Bidding On The Billionaire (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 8)

by Christina Tetreault

  “It was okay. We had dinner at Mon Soleil then went to the theater. Afterward we stopped for dessert. He stayed for a few minutes after we talked to you in the lobby and then he left.”

  He smirked and pointed at the flowers. “He must have thought it was better than okay.”

  Perhaps he had, but it didn’t change anything for her. “What about you? How was your weekend?” Right now she didn’t want to speculate on what Trevor thought.

  “Relaxing. Took the Affinity out and spent a few hours on the water Saturday. Yesterday, I bummed around the house. Did you and Cheyenne stay out of trouble?”

  “I didn’t—” She stopped herself just in time. She’d forgotten all about telling Derek she had plans with her cousin. Originally she’d made up the excuse because Trevor had asked to see her again over the weekend. When Derek mentioned helping him shop in front of Trevor, she’d had no other choice but to tell him the lie as well. She didn’t want to add any other lies into the mix now.

  “She didn’t come by, did she?” Derek asked.

  Judging by his tone, he already knew the answer to his question. “No. Trevor wanted to get together again on Saturday. I didn’t want to say no, but I wasn’t ready for another day out with him either. He’s… I’m not sure what the right word is. Eager? I don’t know. Trying to push things along too fast?” She’d tried explaining she wanted to take things slowly after he mentioned her meeting his daughter. The large vase of flowers on her desk suggested he hadn’t gotten the message.

  “Rather than making up excuses, you could always tell him you’re not interested. You held up your end and gave him a chance like your father wanted. It didn’t work out. Let it go.”

  She eyed the card in her hand again. Maybe she was being a little unfair by calling him pushy. It wasn’t like he’d called or sent her text messages over the weekend. He’d merely sent her some flowers. The more she thought about it, it was a rather considerate gesture. “I didn’t say I wasn’t interested, Derek. Only that I want to take things a little slower than he seems to. And one date isn’t really giving him a chance.”

  “I take it you have another one planned?”

  She didn’t get why it mattered so much to him. In fact, he sounded angry about the idea of her going out with Trevor again, which made no sense. She understood Derek sharing his opinion on the matter. She’d done the same a time or two when he’d dated certain women. She’d never gotten mad though when he didn’t take her advice, and she never continually tried to change his mind—as if anyone could change Derek Sherbrooke’s mind anyway. The man gave the word stubborn a whole new meaning.

  “We might do something this weekend. It’s still up in the air. This is his daughter’s week to stay with him, and he didn’t know what their plans were yet. But I’m sure we’ll get together soon if this weekend doesn’t work out.”

  Derek scowled and grabbed a chocolate from the candy dish on her desk.

  With him already in a bad mood, now seemed as good a time as any to share her misgivings about the upcoming auction. “I was going to call tonight and talk to you about this.” She hated the idea of going back on her word, but the more she thought about it the more his plan seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. “I’m not sure about bidding on you at the fundraiser next week. Everyone in your family knows we’re friends, including your Aunt Marilyn. Don’t you think it’ll look odd when I win four dates with you?”

  The frown lines near his mouth deepened. “I have considered what they may think—”

  She intended to finish her entire speech before she let him say anything. “And who knows, if we don’t go through with this silly plan of yours, you might meet someone you really like. A lot of women will be there. I heard the event has almost sold out. And there’s no guarantee Tasha will make the highest bid anyway. She might even bid on someone else instead. You’re not going to be the only man there. I read there’ll be twelve of you up for auction.”

  “Brooklyn—”

  “You know how fickle she can be. She had a thing for your cousin once as well as Trent. Maybe she’ll see someone on stage and forget all about you.” Perhaps she was stretching the truth a little, because she doubted anyone who’d ever seen Derek could forget him. “I think we should forget about your little scheme and let things play out,” she concluded her argument and waited for his objection.

  “Can I speak now?”

  She nodded.

  “First, I considered that my family knows we’re friends. But it doesn’t really matter. Once the auction is underway, Aunt Marilyn won’t stop it. She might say something to me later, but I’m not worried about it.”

  “What if the media finds out about our friendship and accuses the foundation of rigging the fundraiser?” She’d forgotten to add that to her earlier list of objections.

  “Even if the media prints something about us knowing each other from college, since we’ll go on the romantic dates you win, there’ll be nothing to make anyone suspect the event was rigged or predetermined.”

  She wished he wouldn’t use the word romantic in connection to them. She’d accepted a long time ago they’d never be anything more than friends. She didn’t need him bringing any deeply buried dormant feelings back to the surface.

  “And what about Trevor? How am I supposed to explain this little arrangement to him? It’ll be all over the Internet and in the local papers, so I can’t hide it.” If she was going to be fair to him and give him an honest chance, he deserved more than the one date last weekend, which meant any further outings would not occur until after the fundraiser next weekend.

  Derek’s nonchalant shrug didn’t fit with the muscle twitching in his jaw. “Tell him the truth if you have to. Just please don’t back out on me now.” He moved to the edge of his seat and rested his forearms on the desk. “I’d do it for you. You know I would.”

  Why did he have to play that card? Not once when she’d needed help had he ever said no. He’d even offered his assistance when she’d been too stubborn to request it.

  “We’ll have fun together like we always do, and if Helping Hands does another event like this one again, I’ll make sure I’m out of town when it’s held. You’ll never need to do this again. Promise.”

  Even before she’d opened her mouth this afternoon, she’d suspected she wouldn’t get out of helping him next weekend. Helping her friends was what she did, period. Still, she’d known she had to say something because, despite his reassurances, she expected the plan to blow up in both their faces. “Okay, but when this whole thing turns into a disaster, I’m going to say I told you so.”

  Derek’s frown faded, but he didn’t smile. “Fair enough. But don’t worry. Everything will be fine.” He grabbed another chocolate from the dish and stood. “I need to finish a few things before I go. See you tomorrow?”

  “I’ll be here.”

  “Maybe we can grab lunch.”

  She nodded and watched him leave. When the door closed, she glanced back at the arrangement. When she called Trevor tonight to thank him for the flowers, she’d tell him about the fundraiser and the ridiculous role she’d agreed to play. Then again, perhaps he deserved to learn about it face-to-face. Some things really shouldn’t be shared over the phone. This struck her as one of those things. If she planned on telling him to his face, she’d need to see him sooner rather than later, because the fundraiser was less than two weeks away. If this weekend didn’t work out for him, she didn’t know when she’d get a chance to explain things. Perhaps a lunch date during the week would work. Although not ideal since they’d be in a public place, it’d be better than dropping the news over the phone.

  What a crappy situation. And having to tell Trevor wasn’t even the worst of it. When her father learned she’d bid on Derek, he’d give her an earful and a half. He’d never liked Derek anyway, and if he believed it might interfere in his grand plan to finally take over Atlantic Coast Marketing, he may disown her.

  Brooklyn rolled her eyes. Okay
, maybe disown was a bit much, but he’d be furious.

  Grabbing a chocolate from the candy dish, Brooklyn switched off her computer without even logging in. Whatever e-mails waited in her inbox would be there tomorrow morning too. With her computer off, she reached for the vase. The flowers brightened up the office, but it seemed a waste to leave something so beautiful here. Maybe if she thought of it, she’d grab a smaller arrangement or a flowering plant this week and bring it in. The last plant she’d had in her office had gotten too big and she’d taken it home. She’d never gotten around to replacing it with something else. With the flowers in her office now though, she realized how even the littlest color improved her otherwise plain office.

  Brooklyn gathered everything from her backseat and slammed the car door closed.

  “I thought your car was in front of me.” Addie’s voice had her turning around.

  “Do you need any help?” Brooklyn asked. Addie had an infant car seat on one arm, a diaper bag over her shoulder, and she carried a plastic food container.

  She shook her head and stopped alongside her. “Nah, I’m getting the hang of carrying a million things at once. But it’d be great if you’d get the door.”

  Unable to stop herself, Brooklyn peeked into the carrier, surprised to see Kendrick awake and sucking happily on his fingers. “He’s awake.”

  “He slept on the ride home from my mom’s. As soon as I took the seat from the car, he woke up. He’s starting to stay awake for longer periods of time. Of course, he still doesn’t sleep for more than a few hours at a time at night, but it’ll come I guess.”

  Derek’s sister-in-law did look tired. “Don’t forget I’m downstairs if you need help. I never babysat, but my younger cousins used to visit every summer. I used to help my aunt with them.” She pulled open the stairwell door and let Addie walk in first.

  “I appreciate the offer.” Addie started up the steps and Brooklyn followed. “Those flowers are gorgeous. Special gift for someone, or are they yours?”

  “Trevor sent them to me today. They looked too nice to leave in my office.”

  “Your date went well then?”

  They’d reached the top of the stairs, so she reached around Addie to push the door into the lobby open. “Uh, yeah, I guess. Did Trent tell you I saw him as we were leaving?” They’d only exchanged a hello as they passed each other Friday night.

  “He did. And Derek mentioned it too. I got the impression he doesn’t like your new boyfriend.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.” The words tumbled from her mouth. “We’ve only gone out once so far.”

  Addie gestured toward the flowers with the plastic food container. “Looks like things are off to a good start.”

  “Maybe.”

  “I’ll see you later. It’s almost time for Kendrick to eat again, and when he’s hungry, he lets the whole world know it.”

  A slight twinge pierced her chest as she watched Derek’s sister-in-law cross to the private elevator. Someday she’d like to have a husband and a baby to spend her time with too. By all accounts, Trevor was in the market for a wife and another child. Letting their relationship develop and grow like her father wanted could definitely lead to a family of her own. Perhaps he deserved more effort on her end. Maybe she should meet his daughter and spend time with both of them. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she had reservations. She didn’t even know how much she truly liked him yet. How would she figure out her feelings if they had a ten-year-old joining them on outings?

  She pressed the button for the elevator. After the little conversation she needed to have with Trevor, it might not matter anyway. A secret part of her hoped he decided they shouldn’t go out again when he learned about the upcoming fundraiser and her starring role. If he decided they weren’t right for each other, any blame when a relationship didn’t materialize would be his fault not hers, thus getting her off the hook with her dad.

  Guilt or something similar crept into her head. Oddly, the emotion wasn’t as strong as she suspected it should be. Maybe Derek was right. Perhaps Trevor was all wrong for her and somehow on a deeper level she already knew it.

  Inside her apartment, she didn’t even bother changing before she pulled Trevor’s contact information up. The sooner she called, the sooner she could meet him and get everything out in the open.

  ***

  Relax. Crisis averted. She’s sticking with the plan, Derek reminded himself as he swam toward the shoreline. He’d headed out for a swim right after he got home with the hope it would improve his mood. He’d been in the water for a half hour now, and so far, the only thing his swim had accomplished was to make him wet.

  Dropping down onto the sand, he watched the waves crash against the shore before rolling back out. The sight usually relaxed him; tonight it had little effect. He’d been grouchy since the weekend, but his mood had taken a steep nosedive this afternoon when he’d walked into Brooklyn’s office. He couldn’t blame it on their conversation either, and he wished he could. Actually, he’d expected a similar one before now.

  No, the nosedive that led to his current grouchiness had started the moment he saw the flowers. He’d known without asking who sent them. The flowers only brought up the memory of Trevor standing close to Brooklyn on Friday with his hand on her lower back. A memory that shouldn’t bother him but did, and the more he tried to block it out, the more it reared its head.

  Damn it. He raked a hand through his wet hair, causing water to rain down on him. Who she spent time with should not matter this much to him. They were friends but also single adults who could make their own decisions. Besides, she never stood in his way when he dated. Even when he took out women she thought very little of. She deserved the same consideration from him. In the past, he’d always given it to her, hadn’t he? Like when she’d dated Kevin. Derek paused. No, Brooklyn hadn’t dated Kevin, his cousin Courtney had dated the creep. Okay, but he’d kept his mouth shut when she went out with Matt. Wait, Allison went out with Matt, not Brooklyn.

  Derek racked his head for her past boyfriends. He didn’t count any of the men her sisters had attempted to set her up with. She’d never liked any of them. In fact, after the last one, Seth’s cousin, she sworn she’d never go on another date with someone her sisters recommended.

  “Christ, why can’t I remember anyone?” They’d been close friends for ten years. He would’ve noticed if she never dated in all that time.

  Regardless of her personal life in the past, he knew she didn’t go out often and he couldn’t remember the last relationship she’d been in. Maybe he should let his sister-in-law play matchmaker. From the little she’d described of her cousin, he sounded like a better fit for Brooklyn than Trevor. Of course, almost anyone would be a better choice.

  Derek shoved his feet into his flip-flops and stood. He saw no point in sitting around out here. Despite the wonderful view and pleasant weather, his mood still sucked. In fact, the longer he sat there and considered Brooklyn’s love life, the worse it got. Rather than sit there and contemplate someone else’s life, he should get inside and take care of his own. His cousin Sara’s wedding was mere days away and family members from around the country had started arriving. Some he hadn’t seen in close to a year. Instead of hanging around his place, he should see if any of them wanted to spend some time together. Who knew when some of them would get back this way again?

  Yep, he’d see who was around. It was better than sitting around and thinking about Brooklyn with Trevor.

  Chapter 4

  Friday afternoon, Brooklyn sipped her iced tea and watched the door. Any minute Trevor should walk in. She’d arrived at the café fifteen minutes early in the hopes of grabbing a back corner table. She’d succeeded, so at least they’d have a little privacy while they talked. Of course she’d also picked Café Au Latte because it was not only close to her office but always packed at lunchtime, which meant there would be little chance of anyone overhearing them.

  She’d hoped to see him before no
w and unload her conscience, which had been nudging her for days. However, today had been the only afternoon that worked in both their schedules for lunch. Despite not seeing him all week, they had chatted on the phone a few times. The first conversation had been on Monday when she called to thank him for the flowers. It had been during that conversation they’d arranged this afternoon’s lunch date. He’d called her again on Wednesday night. They hadn’t spoken long. They’d discussed their weeks so far, and then Trevor informed her Katelyn really wanted him to take her and a friend to some amusement park up in New Hampshire, so he wouldn’t be around this weekend. She hadn’t been upset by his announcement.

  Across the café, she spotted Trevor entering and waved. When he saw her, he smiled and headed for the table.

  “Good thing you got here before me. There’s not an empty seat in here. Even the tables outside are full.” He placed a brief kiss on her cheek before sitting down across from her.

  Despite the unease swimming in her stomach, she smiled. “I had a feeling it’d be busy here. It usually is at lunchtime, but the crowd is worth it. The sandwiches and pastries here are fabulous.”

  “Have you been waiting long?” He picked up the menu the waitress had left when Brooklyn first sat down and opened it.

  “Not really.” She’d looked over the menu while she waited and picked out her own lunch. Not ready to jump right in to the true reason for meeting him today, she cleared her throat and then said, “So Katelyn and her friend must be excited about your trip this weekend. When do the three of you leave?”

  Trevor folded his menu and placed it back on the table, his full attention settling on her. “She’s talked about nothing else all week. She loves it up there, and I try to get her there at least twice a summer. We leave right after the girls get home from school. Today’s their last day, so it’s a nice way for them to kick off their summer break.”