“Get your coat, Brielle.” My voice is low and quiet. She looks up at me with those wide blue eyes. Her red-painted lips open on an inhale, and for one half second, I think I see heat flare in her gaze. But before I can blink, it’s gone. She expels a heavy breath and pulls a long sky-blue puffer jacket from a hook on the wall.
“It was nice to meet you,” her roommate calls as I hold the door open for Brielle. There is a man standing next to her now. I was so focused on Brielle, I’m not even sure when he came into the room.
I dip my chin at the both of them before guiding Brielle into the hallway and closing the door. My hand skims the silky fabric on her lower back, itching to fist the material in my grip.
These thoughts are inappropriate at best and dangerous at worst. I shake my head and drop my hand from her back, shoving it into my pocket as we make our way back down the three flights of stairs. The strappy heels she’s wearing don’t seem to slow her down at all. Her delicate, slender foot is perched at a pretty little angle, her toes painted the same shade of red as her dress.
“Why would you wear those shoes?” I snap as we get closer to the door. Her feet are going to turn to ice as soon as I open it to the outside air.
“I’m not sure if you remember, but I’ve known about this dinner for less than twenty-four hours. That didn’t give me a whole lot of time to figure something out. You’re lucky I still fit into this dress from a few years ago as it is,” she says, her voice snippy and clipped.
Based on our interactions to date, I have a feeling that Brielle isn’t one to take my bad attitude with deference and compliancy. A fission of attraction warms my blood at that thought.
Brielle throws her coat on before we head outside. I walk her over to my car. The homeless man is still sitting in the doorway. He glances up at me, but his eyes quickly shift over to Brielle. Her coat is open, her dress a revelation of ruby red underneath. I step in front of her to block his view as I reach for the car door.
“You look very nice, Ms. Collins.” He grins.
A radiant smile beams across her face. “Thanks, Pete. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day. You enjoy your evening now.”
I shut her in the car, feeling irrationally irritated that he told her she looked nice and wished her a happy Valentine’s Day before I did.
I don’t think I’ve uttered the words “Happy Valentine’s Day” in my life. I’m not going to start now, and it isn’t like this is an actual date. I’m not trying to impress her or ply her with flattery.
Is it flattery to tell her she looks beautiful if it’s true?
I round the car and get in, cranking the heat up and adjusting the vents to the footholds.
“You do look nice,” I tell her, glancing at her from the side of my eye.
“Thanks. Except for the shoes, right?” she teases.
“I never said I didn’t like them.” They’d look amazing wrapped around my neck.
Shut it down.That train of thought isn’t going to get me anywhere.
“You look nice, too.” Her voice is quiet, almost shy. “What’s the plan for tonight?” she asks, changing the subject.
“We’re meeting Leon and Pam Vitale. They own—”
“That outdoors company,” she interrupts. “I remember their names from my report. They owned…” She pauses, searching her memory for the right business. “Was it Cardinal West Outdoors?”
I look her over, trying to figure her out. I like that she remembers that. It shows she was paying attention, actually reading through the information and not just copying and pasting bits and pieces.
She must misinterpret the look on my face at being upset at the interruption. “Sorry, continue,” she says, sinking back into her seat.
“Yes, they own Cardinal West. An outdoor supply and activities company. They’ve been expanding into more of the activities side of the business with guided and non-guided tour offerings for a variety ofsports. They’re interested in taking those offerings further north and west, expanding the market they currently operate in.”
“Okay. But who are they? Like, as people?” she asks.
“What do you mean?”
She pulls in a breath, her chest rising in a way that my body seems to be reacting to, only to let it out in a huff.
“Never mind. I’ll figure it out when I meet them.”
We sit in silence for a moment. Brielle is playing with the hem of her dress underneath the bulk of her heavy coat. Her bow-shaped lips pulled tight as she fidgets with the dress, her hair, the coat.
