When they came out a few minutes later, only slightly recovered, Jill waved at them. “Hey guys, Mr. Dunn and I decided to drive over to Green Valley and eat there since that’s where we’re staying for the night. He says there’s a really good Mexican restaurant there called El Jardín.”
Blake nodded, waved and got in the car. Fortunately, and surprisingly, it turned out that Mexican food was the perfect way to erase the flavor of pickled egg. It was likely the spicy peppers and copious amounts of carbs, but whatever it was, he was glad for it.
When they arrived at a small but clean roadside motel between rural Tennessee towns, he found that he was in no mood to crash in his room and go to bed early.
Feeling on edge and wired at the same time, Blake paced around his room for a while. When he discovered that he was trying to think of an excuse to go over to Jill’s room, he clenched his fists and glared at his reflection in the cheap mirror over the sink. So what if she guessed that he just wanted to see her?
With quick decision, he left his room and stepped outside, turning to the right to go down two doors to Jill’s room, and collided with someone. Looking down, he saw Jill’s dark hair, and realized his hand had grasped her bare arms to steady her. She was wearing a swimsuit, and it was only with iron-clad discipline that he kept himself from pulling her into his arms.
“Um… hey, Blake.” Her tone was light, but questioning.
Letting go of her arms, he stepped back. “Sorry. I didn’t see you.” Then his brain registered more than just smooth, luminous skin gleaming under security lights. “What are you doing?”
She laughed. “I think that’s obvious.” She moved to step around him, so he put out a hand and caught hold of hers.
“You can’t go swimming by yourself here. You have no idea who else is staying here or might be passing by. Where is the pool even? Is it well lit? Are there security cameras on it?”
“I’ll be fine. But if you’re so worried about it, why don’t you come too?”
“I didn’t bring anything to swim in.”
Jill shrugged. “You could ask Camden or Rick. Or just come hang out on a lounger and talk to me.”
She left, completely unconcerned about the possible risks of swimming by herself, looking like every man’s fantasy, at a roadside motel. Blake stopped and thought about which room number Camden had been assigned, then strode down the walkway, watching the numbers carefully. When he got to the right one, he hammered on the door, bruising his knuckles on the thick metal. When Camden opened the door, looking confused and a little worried, he visibly relaxed when he saw Blake.
“Oh, hey. Need something?”
“Yes. Do you have some swimming trunks I can borrow?”
“Yeah. I do.”
Blake stepped in, relieved only until he saw the bright blue trunks covered in pink flamingos and electric green palm trees. “Are you serious?”
Camden shrugged. “I’m sorry, Mr. McDaniel. It’s all I brought.”
Blake stood, torn and repulsed, but he was determined to join Jill in the pool. Kicking his pride to the curb, he thanked Camden and left to change.
But when he walked out to the pool five minutes later, she looked up from her phone and started laughing.
“Okay, so, those have to be Camden’s.”
“Right on the first try.” Blake stopped by a table with an umbrella and set his phone and room key down. He was surprised Jill was in the hot tub, but since the sky had been cloudy all day, the night air was definitely cooler than usual for July. “You have a thing for hot tubs, don’t you?”
“It relaxes me. It helps me deal with the stress and pressure of my job.”
Blake examined her face as he got into the hot tub. “You never look stressed. In fact, I was starting to wonder if you were even human in that way.”
A half-smile pulled at her lips. “That’s what I want people to think. It inspires confidence and people are more likely to believe I’m capable. I learned that years ago when I first got out of college and went to work for my dad. Can you imagine for a minute what everybody thought about me? I still looked about sixteen, and not only was I a female, but the daughter of the boss. Proving myself has been an uphill struggle since day one.”
Blake considered her words, sensing the depth of her frustration over the situation. “How long have you been working for your father’s firm?”
“Three years.” Jill rolled her head from side to side as if stretching sore muscles in her neck.
Blake’s fingers twitched as he thought about offering to rub her neck. But that would be a dangerous road to go down. “Well, your dad must be proud of you now.”
Jill laughed, but it was a harsh, resentful sound. “If he is, he doesn’t show it. And as long as I work for him, I’ll never escape the stigma of nepotism, though that couldn’t be further from the truth. I had to work harder for my place in his company than anyone else did. He’s been training me for this since I was in middle school and he discovered I had a gift for numbers. My high school years were filled with advanced classes, outside programs, and his own personal brand of memory training.”
“Why don’t you work for someone else or open your own consulting firm?”
Jill flicked away some of the bubbles floating toward her in the frothing water. She was quiet for a moment before she said. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, but there’s a lot of family pressure since I’m the heir to half the company.”
In this moment, the business world seemed far away and she looked more vulnerable than he had ever seen her. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head and tiny strands fell from it, clinging damply to her neck. Her face, lit from below by lights in the hot tub, was smooth and young, but he could see the strain in her unguarded eyes. A strong surge of protectiveness flooded him, something he’d never considered possible with Jill. She’d always been too capable, too in control. “Are you happy doing this work?”
The corners of her mouth tugged down. It happened in a flash before she controlled the expression, but he’d seen it. She forced a smile. It was a beautiful specimen, but he recognized it for what it was. A wall. He’d pushed too hard.
“Of course I’m happy. Except for the issues with my dad and the pressure of influencing what happens with people’s lives, it’s amazing. I get to travel, see new places. You know me. Meeting new people makes me happy. The money’s not bad either.”
Blake chuckled at her joke, though his gut still swirled with concern for her. He moved closer, sitting next to her. She turned her head, a surprised but expectant look on her face. He leaned closer and cupped her jaw in his hand. His heart hammered in his chest. “But do you ever stay in one place long enough to make any of it matter? To have real connections, real relationships?”
Her expression tightened again and she leaned closer till there were only inches between their lips, but the screech of the gate opening shattered the silence between them. She looked around as he did, and he dropped his hand. Rick strolled over in gym shorts and a t-shirt.
“What are you doing?” Blake asked, annoyed at the interruption.
“My job. Boss, you didn’t tell me where you were going.”
Jill stood up and left the hot tub. “Remember. You had to bring him.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m heading back to my room.”
Blake clenched his teeth in frustration. He’d been so close to her opening up. There was nothing to do now, though, but make sure she got back safe and say good night. He followed her out of the hot tub and dried off with one of the towels provided by the motel. Jill had already wrapped one around herself and opened the gate.
“Uh, boss. I like your trunks.”
Blake looked away from Jill and saw that Rick’s whole body was shaking with silent laughter. “I’m already thinking about firing you, so you might want to watch yourself.” Blake picked up his phone and room key, then strode after Jill.
Chapter Thirteen
Jill always found factory tours interesting. She loved the order and ingenuity that went into production lines. But as Mr. Dunn showed them around the Elysian Ice Cream factory, or creamery as he called it, she had a harder time paying attention than usual. Her eyes were constantly drawn to the tall, somber faced man beside her. If someone had wired her up to get a constant read of her heartbeat, they would have assumed she had a terrible condition. Being near him had that effect on her and she couldn’t control it. In fact, just thinking about him was nearly as bad—as she had discovered the evening before as she lay in her bed remembering the moment when she had almost kissed him in the hot tub last.
She realized she was again playing it over in her mind when Blake happened to turn and look at her. He caught her staring, and she turned quickly before he saw her blush. This was so stupid. Such a stupid, stupid crush. Nothing else. And who wouldn’t have this reaction to him. His rugged good looks, powerful charisma, and oddly compassionate perception were a dangerous combination.
“Are you ready to go to the sample room?” Mr. Dunn asked.
“Huh?” Jill asked automatically when his words didn’t compute.
Blake’s voice cleared the fog away. “Time to go taste ice cream.”
“Oh. Great. Lead the way, Mr. Dunn.”
A short walk later, they entered a bare but pristine room with gleaming counter tops, bar stools, and industrial freezers with windows revealing rows of ice cream cartons. A young woman wearing an apron emblazoned with Elysian’s logo smiled at them.
Mr. Dunn stepped around the counter with her and waved them all to seats. Jill sat down and swung her legs around, accidentally brushing her knees against Blake’s thigh as he sat down. “Sorry,” she whispered.
“No problem,” he murmured back.
His soft words should have relaxed her, but they did the opposite. The tone was intimate and held a hint of flirtation she hadn’t heard from him before.
Before long, Mr. Dunn and his assistant had scoops and little sample bowls and spoons before them. “Let’s start with the simplest and go from there. The first bowl we’re giving you is vanilla and the second is sweet cream.”
Jill and Blake reached for spoons at the same time and bumped hands. What was this? Junior high? She laughed nervously and dug into her ice cream. It was cold and sweet, but also much creamier and denser than any ice cream she’d had before.
“Wow,” Blake said. “I don’t usually like vanilla, but this is great.”
“Just wait,” Mr. Dunn said with a smile.
Thirty minutes later, they’d tried over twenty different flavors. Jill took a sip of her water, which she’d been using to cleanse her palette, then turned towards Blake. She knocked his knees again. This time she just laughed. “At first, I wanted bigger samples because they were so good, but I never would have survived.”
“Agreed, though I wouldn’t mind more of that hazelnut chocolate swirl.”
“Coming right up,” the woman with the apron said, turning to get the correct tub out of the freezer again. She scooped some into another bowl and slid it across the counter. Since this had been one of Jill’s favorites too, she grabbed a spoon, and pulled it towards her before he got a chance.
“Hey,” Blake said, grabbing it back.
As soon as he took a bite, Jill leaned across him, her arm and shoulders sliding across his, and scooped another bite out of his bowl. “Don’t be so stingy.”
But before she could put the spoon in her mouth, he caught her wrist in a firm but gentle grasp and turned her wrist as he leaned forward to eat the ice cream off her spoon. “Just ask for more instead of stealing mine.”
Jill reached for his bowl again but he held it away, and there was no way she could reach it without leaning against his chest. “But I don’t want a whole bowl, just a bite.”
Blake sighed and held his bowl over to her. He looked at Mr. Dunn. “Clearly, we like the ice cream.”
Mr. Dunn nodded and looked pleased. “It’s the quality ingredients. With no fillers, preservatives, or air to fluff it, there is a clear difference between our product and the regular market.”
“There’s also a clear difference in price,” Jill said.
Mr. Dunn nodded. “It is, but there is a growing market for premium food items. We are certified organic, whole foods, and no artificial ingredients. We are currently carried in many specialty food markets, but we hope that with your financial support, Mr. McDaniel, we’ll be able to reach a wider market as well.”
“I certainly hope that we can find the right market path for your incredible product. It’s a brand I can be proud of. Take my word for it, I will review Ms. Harris’s report very carefully.”
“Thank you, sir.”
While the men carried on the conversation, Jill realized that she’d gone completely moon-eyed when she found herself admiring the way Blake was treating Mr. Dunn. She knew all too well from the dozens of mergers she’d worked on that not all acquired companies were treated with such respect by the person who purchased them. She glanced down at the band on his wrist, seeing the word Truth engraved into the metal and thought that another word would have been just as fitting there—Respect.
As they said goodbye to Mr. Dunn, Blake got a call and walked ahead. The metal exterior door let in a stream of late afternoon sunshine as Blake opened the door, already listening to his call. Camden rushed forward and caught the door, holding it for her. Jill stepped through and had to hold her hand up to shield her eyes from the five o’clock glare.
“Were you able to gather all the data points we discussed?” she asked Camden. He’d spent most of the day in the office instead of touring the factory.
“Yes, ma’am. I was able to get all their data for the last fifteen years, and I added a few new macros to compile the reports the way you like them.”
“You’re amazing, Camden. Sure I can’t tempt you to stay on with me when I go to my next job?”
“What’s that?” Blake asked, coming up behind them, his voice as ominous as a storm on the horizon.
Jill wondered what had upset him. Something clearly had. “I was just joking with Camden about stealing him away from you. If you must know, I’m a bit lazy when it comes to reports and all the tech side. But I promise to let you keep him, don’t worry.”
She turned and walked to the car, which Rick already had running so that it was cool when they got in. Camden climbed into his usual spot in the front, and Blake got in beside her. They’d been riding this way for three days now, but there was a different atmosphere in the car now. After a few minutes of silence, Blake said, “I’m sorry if I sounded short. I thought you meant something else.”
“Like what?”
“I’d rather not say, but please, just forget it.”
All things considered, nothing had really happened except his tone of voice. “Gladly.”
Changing the conversation, Blake said, “Rick, can you turn on the radio? Where are we staying tonight?”
Jill grinned. “I don’t remember, but Camden has the info. Hopefully, it’s somewhere with a pool so I can see you in those atrocious swim trunks again.”
Camden looked back at them, clearly offended. “Hey, I’ll have you know my fiancée picked those out for me.”
“You’re engaged?” Blake asked, sounding disproportionately confounded.
“I proposed last week.” Camden picked up his phone and pulled up a picture of a smiling young woman with brilliant green eyes and strawberry blond hair. “I never would have found the courage without Jill. She practically forced me to do it.”
Jill smiled, remembering all the long conversations she’d had with Camden, building up his self-esteem so that he’d have the confidence to actually go through with it. “Once I thought of the beautiful red-headed babies you guys are going to have, I had to make sure it happened.”
Camden’s face turned redder than his hair, though a lot blotchier. But he couldn’t stop the grin on his face. “I wish you’d stop
talking about babies.”
Jill grinned across at Blake. “Isn’t he adorable when he blushes. He’s like a baby himself.”
Something in Blake’s expression softened before he turned to look out the window, and pieces began to click together in Jill’s mind. She had said something to Camden about taking him with her. Was it possible Blake had been jealous? Butterflies erupted in her stomach. It was one thing to be attracted to him herself and quite another for him to return her feelings. But after experiencing a few heady moments of euphoria, she crashed back down again. What difference did it make? Hadn’t Hayden said Blake had promised her never to marry a career woman?
Marriage? What was she even thinking? A handsome man showed mild signs of being interested in her and her brain had already jumped to marriage. If he intended anything at all toward her, it was probably just a brief fling before she moved on to her next job. Really, it was the perfect situation. He wouldn’t have to commit in any way since he believed her to be focused on her career and ready to move on. And she was focused on her career.
With a sinking in her gut and a tightening in her throat, she remembered how her ambitions had ruined love for her once in her life. Putting her heart out there to be broken again would be foolish. Not to mention, marriage and children would be impossible to balance with the amount of traveling she did. Unless she was prepared to give up everything she had worked so hard for. Maybe there wasn’t a choice where she got everything she wanted.
“Are you okay over there?” Blake asked softly. “You’re really quiet.”
Jill looked to the front where Camden and Rick were having their own conversation. “Yes, fine. Just have a lot on my mind.” She turned back to look out the window, though she saw nothing of the passing landscape. He was watching her, she knew, but she was too much of a coward to face him just then. No doubt her emotions would be easily read.
“What do you want for dinner tonight? We’re going to watch for a place to stop.”
“I’m okay with anything.”
“The Roadkill cafe it is.”
The Truth about Billionaires (Southern Billionaires Book 2) Page 9
