“I’ve known plenty of men like him. Remember Elliot?” She raised a brow. “The guy was great, money, nice car, nice house. By the third date he was talking marriage, the fourth, babies and by the fifth he wanted to know how far into my first pregnancy I’d be continuing to work. He had me an old married drudge before he got past second base with me.”
“Zane is not Elliot,” Elise said firmly, irritated by Liz’s whole attitude. She was supposed to be her friend. Weren’t friends supposed to be supportive? “Besides, this whole conversation is moot. I am not dating the guy. I’m setting up a sale that could possibly drop my name on Gallagher’s desk. You know I’ve been itching to talk about that partnership.”
Liz frowned. “Look, I’m not trying to tell you what to do, Elise. I’m just trying to keep you from making the same mistake I’ve made before. That was the whole point of your checklist, to move beyond casual dating and find a man to get serious with.”
Realizing she wasn’t going to be able to make Liz understand why she was questioning herself, realizing she didn’t quite understand, Elise knew it was time to end the conversation. “Well, I certainly appreciate your concern for me.” She forced a smile, though she was irritated with her friend and obviously Liz was irritated with her. This was the closest they had ever come to a fight.
“I better get back to work,” she said, putting the phone to her ear. She didn’t hang it up until Liz disappeared down the hallway.
An hour later her phone rang. “Elise Montgomery,” she answered, cradling the phone on her shoulder while shuffling listing papers on her desk.
“Ellie.”
“Zane.” Before she could help herself, she smiled, dropping the paperwork and grabbing the phone. “Thanks for the flowers, but you really didn’t have to do that. I sell property for a living. Making these kinds of deals is what I do.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you liked them.”
A moment of silence hung between them, but oddly enough, it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence.
“Hey, listen, I did want to be sure the flowers arrived,” Zane said. “But I was also calling with a request—for my real estate agent.”
That was better. Back on safe ground again. “Yes?”
“Have you talked to that lawyer yet?”
She leaned back in her chair. Usually she was a multitasker. She could talk on the phone, make entries on her PDA and scan the competition’s ads in the newspaper while she talked. But she didn’t want to do anything else; she wanted to give Zane her complete attention. “Not yet. I’m waiting for her to return my call. Why?”
“I was wondering if it would be possible for you get permission for us to go have a look at the property. You know, before I made an official offer. Ordinarily, I’d just go, but the last time I walked through there, old man Jacobs ran me off with a nineteen twenties sawed-off shotgun.” He chuckled.
Elise didn’t even react to the shotgun, she was still back on him wanting permission for us to inspect the property. Did us mean him and her or him and someone else? His sister maybe? “You and your lawyer?” she asked.
“No, me and my real estate agent. I want your professional opinion. I mean, I want the land for sentimental reasons, but I plan on using it to expand the research division of my company. I know part of the property has been declared a wetlands and I’d like to study my options.”
Go with him, as in see him again outside this office or a lawyer’s office? She didn’t know what to say. When she’d done her research on the property, it hadn’t occurred to her that she might have to see him alone again.
Her gaze drifted to the huge bouquet of flowers beside her desk, and she felt her cheeks grow warm.
It was silly for her to get herself all hot and flustered over Zane again. It made sense to keep this complete business—transactions on the phone, or across a desk. “I’m not sure I’m the person to help you on that front. Mostly I do residential.”
“Aww, come on,” he said lowering his voice, making it even sexier. “I’ll take you for a ride in my truck. Bet you’ve never ridden in a seventy-nine ‘F’ one-ten pickup.” He sounded so darned charming.
“I’ll have to see what I can do.” Her tone was all-business, but inside she could feel herself melting.
“Give me a ring as soon as you know.”
“Okay—talk to you soon.”
Elise was still smiling when she walked out of the office at 5:00 p.m. sharp, which, considering the fact that she didn’t come in until 7:00 a.m., was barely a day’s work by Montgomery standards.
She didn’t know what had gotten into her.
Zane Keaton?
The following day after work, a Friday, Elise allowed Zane to pick her up at home at six, but she didn’t invite him to come upstairs to her condo. That would have made it seem too much like a date. The plan was that they would go look at the property, and he would bring her directly home. She told him she had dinner plans, preempting any thoughts he might have had of dinner. And it was true, she did have plans, a bag of popcorn, a diet soda and Conan.
“Hi,” Zane called out the open window of his pickup as he rolled up to the curb in front of her condo building.
She felt like he was watching her, sizing her up, as she came down the sidewalk and she didn’t know if that was good or bad. Was he taking a second look?
She’d dressed and redressed three times. Ordinarily she wore a business suit and heels to show property, but that didn’t make sense. She was going to be out tromping through woods and open fields, terrain not conducive to skirts and high heels. In the end, she’d chosen a pair of jeans—the only pair she owned, a white T-shirt and the sneakers she’d bought at the dollar store.
“Nice place.” Zane glanced up at the pink stucco condo building inside the gated property.
She dropped her briefcase on the floor of the truck and slid in on the bench seat that was covered with a beach towel. She tried to situate herself on the lumpy seat before reaching for her seat belt. “Thanks.” She tugged on the belt, but it wouldn’t give an inch.
Without being asked, Zane reached across her and gave the belt a good tug, his fingertips brushing the tops of her thighs as he drew it back and fastened it beside her hip.
There was that doggone chemistry the book had warned her about again. Light-headedness. That spark of electricity that leaped between them. She tried to remind herself how fleeting sexual attraction was.
“The condo was an excellent investment. It’s already increased in value by thirty-three percent.” She held up both arms until his hand was safely on the steering wheel again, then lowered them to her lap.
“So you didn’t buy it because you liked it?”
She sensed criticism in his voice and wondered if it was real or imagined. With her father, it was never imagined, but she wasn’t really sure how to read Zane. He was so different than the other men she had known, dated, that all bets were off. This was definitely new territory she was entering.
“My father taught me that financial decisions should be based on reason, not emotions,” she explained. “You’re a successful businessman, surely you understand that?”
He shrugged his broad shoulders. He was wearing another surfing T-shirt with a wave whooshing across the front. This one, pale blue, matched his eyes perfectly. Shorts and a pair of old sneakers that looked as if he had owned them for twenty years, and a pair of fashionable silver wraparound sunglasses completed the ensemble. He didn’t look much like a millionaire. He was entirely too hot.
“I always try to make sound business decisions, but sometimes you just have to go with your feelings. Sometimes how you feel isn’t about reason, is it?”
She stared out the window wondering if he was referring to how she felt about him, or the advice in the copy of The Husband Finder still sitting on the nightstand beside her bed. But that was silly, of course. He knew nothing about the book or how she felt. She gazed out the window, slipping on her sunglasses. “That’s not been
my experience.”
Zane nodded thoughtfully as he turned out of the condo parking lot, through the iron gates, past the guard shack and onto the main road. “You have family, Ellie?”
“Just a father in Texas. He owns an oil company. My mother left when I was young.” She heard stiffness in her voice. She didn’t know why she had mentioned her mother. She didn’t usually talk about her with anyone.
“Mine, too. I guess you caught that in that conversation I had with Meagan. Mom and Dad divorced when we were young. Dad died of cancer last year. Meagan and I are still close with his family, though. My cousins at the house Saturday are all his brother’s and sister’s kids. Then, of course, I have Pops.” He glanced in the rearview mirror and then at her. “But I really miss my dad. It must be hard living so far away from yours.”
Elise had chosen to go to college in the east to get away from her father and his critical, manipulating ways. When he had refused to pay her tuition unless she pursued her academics in Texas, she’d gone to the University of Maryland and paid her own tuition by working nights and weekends.
“I’m not close to my dad,” she said quietly.
“I see. I’m sorry to hear that. I thought—”
“Let’s go over the details of this property before we get there, shall we?” She pulled a folder from the briefcase she’d brought along. “According to the last survey, there was ninety-seven and a half acres.” She flipped through some photocopies she’d had made at the courthouse. “But the previous survey done in 1973 said there was ninety-three and a half acres, so I’ll have to look into that. I also need to look into the zoning and that wetlands designation. You’re going to have to be specific about how you want to use the land so that I can be sure you’ll get county approval.”
For the next twenty minutes, Elise successfully steered the conversation away from anything even remotely personal. She and Zane discussed the particulars of the property and its assets, as well as its shortfalls. She was pleasantly surprised by his knowledge of property acquisition and his overall business sense. Zane may have inherited The Farmer in the Dell from his father and grandfather, but it was obvious that it was he who had transformed the business from a mom-and-pop chicken coop operation, to a company that according to reliable sources, would soon go public.
She was impressed, but not for the reasons a Montgomery should have been impressed. Elise admired how much of himself Zane seemed to have retained in his climb to success. He seemed so ordinary in so many ways. When she’d started her Husband Finder checklist, “ordinary” was not a word she would have used as one of the qualities necessary in a man she could love, but Zane was making her think about some of those requirements. What she had said to Liz was true. She was beginning to wonder if she really knew what would make her happy.
“Well, here we are.” Zane pulled off the main road, onto a rutted, weed-choked dirt driveway, put the truck in park and grinned. “Already feels like home.”
For the next hour and a half, Elise traipsed through the weeds, climbed over fallen logs, ducked under low-lying branches and listened to Zane rattle on excitedly about his plans to expand his company. As the time flew by, she had to continually remind herself this was just another business meeting, but she kept coming back to how much she was enjoying herself. How much she enjoyed Zane, and she got the feeling that he felt the same way.
As they headed back to the truck, the sun beginning its descent over the bay, he walked closely beside her, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He had removed his sunglasses so she could get a better read on his mood by looking into his eyes. He seemed to want to say something, but was hesitant. Finally, just before they reached the truck, he spoke.
“Hey, I know you said you had plans tonight, but…” He stopped at the passenger side door and rested his hand on the handle in front of her, preventing her from getting inside. “But are you absolutely sure you can’t go out for a quick bite?”
She glanced up into his blue eyes and she could feel herself trembling inside. “To talk about the land?” she said.
“Umm, yeah, sure. Of course.” He hesitated then shook his head. “No. Actually, Ellie, I think I’m asking you out on a bona fide date. I don’t care about the land.” He gave a wave of dismissal. “I mean I do, but I already knew I wanted to buy this land at any price—”
“Let’s not tell the seller that,” she teased, surprised by her playful reaction.
He grinned. “The truth is, I asked you if I could have a look at the land because I wanted an excuse to see you again. I haven’t been able to get you out of my head, not since the night we met.”
She bit down on her lower lip thinking about the things he and his sister had said in the kitchen at his house. Zane knew what kind of woman he wanted and it wasn’t her. Wasn’t this the mistake Liz had been warning her about earlier?
Zane laughed when she didn’t respond right away. “Look, I’m making a mess of this, but what I’m trying to say is that I really like you, Ellie. I’m sorry about what happened with Meagan and I’d like a second chance.”
That chemistry kicked in in an instant. Her palms went sweaty. She could almost feel his mouth on hers.
“And I’ll be perfectly honest. Everything that is logical, that is reasonable in my head tells me you’re not the woman for me. My good sense tells me that you’re the kind of woman who is going to choose her work over me every time, but then…” He took her hand in his and pressed it to his chest. “Then this happens.”
Elise could feel his heart pounding beneath her fingertips. She could feel the warmth of his skin, smell that intoxicating cologne of his again.
“So what do you say?” he murmured as he gently removed her sunglasses, his fingertips brushing against her temple and sending little shivers of pleasure through her whole body. Just that one touch.
Fighting the overwhelming feelings of attraction that washed over her, she looked up into his blue eyes, determined to be firm. That determination lasted until his mouth brushed hers and then it crumbled at her feet.
Elise felt her lips part of their own accord and she sighed with relief as she felt the pressure of his kiss. Somehow she ended up against the truck, her back pressed to the warm, smooth metal of the door. She slipped her free arm around his neck and groaned as his kiss deepened and the ground seemed to come up from under her.
She wanted the kiss to last forever, this moment in the twilight, surrounded by the open fields and the warm breeze off the salt marsh.
“Just dinner?” he whispered as he drew his mouth from hers, still pressing her hand to his beating heart.
She closed her eyes and then opened them, thinking she was going to have to dig her checklist out of the garbage and find a place to pen in “most romantic moment,” even if it was just in the margin.
“Just dinner,” she agreed, tipping up her chin to gaze into his eyes again. She felt as if she was stepping off a precipice and free-falling. “And maybe one more kiss?”
Chapter Six
Family, friends and associates at work may know you better than you know yourself. If they don’t approve of your new love interest, take a hard look at him. They may be right.
A month later, Elise found herself at home on a Saturday afternoon, instead of at the office. Early in the day, she’d gone to the gym, then the grocery store, then come home to clean up a little. In the past few weeks, she’d been so busy between work and seeing Zane that she felt as if she was falling behind, and her life was just a little bit out of control. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, just very different from the life she had led pre-Zane. He was so spontaneous, and she was such a planner that everything he said and did seemed to delight her.
What did not delight her was the dry cleaning piled in her closet, the dust on her living room end tables and the fact that she couldn’t remember the last time she’d mopped the kitchen floor. She had pending work at the office, too, and a contract proposal she needed to write that her boss was waiting for.
>
Instead, she was at her kitchen sink, barefoot with wet hair from her recent shower, repotting Gerber Daisies she’d bought on impulse at the grocery store.
The phone rang and she grabbed it off the counter, hoping it was Zane. They’d made plans to go out on his boat this afternoon, but hadn’t set a time.
“Hi, there,” she said smiling.
“Elise Anne?”
She hid the disappointment in her voice. “Father, how are you today?” She tamped down the black potting soil around the newly planted daisies with the spoon she’d used to stir her coffee this morning and then stood back to admire her work.
The pot was a homemade piece of pottery Zane had bought for her at an outdoor craft show. Thrown on a pottery wheel, it was blue and gray with streaks of green and didn’t go with a thing she had in the house. She loved it.
“I tried you at the office,” her father said, his disapproval plain in his voice. “I spoke with that pleasant young woman, Liz. She said you hadn’t been in the office and weren’t expected today.”
“No…no actually I had some things I had to take care of.” She picked up the potted plant and padded barefoot down the hall to her office where she had a southern exposure window. Zane had teasingly explained to her last week—after tossing her last attempt in the garbage—that plants needed water and sunlight.
“You weren’t in the office last Saturday, either.”
She set the pot in the windowsill and drew the miniblinds up to let plenty of sun in. “I’m sorry I missed your call. I left a message with your secretary. Zane and I went to Assateague Island to see the wild ponies. He couldn’t believe I’ve lived on the east coast almost ten years and I’d never seen them. You know they are thought to have originated from a Spanish shipwreck off the coast.”
“So you’re still seeing him?” There it was again. The disapproval.
She gave the pot of daisies a final adjustment and plopped into the chair at her desk. “You’d really like him, Father. He’s a businessman like you. I told you, he owns his own company. In ten years, he’s brought it from a roadside stand to the international arena.”
Barefoot and Pregnant? Page 7
