by Rita Herron
"Franchesca's and Dante's both offer in-home consultations."
"Yes, but at an escalated price. I'll do the first consultation free, get an idea of what my clients are looking for, then give them an estimate on the spot. No fee unless they actually use my services."
Jeff twisted his mouth in thought. "You're talking about one of those low-rent mobile-home decorating vans?"
Maddie fought to squelch her temper. "They're not low-rent. They're called door-to-door decorating vans. Most working people don't have time to drive around to a dozen different stores for estimates and samples, so the whole concept of my business was designed to make decorating more convenient for them. The vans house most of the fabric and wallcovering samples as well as furniture catalogs so the customer doesn't even have to leave her house."
He remained silent for a moment, obviously considering her logic. "How much start-up capital are you talking?"
Maddie handed him the detailed file and business plan she'd written, clenching her hands in her lap as he opened the folder and studied the figures.
"I've met several managers from other franchises and studied profit-and-loss statements as well as reports of their operating expenses. The franchises are profitable. I've also taken a course on merchandising and sales techniques."
"You sound as if you've done your homework but—"
"But what?"
For a brief moment, he let his defenses slip, and Maddie recognized the young man she'd first been attracted to, the eager businessman, the dreamer. She saw the memories flit across his face—the night they'd driven up to the mountains for a romantic picnic, the surprise trip he'd taken her on to Bermuda, the little romantic gifts he used to send her weekly.
Along with those memories, now she saw the regret, the desire, the boyish charm that had once captivated her.
Had she been too hasty in her decision to leave him? When had all the romance stopped—when he'd started working for his family?
"Maddie—" His intercom buzzed and his secretary announced the mayor had arrived early for his luncheon date and a mask slid over his face, hiding his emotions. He was once again transformed into the focused businessman his family wanted. She'd lost the Jeff she once loved.
She was going to lose the loan, too, if she didn't do some fast talking.
"Jeff, you know Lance and Reid won the bid on the new development on Skidaway Island, and they have several restoration projects lined up. They've agreed to let me decorate the models for the Savannah Tour of Homes. It'll be the perfect way to jump-start my business. You've heard of River Ridge?"
A smug expression flitted into his eyes. "Yes, of course, it's a golf-course community. Mother has friends interested in buying out there, very upscale."
She nodded, tapping her toe on the carpet as if she needed to channel her nervous energy. "I know I can win clients through the tour. Maybe you should study the information I've enclosed about the franchise. You could visit the subdivision before you decide."
"I have to be honest with you, Maddie." He raised his gaze to meet hers, a hint of tenderness in his eyes that reminded Maddie of the good times they'd shared—the young man who'd first awakened her sexual urges, even though they had never consummated their relationship. "Middlemyer, the CEO here, prefers to fund large corporations. He seldom dabbles in small-business loans."
Her stomach knotted. "So you're saying you won't approve my loan?"
He hesitated, fisting his own hands around the file. Maddie could see the indecision within his eyes. "Have you tried the SBA?"
"Yes," she said in a low voice. "They turned me down. No collateral."
"How about the other major banks in town?"
She studied her fingernails. "Ditto."
"Ferguson's Finance Company?"
"No one to co-sign, I even wondered if you'd..."
"You want me to co-sign your loan?"
"No, oh, no I didn't mean that..."
He drummed his fingers on his desk, anger suddenly flaring in his eyes. "You aren't suggesting I'd sabotage your loan, are you, Maddie?"
"Well, Jeff, I know Lance and Reid paid you a visit and—"
His jaw tightened. "I don't want to talk about your brothers."
"I'm sorry, Jeff."
He hesitated, once again. "After all we shared, Maddie, you don't really think I'd do something so low as to sabotage a loan for you?" His fingers brushed over her palm gently. "I really thought we'd get married someday, you know."
Before his family pressured all the spontaneity and life out of him. Maddie took a deep breath, regrets for all they'd shared and lost clogging her throat. "I'm sorry, Jeff, for even implying such a thing. Please forgive me."
"We could still talk, Maddie." His voice sounded almost desperate. "If you'd just give up this decorating-van idea of yours and help me—"
Her spine stiffened. "I'm not giving up my dreams, Jeff."
His eyes softened, and for a moment she thought he was going to come across the desk, take her in his arms and tell her everything was all right the way he had when she'd gotten frustrated in college. But in her heart of hearts, she knew things between them had changed. Then the buzzer sounded again, and his secretary reminded him that the mayor was waiting, and the moment was lost. The emotions she'd seen earlier disappeared.
When he met her gaze again, he had his serious work face firmly back in place. "Look, I'll see what I can do, Maddie. Do you have anything you can offer for collateral?"
She fingered the diamond-and-ruby pendant at her breasts, lifted the delicate chain from around her neck and clutched it in her hand. "The only really valuable thing I have is this necklace I inherited from Mom." Surely he wouldn't ask her to sign against the necklace. He knew how much it meant to her.
His blue eyes darkened as he took the delicate jewel and studied the setting. "All right, have it appraised, and I'll see what I can do."
Maddie slid out of her chair and stood, gratitude warring with a sudden attack of nerves and a sliver of anger. "You really want me to borrow against Mom's keepsake?"
His hand closed around the edge of his credenza, his voice gruff. "Middlemyer will expect something as a show of good faith. You're the one who established the new rules now, Maddie. You came to me for a business loan, not a personal favor, that's exactly what you're getting."
"Right." Maddie's chest tightened. She wanted to prove her independence. Here was her chance.
Still, the pendant was the only thing she had left of her mother's. Her father had ordered the ruby and diamonds to be fit in an antique setting for her parents' tenth wedding anniversary. Could she put the treasured jewelry up for collateral?
His eyes narrowed, and she remembered Jeff's comment about marriage; he wanted a businessman's wife, not a businesswoman. She'd issued the ultimatum on TV, but he'd taken control. He'd forced her to choose between him and her dreams. Just as her father had forced her mother to choose.
Lord, how she hated being at the mercy of a man.
She wanted her independence, and she'd do anything to achieve it.
Yes, she'd put the necklace up for collateral. In a way the situation was fitting. Her mother had sacrificed her own dreams to care for her father, to try and help him pursue his goals, but she'd lost her own in the process. Maddie would not repeat those mistakes.
She'd take money from Jeff but strictly as a business deal. She'd show her brothers and that infuriating Chase Holloway that she wasn't a kid anymore, that she could be a successful businesswoman. But she'd never give up her independence or her dreams for Jeff.
Or any other man.
Chapter 4
Chase grinned at Daphne, thanking his lucky stars Lance had sent the buxom blonde his way during their Friday afternoon happy hour at the Shrimp Store. The men had met to discuss the problems at the development, mainly the importance of meeting standards and finishing the project on time. One of their backers had warned that if they couldn't make the deadlines or if materials weren't up to co
de, he'd immediately turn the project over to their competitor. The pressure ball had been dropped hard, landing on his foot when the subject of the tour had arisen. If Maddie didn't do a good job, it would affect sales, which would start a domino effect, trickling back to them. Everything they had was riding on this project. And Lance and Reid were counting on him to make sure Maddie came through.
One pitcher of beer after another had led Chase down the drunken road to thinking about Maddie in other ways though.
Unbidden thoughts, like the fiery look in Maddie's coffee-colored eyes. The seductive curve of her hips, the sexy swagger to her walk, the silkiness of those wild curls that floated over her shoulders like some untamed beast. His body reacted instantly, hot blood rushing through his veins and pooling in his loins. Damn his libido.
Thank God for women like Daphne. Women who liked sex, fast and quick. Women who didn't expect anything but a good time. Women who weren't little sisters to his best friends.
Women who weren't meant to get married any more than he was, or women who weren't tangled up in the business that meant so much to him.
Maddie suddenly appeared. "Hey, you guys, your secretary told me you were here. I had to find you so we could celebrate."
Lance and Reid exchanged confused looks. "What are we celebrating?"
"I got the loan!" Maddie threw her arms around her brothers and hugged them with the same exuberance she had when she'd hit her first homerun. She'd hugged him, too, back then, Chase thought, but now things were too awkward between them. Ever since that kiss... He bit his cheek, wishing he could take it back so things could be normal between them again. Especially with the sex goddess Daphne sitting beside him, rubbing her hand up and down his knee.
Lance and Reid asked for details, but Maddie shrugged them off, and waved at the waitress. Sinking into a chair, she looked flushed and beautiful, with her long legs sliding out from that short green skirt. Chase's body automatically stirred.
He glanced at Daphne, deciding to exit and expend his sexual energy where he could—without trouble.
But Maddie cut him off before he could speak. "Aren't you going to congratulate me, Chase?"
He raised his beer, sensing a challenge in her voice. "Way to go, Mad."
She smiled, ordered a margarita, dug a tortilla chip from the bowl, dipped it in salsa and popped it in her mouth. "So we'll all be working together now."
Lance and Reid's panicked expressions darted to him.
Thankfully, Maddie was oblivious. "When can you guys show me the property? I'm dying to get started."
"Uh, sis, we're going to let Chase handle that side of the operation with you," Lance said.
"Yeah, we've got our hands full with contractors and electricians and all that crap. Chase is the man to talk to about that last-minute pretty-it-up kind of stuff."
Maddie's gaze flitted to Daphne, then to Chase. "Later tonight?"
Much later, after I've spent some time with Daphne. "Whenever's good for you."
"How about six?"
"Sure," Chase agreed. Six was fine. That would give him plenty of time to take care of his overactive sex drive.
"Well, you ready to hit that hot tub?" Daphne purred into his ear.
Chase nodded and stood, avoiding Maddie's curious look. Yep, Daphne would make him feel better. Just as soon as he joined her in that sinful sea of iniquity she called a Jacuzzi, he'd forget all about this silly attraction to his best friends' little sister. Maddie could talk all she wanted about partying, but she was a settle-down kind of girl. And he would never be the settle-down kind of guy. He'd simply watch her to make sure she didn't screw up the job.
* * *
Maddie watched Chase leave with Daphne and sighed, taking a deep breath to stifle the tightening in her lungs. Good grief, she must have lost her breath running inside. Why else would she have this weird achy feeling in her chest? It certainly wasn't because Chase had left with that other person.
"She's a looker," Reid said.
Maddie frowned, glancing down at her own neat suit. Try as she might, she'd never be a sex siren like that cantaloupe woman. If Delilah, or whatever her name was, was Chase's typical kind of date, no wonder he hadn't commented on her inexperienced kiss. She was surprised he hadn't laughed his head off. Her brothers were drooling.
"What a bod," Lance said.
"Do you think—"
"They're not real," Maddie interjected, guessing her brother's comment by the enamored look in his befuddled eyes.
Reid wrinkled his forehead in thought. "How can you tell?"
"She moves, and they don't," Maddie said matter-of-factly.
"Who the hell cares?" Lance said with a chuckle.
Maddie took a hefty sip of her drink. "You guys are hopeless, sexist—"
Reid pointed to the entrance. "Hey, isn't that your friend Sophie from the talk show?"
"Sophie Knows," Lance said wryly.
"It's Sophie Lane," Maddie corrected as she jumped to her feet to wave her friend over. "Now she's a real woman, not like that Daffodil girl."
"Daphne," Reid said.
"Whatever." Maddie rolled her eyes. "And brunettes are your type, Lance."
"Not anymore," Lance said in a curt tone.
Maddie wrinkled her nose, wondering why her big brother was acting so ornery. He'd been on edge for the last few weeks, but she couldn't get him to confide what was upsetting him. She'd finally decided he must be worried about the business.
Sophie saw her and grinned, making a beeline for them. "Over here!" Maddie shouted.
A couple nabbed Sophie as she passed their table, and she stopped to autograph their napkin. "What the hell's she doing here anyway?" Lance asked.
Maddie shot him a warning look. She'd secretly hoped her best friend and her big brother would hit it off, but she'd obviously made a matchmaking mistake. "She came to celebrate with me, so be nice."
Lance clamped his mouth shut, crossed his ankles and leaned back in his seat. He sipped his beer, looking unusually sullen.
When Sophie approached, Maddie quickly made the introductions and ordered her friend a drink, puzzled at Lance's near-rudeness. He was usually quieter than Reid, more brooding, but both of them had had southern manners drilled into them since they were little.
"We don't catch the show much with our schedule and all, but we did see it the day Maddie was on," Reid said. "We're working pretty long shifts to get this new subdivision off the ground."
"I heard about the complex," Sophie said. "I thought you guys might appear on the show and talk about the new development on Skidaway."
Lance set his beer mug down with a thump. "I don't think so, Miss Lane. Humiliating myself on TV has never been a goal of mine."
Sophie's long, black eyelashes fanned across ivory cheeks. "Who said anything about humiliating you, Lance? I was talking about a serious show. I've booked the Savannah Economic Authority to talk in late March."
Lance merely grunted. Maddie opened her mouth to reprimand her brother but Sophie's grin turned devilish. "Although, we have discussed doing an episode called 'The Dating Game.' I could work you in there if you'd like, Lance. We need a couple of good-looking guys."
Reid wiggled his eyebrows and elbowed Lance. "Hey, sounds like fun, bro."
Lance stood so abruptly, his chair clattered back against the wall. "Like I said, I'm not interested." With a disapproving glare at Sophie, he tossed a few bills on the table and stalked off. Sophie's perplexed gaze flickered to Maddie.
Maddie gaped at her brother. What in the world had gotten into him? As far as she knew, Lance had never been rude to a woman in his life. Had he been humiliated by her TV appearance or was something else bothering him? Could he possibly have something against Sophie?
* * *
"I swear that's never happened to me before," Chase said, feeling all four of his cheeks burn red with embarrassment as he stood and climbed from the hot tub. Daphne had been naked and hot and willing and he'd been unable to... to
respond.
"Sure it hasn't, honey." Pity darkened Daphne's eyes. She'd tried everything from rubbing herself all over him to downright physical teasing. The torture normally would have put him over the edge in minutes, but this time... no, this time he kept seeing images of his best friends' little sister and those damn innocent eyes of hers looking at him, and his libido had gone down the drain. He'd known he shouldn't be in bed, or rather the Jacuzzi, with one woman while thinking about another.
He took one last look at Daphne's exquisite double D's and prayed for resurrection. Nothing happened.
Furious and frustrated, he yanked the towel around his waist and stalked to the corner of the room for his clothes. "It must have been all those damn candles. They almost put me to sleep."
"Aromatherapy," Daphne replied.
"Limp-dick therapy," Chase muttered as he pulled on his jeans with a vengeance.
Her laughter bounced off the walls as he stormed outside. Just as he climbed in his truck, the alarm on his watch sounded. Time to meet Maddie.
His sex stirred at the thought of her.
"Hellfire and damnation," he snarled. He had to think of some way to get out of seeing her, or he was going to lose his mind. Either that or bad-boy Chase Holloway was going to blow everything he'd been working so hard to achieve in his life for a quick roll in the hay.
Chapter 5
Maddie paced back and forth in front of the real-estate office on Skidaway Island searching for Chase's truck. They were supposed to have met a half hour ago so he could show her some of the house plans for the new development. She couldn't wait to begin sketching ideas for the interiors. But Chase was late.
He probably got lost between Daphne's cleavage and couldn't find his way out. She might have smothered him to death.
Forcing her thoughts away from Chase, Maddie checked her watch for the dozenth time, shading her eyes with her hand as a black sedan wove through the azalea-lined drive. Her stomach clenched when she saw Jeff swerve into a parking spot and exit his classic BMW. Was he here to cause trouble?
