contact list. Although she’d only said it to him once, he’d always been great at remembering numbers. So much so that if not for the convenience it provided, he wouldn’t bother adding his friends and family to his contact list.
The phone rang several times before Paige answered. “Hi, Scott.” He heard a lot of noise in the background and wondered where she was. “Are you back in New York?” she asked before he got a hello in.
Understandable question, since he’d promised to call when he returned. “No, still in London. I’ll probably be here at least another day or two.”
“Oh?” He heard the unasked question in her voice. “I hope everything is going okay out there.”
He’d spent enough of his day on business matters. Right now he wanted to concentrate on other things. “Exactly as I expected. Spent the day in meetings, got back to my suite, ordered some dessert, and thought of you. Didn’t think you’d mind if I called, but if you’re busy I’ll let you go.”
“No, I can talk for a little while. I’m on my dinner break. What did you order for dessert?”
Scott smiled. She’d admitted she had a sweet tooth.
