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She nodded and watched him walk away from the car as he spoke to whoever was on the other end, then looked back to the plans.
“I guess there’s an awful lot of lights to store if he’s going to need all those massive garages.”
Porter nodded. “Every set needs trailers for makeup, the stars, if they’re filming away from plumbing, Porta Potties, generators. All of which need to be kept somewhere when not in use.”
“I didn’t realize.” She looked at the drawings again. No wonder Craig wanted so much land. “You seem to know a lot about the movie business.”
“Not really.” Porter shook his head. “Just repeated what Craig told me and the architect.”
“Of course.” Still, she was completely floored by the proposed undertaking.
“Who the heck holds a major gala on a Monday night?” Craig blew out a sigh and dropped his phone into his breast pocket, then turned to Kate. “I don’t suppose you like black-tie affairs?”
Craig had forgotten that he promised his grandfather he would represent the Barons at tonight’s political gala for the up-and-coming protégés for both US and State representatives. When he’d agreed ages ago, it hadn’t occurred to him that he’d be up to his eyeballs in a major projectandsaving owls and bats.
“Is that a trick question?” Kate tipped her head at him.
“I’m afraid not. I have to go to a political gala tonight. It sort of slipped my mind and I don’t have a date. These things tend to be rather boring, but stag they just drag on.”
“Political gala?” Her brows dipped into a pensive V. “As in the ten thousand dollars a plate dinner downtown political gala?”
“The one and only.”
Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened and then a slow sassy grin took over her face. “Do I get to talk to anyone I want?”
Now Craig was wondering what had he just gotten himself into. The last thing he needed was to create a scene for his family. Especially for Mitch. “Depends on who you want to talk to.”
“There’s some legislation on the table to help our jobs protecting the sea turtles and a few other at risk animals here in Texas. It’s not perfect, but it’s a start. That is if we can get it out of discussion and up for a vote. The political bigwigs have been dodging my calls for months. I wouldn’t mind cornering them over champagne and deviled eggs.”
He didn’t want to tell her the odds of being served deviled eggs were slim to none, but he wouldn’t mind seeing a few of those stuffed shirts cornered by a gorgeous redhead on a mission. “Sure. Why not.”
Both her hands slapped together and then brushed quickly with enthusiasm. “This is going to be seriously cool.”
There was no escaping the laughter that bubbled inside him from her gleeful response. “If you say so.”
“What time are you picking me up?” The way her eyes darted about, he could almost see the wheels turning in that busy little mind.
If a night out with a bunch of stuffed shirt politicians and dressed up like a penguin was all it took to put that smile on her face, he’d help her corner every single person who had been avoiding her. “Cocktail hour starts at seven. If I pick you up at 6:30 that should get us there at a fashionably appropriate hour.”
She flicked her wrist to look at her watch. “I can do that.”
Since it was only a little after ten in the morning, he wondered if he was asking too much of her, dropping this at the last minute. “If you don’t have time, I’m sure we can corner the right people some other time.”
“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “This will be perfect, but I have a lot to do in a short amount of time if I’m going to be fit to hob knob with Houston’s rich and famous.”
As far as he was concerned, she was fit to hob knob just the way she was.
Chapter Eleven
“How do I look?” Kate spun around in place for her roommate.
Joan nodded approvingly. “Every man in the place is going to be picking his tongue up off the floor. I wish I could wear that shade of green as well as you do.”
Her hands carefully skipped down her sides. “I thought about the black dress. You know, classic and all that, but I thought it might be too boring.”
“There’s nothing boring about this outfit. If you’re really worried, in a darker room it might look black.”
“No. I like the green shimmer. I was afraid the neckline might be too low.” She spun around to look in the full-length mirror for the millionth time since getting home from the hairdressers.
