by A. L. Brooks
“Thanks, but no. I think we’re all going for beer and pizza later once we’ve wrapped up with you.”
“Okay, then I’ll see you back in the conference room when you return from the course.”
“Cool. We’ll see you there.”
Adrienne leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms above her head.
“Toby, this is all really good. Thank you.”
He grinned and closed the lid on his laptop. “Thanks, boss.”
“You know, I think I’d be happy with you camping out at the eighteenth tomorrow and just getting some shots of the top ten finishing their rounds. I don’t think we need to go in-depth again until the final round.”
Everyone around the table nodded.
“Which means,” Adrienne continued, “you all get the morning off.”
“Yay!” Jenny fist-pumped.
Wide smiles from Toby and Diane indicated they shared Jenny’s sentiment, and who could blame them? It was only a little after six, so they’d have a whole evening and morning to have some downtime.
Adrienne laughed and motioned them all out of the room. “Have a good evening.”
“We’re grabbing some beers. Want to join us?” Jenny asked, her eyes hopeful.
“No, I’m going to get out for some fresh air, then have an early night. But thank you anyway.”
Jenny shrugged. “Okay, see you tomorrow.”
When the others had left, Adrienne gathered up her stuff and sorted it neatly into her large shoulder bag. Her room was icy cold again when she returned to it, her complaint to the front desk clearly having made no difference. I’ll deal with that when I get back. First, she needed to get out of this building and see some of the world outside.
She changed clothes, pulling on a pair of dark-blue jeans, a light-green sweater, a brown leather jacket, and brown ankle boots. Not sparing her makeup a second glance—however it had looked during the day would be fine now—she stuck some money in her pocket along with her room key and left, almost skipping down the hallway in her joy to be heading out.
The hotel was a few blocks from the old colonial center of Williamsburg, but Adrienne didn’t care; a good long walk to literally stretch her legs was just what she needed. Besides, it was a mild night, so it wasn’t like she’d freeze. She chuckled softly. It was actually warmer outside than it was in her room.
She walked at a good pace, taking in the sights around her but never slowing to linger. She finally stopped at the Governor’s Palace, staring up at the impressive structure, allowing herself to focus only on the architecture and not the somewhat checkered history of its former inhabitants.
“Looks like someone else had the same idea,” a voice said from a few feet away.
Adrienne turned. Her gaze took in the speaker, Charlotte McKinnon, but lingered on who stood next to her.
Morgan.
“Hi, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced,” Charlotte said, and she stepped forward with her hand outstretched. “Charlotte McKinnon, but you can call me Charlie.”
Adrienne smiled and hoped her voice wouldn’t let her down in the middle of the bout of nerves that had just clutched at her stomach. She shook Charlie’s hand. “Adrienne Wyatt. It’s lovely to meet you.”
“Hi,” Morgan said. She shuffled from foot to foot a few paces away.
“Hi.” Adrienne inhaled slowly, but before she could say more, Charlie raised a hand to her face.
“Oh, crap. I just remembered I’m supposed to be somewhere. I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve got to go.”
She faced Morgan, who scowled.
“Where are you supposed to be?” Morgan asked Charlie, her eyes narrowed, her voice overly sweet.
“It’s private.” Charlie smirked. “I’ll catch you later. Bye.”
She waved at Adrienne and, before either Morgan or Adrienne could respond, strode off in the direction of the hotel.
Adrienne stared at Morgan, who stared back. Then they both smiled wryly.
“Sorry, she can be a little…” Morgan waved a hand in the air. “You know.”
Nodding, Adrienne said, “Well done today. That was a fantastic round you played.”
Morgan dipped her head at the compliment. “Thank you. It felt good. Everything just worked.”
“I’m really pleased for you. I know you were struggling with…things yesterday, but I always had faith you could turn it around.”
“Thanks. That…that means a lot.” Morgan looked away for a moment. When her gaze returned to Adrienne’s, there was a hopeful look on her face. “Want to take a walk with me?”
“I…”
“It could be a working walk,” Morgan said quickly, with a small grin. “Just two people who are working on the same project taking a walk to discuss that very project.”
God, she looked adorable. And irresistible.
“Okay, a working walk. I can do that.” Adrienne’s stomach tumbled.
Morgan’s smile made Adrienne’s nervousness completely worth it. It was the same kind of smile she’d worn when she’d stepped off the eighteenth green earlier that day. The smile that said Morgan was truly happy.
“So,” Morgan said, as she stepped alongside Adrienne. She pointed south toward the Palace Green. “How about we head that way?”
Chapter 13
Adrienne, Morgan had decided, looked good enough to eat. Except thinking that made her brain short-circuit and other parts of her body threaten to burst into flames. What she’d said about Morgan’s round today had reached other less physical parts of Morgan too; being on the receiving end of a compliment from Adrienne made her heart skip a beat. And while Morgan wasn’t too thrilled with Charlie’s blatant attempt to push her and Adrienne together, right here and now, with Adrienne walking along beside her and looking as good as she did, she couldn’t really complain.
“So I suppose one thing we need to think about is when to do the next sit-down interview,” Adrienne said, bringing Morgan back to the moment.
Morgan sidestepped a small group of laughing teenagers before answering. “Okay. I thought you were going to leave that until much later? Perhaps once we’re all in Europe for the British Open and the Evian?”
“Yes, that was my original plan, but now I’m concerned that will all get a bit hectic for you.” Adrienne smiled sheepishly. “I mean, I need to get my film made, but you’ve got quite a few tournaments to play back-to-back.”
“True, but I said at the start that if I was going to do this film, I’d do it properly. So if that means squeezing that interview in somewhere in Europe, then I will.”
Adrienne slowed as they reached a crossing and looked tentatively up at Morgan. The glow from the streetlights that had just begun to come to life for the night made Adrienne’s auburn hair look like molten lava. It was mesmerizing.
“There could be a solution that didn’t involve you squeezing it in,” Adrienne said quietly.
“What?”
“Let us come to your home before you fly out to Europe.”
Morgan sighed. Adrienne really was treating this walk and their whole situation since they’d spoken yesterday as purely business. Bringing up doing an interview in Morgan’s home only emphasized that. But keeping it business shouldn’t make her feel so disappointed. This was what you wanted, after all: no distractions from gorgeous TV producers.
When Morgan didn’t immediately answer, Adrienne rushed on. “Look, I know you said that your home is your private space, and I do respect that. But even a small glimpse, perhaps of you hanging out in your backyard, would really pique people’s interest in you. And, you know, sponsor interest too.”
“Can I think about it?” Morgan stared intently at Adrienne to try to convey how big a deal this was for her. She got what Adrienne said, but even so… “I promise I’m not just saying this to brush you off,
okay?”
Adrienne nodded. “Okay. Let me know after the PGA?”
“I will.”
They crossed the street and came upon the Fountain Garden.
“Oh, that’s lovely,” Adrienne said.
They leaned against the railing, standing close but not touching. Even so, Morgan was aware of Adrienne, every one of her senses on high alert.
“So what did you do today?” Morgan asked. “How does a TV producer fill her day when she’s not watching her subjects?”
Adrienne chuckled and faced her. “It’s all rather boring, actually. I was planning the timeline for my next project.” She paused and blinked a couple of times. “And, you know, I did have ESPN on in the background. To see how all my subjects were doing.”
“Oh.” Did Adrienne just blush? “How was their coverage?”
Adrienne looked away. “It was fine.”
“Well,” Morgan said drily, “that’s a ringing endorsement.”
Adrienne snorted and turned back. “It was just that…” She stopped and stared up at Morgan.
Morgan was drawn inexorably to those stunning brown eyes. Suddenly, they seemed really close to each other, closer than they had been when they’d first stopped to admire the garden.
How did we end up right back here again?
“Morgan.” Adrienne’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“Yes?” Morgan swayed forward.
“I… This is wrong,” Adrienne whispered, but she didn’t move back or step away.
“So you keep saying,” Morgan said with a hint of frustration. She knew she could step back, could stick to her own pledge to not get distracted by this woman, but knew in the next moment that was simply impossible.
Adrienne leaned in.
Morgan’s gaze flicked to Adrienne’s lips. “You drive me crazy,” Morgan said softly. Her heart hammered.
“I don’t mean to.” Adrienne blinked. “I just can’t…seem…to…”
Whatever she was going to say next was lost as she kissed Morgan. It was feather soft, but it sent a bolt of heat flashing through Morgan’s limbs.
Morgan groaned, low in her throat.
Adrienne stepped back.
“Don’t tease. Please,” Morgan begged.
“It’s not my intention to.” Adrienne stroked Morgan’s cheek, her fingers cool against Morgan’s skin. “I don’t know what to do about…this. About us. I tell myself it can’t happen, but as soon as I’m alone with you, I…” She shook her head. “I’m too old for you,” she murmured.
“I don’t even know how old you are,” Morgan said, and Adrienne’s soft snort of laughter made her smile. “So how about you tell me, and then I can decide if that’s ‘too old.’ Although I have to warn you, my parents have a pretty big age gap in their relationship, and they seem to have done okay.”
Adrienne sighed. “I’m forty-nine. I’m eighteen years older than you. That’s a big gap.”
“Well, I would have taken at least five or six years off your age, so really it’s only thirteen, and that’s less than the gap between my parents, so…”
Adrienne shook her head, but she laughed. “We’re from a different generation. You’re still yet to peak in your career, and, hopefully, you’ve many years ahead of you at the top of this game. You’ve got parties to go to and sponsor events, and I’m really more of a stay-at-home woman, with—”
“Adrienne,” Morgan said, and she cupped Adrienne’s face in her hands. God, her skin was so soft. “Do you know what my favorite Saturday night involves?”
Sighing, Adrienne shook her head.
“It is not going to some hotshot’s party or the latest club or whatever it is you think all women my age do.” Morgan grinned. “It’s sitting under a nice, warm throw on my couch with one of my favorite movies on TV and a pint of ice cream or maybe a beer or two.” She rubbed small circles with her thumbs on Adrienne’s cheeks. “Yesterday I convinced myself to let you walk away from the possibility of this, but now I don’t think I will.”
Adrienne quirked up an eyebrow. “Don’t I get a say in that?”
Morgan smiled. “Of course. But that means we have to talk about it together. Yesterday you made all the decisions, and I let you. But not anymore.”
“Hm, bossy much?” Adrienne’s eyebrow rose even higher, but a smile danced around her lips.
“I like to think of it as assertive,” Morgan said. She laughed when Adrienne rolled her eyes.
The loss cut deep when Adrienne gently stepped back, but she let her go.
“Can I think about it?” Adrienne repeated Morgan’s question from a few minutes ago. “And just like you said, I’m not doing that just to get rid of you.”
“Okay, I guess that’s fair.” Morgan stepped closer and dared to dip her head and brush another soft kiss over Adrienne’s warm lips. The small moan she received in response made her stomach clutch in the most delicious way. “Please think quickly, though.”
Adrienne shook her head as if coming out of a daze. “There is another element at play here.” She pointed at each of them. “We work together. It is not a good move on my part especially to be seen…fraternizing with the subject of my film.”
“Oh.” Shit, she hadn’t realized that. “How bad would it be for you?”
“Worst-case scenario? I could get fired.”
“Ouch.”
“So,” Adrienne said, her tone rueful, “even if I did think we should see what this could be, we couldn’t do anything about it until after the filming wraps.” She shrugged. “I’m sorry, but I’m not risking my career for anyone. If that sounds harsh, well, that’s too bad.”
“No, it’s okay. I’d much rather you were that honest with me.” God knows I could do with some of that in my next relationship.
“Well, okay then.” Adrienne stepped back again and pulled her jacket close around her body. “Maybe I should get back.”
Morgan looked at her watch and swore softly. She was already late for dinner. “Me too. I’m having an early dinner with my folks. I can walk you back as far as the restaurant where I’m meeting them.” She saw Adrienne’s hesitation and smiled. “No ulterior motive. Just as working colleagues,” she added with a grin.
“Just as colleagues,” Adrienne agreed slowly, but she also grinned.
They walked briskly. Morgan worked hard not to look at Adrienne every minute or so. She also tried not to hope too hard, but Adrienne had opened a small window into the idea that they could take a chance on what was obviously between them, and it made Morgan’s steps lighter and her mood lift considerably. Being with Adrienne was easy. Well, not easy in that they both, so far, had kept trying to fight this. But when they were together, the conversation flowed, and there seemed to be no pretense or dissembling of truth between them. With Naomi, every conversation had felt like a battleground, and it had worn Morgan out.
A couple minutes later, Morgan spotted the restaurant across the street and slowed her steps.
“This is my stop.” She thumbed in the direction of the cozy-looking French brasserie.
Adrienne glanced across at it and nodded. “Looks lovely.” She looked up at Morgan and smiled warmly. “Thanks for walking me.”
“My pleasure. Will you be on the course tomorrow?”
Adrienne shook her head. “No, and the team will only be on the eighteenth. So you’ll have a whole day of being left alone.” She grinned. “I’m sure that’s a pleasing thing to hear.”
Morgan chuckled, then shrugged. “Harry will be thrilled.”
Adrienne laughed.
“Actually, I think I’ll kind of miss it,” Morgan said. “Well, I’ll miss seeing you.”
If she’d thought about it in advance, she probably wouldn’t have said anything quite so…sappy, but the effect the words had on Adrienne totally made it worthwhile. She s
oftened, and—Morgan was pretty sure, even though the lowering dusk made it difficult to really know—she blushed, and a smile crept across her face.
Adrienne cleared her throat. “You’re more of a charmer than you realize, I think.”
“Well.” Morgan shuffled from foot to foot, nervous excitement making her toes tap the sidewalk. “Charlie did say I should woo you.”
Adrienne laughed. “Oh, she did, did she? So she knows about…?” She pointed between them.
“Oh, is it okay that I spoke about you to her? I totally trust her and—”
“It’s fine.” Adrienne smiled. “I spoke to a good friend of mine about you, so fair’s fair.”
“Uh-huh. And what did your friend say?”
Adrienne sighed. “Actually, she tried to warn me off.”
“Oh?” Morgan’s stomach plummeted to her feet.
“She’s concerned about my career, amongst other things.”
Morgan could tell Adrienne didn’t want to elaborate on what those other things were, so she bit back her curiosity—and fear—and shrugged, trying to act as nonchalant as possible even though her insides churned.
“Well, I guess it’s good to have a friend looking out for you.”
“It is.” Adrienne nodded. “But please don’t take it personally. It’s not really about you.”
“It’s okay. I understand.” Well, maybe. “And, again, thank you for your honesty.”
They stood in silence for a couple moments and simply gazed at each other.
“Okay, I’m going,” Adrienne said eventually. “It was… This was nice. I’m glad we talked.”
“Me too.”
They stared at each other for a little longer before Adrienne smiled again, then continued walking up the street back toward the hotel.
Morgan watched her go. She chuckled as she realized how wide a grin she wore, then inhaled a deep breath before heading across the street to the brasserie.
The warmth of the place hit her the minute she opened the door. She quickly shucked out of her jacket and handed it to the coat check. The hostess approached and smiled when Morgan told her who she was meeting.
