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She thought about it for a moment before answering, “Fine.” She turned to the bartender. “A Tom Collins. Use that Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice up there.” She glanced back at Drew. “He can afford it.”
Drew grinned. “Whatever the lady wants.” He pointed to the glass enclosure that held a single bottle of bourbon behind lock and key. “I’ll take a shot of the Willett.”
“I’ll need payment beforehand,” the bartender said.
Drew noticed the way London’s eyes narrowed in confusion as he passed the bartender his credit card.
“What kind of drink requires prepayment?” she asked.
“Bourbon,” he answered.
The bartender handed the shot glass to Drew.
“This is the first time I’ve gotten to pour this one in the two years that I’ve been working here,” he said. “Enjoy!”
Drew threw back the ninety-dollar shot in one swallow. “You want to try it?” he asked London.
She looked to the glass-encased Willett and shook her head. Taking her drink from the bartender with a smile and a thank-you, she told Drew, “I’ll stick to my gin.”
She tipped her glass toward him in salute before taking a sip. “Thanks for the drink,” she said, then turned and started for the seating that ran along the far wall of the bar area. Just as she approached one of the plush couches, a group of college-aged kids, drenched from the rain, invaded the bar. They were raucous and unruly and a reminder of everything Drew hated about college towns.
London stood with her drink in the middle of the bar. There wasn’t an open seat anywhere.
Drew walked up alongside her. “Before you get the wrong idea, this is only an offer to sit out the rain,” he started. “But you are more than welcome to bring this drink up to my room.”
Her reply was quick. “I don’t think so.”
One of the college kids struck a John Travolta pose, à laSaturday Night Fever, and the rest of the crew broke out into boisterous laughter.
“On second thought,” London said.
The banquet manager returned with the credit card, then London followed Drew to the bank of elevators. They took one up to the twenty-seventh floor. Once in the suite, London headed straight for the span of windows, which afforded a spectacular view of downtown Austin. The jagged crown of the Frost Bank Tower, one of the most recognizable structures in the city, sparkled despite the deluge taking place outside.
“Goodness, but it’s coming down out there. I should have checked my phone to see when this rain is forecast to end,” she said.
Drew slipped his out of his pocket and did just that. He grimaced as he held it up to her. “You may want to get comfortable,” he said.
London squinted at the phone and released another of those long-suffering sighs. She held her glass out to him. “Can you hold this for a minute?” She stepped out of her heels, kicked them to the side, and reclaimed her glass. “Thanks.”
She turned and moved away from the windows. Heeding his advice to make herself comfortable, London folded her long legs underneath her as she sat on the couch.
Drew walked over to the wet bar and poured himself another bourbon. He wasn’t expecting much after that shot of Willett he’d had downstairs, but it was pretty decent. He returned to London, taking a seat in one of the chairs instead of on the couch. He kicked his shoes off and stretched his legs out in front of him.
“So what are youreallydoing back in Austin, Drew?” she asked.
“This is home, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but it hasn’t been your home in a long time.”
He cocked a brow. “Have you been keeping tabs on me, Dr. Kelley?”
“Stop flattering yourself.” She rolled her eyes, but amusement played at the corners of her lips. “Your classmates are obsessed with you,” she continued. “You went to some fancy party a few months back, and the reunion committee spent the first half hour of the meeting fawning over your glamorous life.”
“Sounds as if you weren’t part of the fawning crowd.”
She shrugged. “Celebrity doesn’t impress me. And after having a small taste of notoriety, I know for certain that I do not want anything to do with it. I much prefer the humdrum existence of becoming a world-class doctor who saves the lives of sick children.”
Her cheeky smile was, without a doubt, the most enchanting thing Drew had seen tonight.
