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“Deal.” I’m glad to know we’re on the same page, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed, too. Maybe a part of me wanted him to declare his passion or to be so smitten with me that he can’t eat or some other nonsense. But we are two practical people in a potentially dangerous situation, and we are doing the smart thing.So, why does it sting? Maybe we could just do some kissing—
“If things were different, if our circumstances weren’t what they are, then…” he shrugs. “But things being what they are, it isn’t feasible to pursue even just sex between us. Right?”
“Right. Dating is a minefield, and I am not ready to be blown up.”
“Gee, you make it sound so romantic.”
I giggle. “It’s like I told you before. I don’t date. My career is hard enough without throwing that kind of confusion into the works. If word gets out that I slept with a client, I’d be out of a job fast.”
“Understandable. I will keep that information to myself. Being a woman in a male-dominated career cannot be easy.”
“I didn’t get into it looking foreasy.”
His stare pierces into me. “So, why did you?”
I smile, thinking back. “When I was a kid, I went on a school field trip to Washington, D.C. It was the big trip for anyone in my school district. Too expensive for a lot of the kids, but I knew it was coming, so I mowed lawns all summer to earn the money to be able to go. Hottest summer of my childhood, but I didn’t care. I wanted to go.”
“So, you’ve always been stubborn?”
I laugh. “Yeah, maybe. Anyway, when the teachers talked about the history and events surrounding each monument, all I could think of were the buildings. How they’ve stood for centuries after those people did those things. The books tell the tales, sure, but it’s the buildings that are the proof. They stand the test of time. They are legacies in and of themselves. I wanted to build something that would last the test of time. Designing buildings isn’t just about that building or the people who commissioned it. It’s about reaching out to the future and saying I was here. And I created masterpieces.”
“Wow.”
“What?”
“You make every other job sound pointless.”
I laugh again, harder. “I don’t mean to.”
“Admittedly, I am jealous of that. Sure, our resort will be here long after we are, but the idea of having such a broad impact has an appeal.”
“Oh, come on. Being COO of your family’s corporation has a broad impact, too.”Right?
“I suppose. We do a lot of good in the world, charitable work and all that. I am rather proud of my family’s work, and I didn’t mean to sound otherwise. But the way you speak of your work, your legacy…it has an enviable quality, Elsie. You’re in love with your career. I can understand why you must protect your reputation so fiercely.”
I smile and take a deep breath, happy to be putting this behind us. Sort of. “Well, after this, I am going back to my hotel room to work on the resort. I’ll have something for you by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.”
“Good, glad to hear it.”
“We will go over the rendering again, the design elements, and I’ll have a better idea of what the resort will look like once I’ve put some things down. You’ll love it. I promise.”
He chuckles. “I hope so.”
“I got a little ahead of myself with the last design—I go ham when I work all night like that, and—
“And I am sure going home after I tried to kiss you didn’t help matters.”
I gulp. “Um, no, but kind of.”
“How’s that?”
“It flummoxed me, to say the least, but that nervous energy kept me going all night.”
He smirks. “Then maybe I should try to kiss you again.”
As much as I’d like that, I can’t let that happen. “Beau, we just talked about this—"
“I was teasing. Sorry. Too soon?”
