nodded, and wordlessly took in how attractive he looked. She would never tire of it, she thought. Admiring him in a suit was definitely on the list of things that she most enjoyed doing.
‘Black, one sugar, right?’
She shook herself, and blushed when she saw the amused look on his face. ‘Yes, please.’
She walked to one of the conference room chairs and sat heavily, needing a moment to process everything. She was all over the place, she thought, and forced herself to be present. To be in the moment. She had so many important things to do. Her job depended on the tours she still had to do this week, and so did her brother’s. And while she was struggling with processing her brother’s announcement, she still wanted to support him. One of the biggest ways she could do that was to fight for the hotel he loved...and the job that he needed if he was going to be a father.
Then there was Blake, and all her feelings for him that were knotted in a ball at the base of her stomach. She took a deep breath in, and exhaled slowly.
‘Hey, is everything okay?’
Blake handed her the coffee and sat on the chair next to hers.
‘Thanks,’ she said, and then answered him. ‘Everything is fine. Just the usual concerns.’ She smiled, but she could feel that it was off.
‘About the event?’
She nodded, because she didn’t know what else to do.
‘Look, I know this isn’t your thing. I remember the night we met Connor mentioned it was out of your comfort zone,’ he elaborated when she looked up in surprise. ‘Which makes me respect your suggestion for doing it all the more. But you don’t have to worry. After the meeting today we’ll know exactly where we stand with the planning, and we can take it from there.’
She stared blankly at the cup of coffee in her hands, and blew at the steam in an attempt to cool it down. She had heard him, but her thoughts had almost immediately drifted away to Connor’s situation. What would it mean for their relationship? She knew his child would come first, of course, but would that mean that she would lose him, too?
‘Callie?’
‘Mmm?’ She looked up at Blake and realised he was waiting for a response when she saw the questioning look on his face.
‘Yes, I know it’s going to be fine.’ She laid a hand on his cheek, finding the warmth there comforting, and then stood. ‘I need to prepare. Thanks for the coffee.’
‘Are you sure you’re okay?’
‘I’m fine.’ She brushed a kiss on his lips. ‘I’ll see you at the meeting.’
She walked out the door, her mind already wandering back to Connor.
* * *
Blake leaned against his car and resisted the urge to pace.
Callie had been so unlike herself today that he had wanted to corner her as soon as he could to demand that she give him something other than her generic ‘I’m fine.’ He hated to think that it was about him, but after what he had shared with her the previous evening, the thought kept strolling through his head, making him restless.
He knew he hadn’t stayed very long after he’d told her about Julia, but he’d thought it was best for them to spend some time apart to process what had just happened. Because something had shifted between them, and he’d wanted to give her space—and, yes, give himself space too—to come to terms with it.
He hadn’t worried that he’d done the wrong thing until he’d seen her in the conference room. She’d been pale, and her usual vibrant demeanour had seemed almost brittle. She had looked...fragile.
Again he despised the thought that it might have been because of him. But the more he’d seen of her that day, the more he’d thought that it might be. She had still been professional—she had handled the meeting with a grace and leadership that had had him thinking about her future at Elegance—but underneath it he’d been able to see that something was wrong.
So he had gone rogue and told Connor that Callie would be working late that night, that he shouldn’t worry about getting her home because Blake would drop her. Connor had dubiously accepted, but had thankfully been distracted enough not to verify it with Callie. He knew the man had been under a lot of strain lately, and there were rings under his eyes that looked like thunderclouds. But it would be over soon enough, and none of his employees would have to worry about their future any more.
He looked at his watch and wondered if Callie had got his message that he would be taking her home. He was just about to call when he heard the click of heels coming towards him. He looked up and was blown away by her beauty all over again. He had been right that first night they’d met, he thought, about her walking as though on a red carpet. She was so graceful, so elegant, that it made him square his shoulders and take his hands out his pockets.
She looked up at him and smiled—an utterly exhausted smile, but a smile nevertheless—and tightened her grip on the handbag under her arm.
‘Are you making up for lost time with these lifts?’ she asked easily, and something in Blake’s heart released.
‘Maybe. Or maybe I just like seeing if I can trick your brother into forgetting how protective he is of you.’
Her smile dimmed, and then she said, ‘We should probably get going.’
Blake frowned, wondering what he had said wrong, but he opened the car door and waited as she got in. Then he decided to drive to his house instead.
She didn’t say a word to him—not even when he drove in completely the opposite direction to her house. She only looked up when the gates to his house opened.
‘Where are we?’
‘My place. I figured I could make you some dinner.’
She looked at him in surprise. ‘You cook?’
‘Yes, I do. And I’ll try not to be offended by the incredulity in your eyes.’ He smiled at her. ‘Do you have anything against steak?’
CALLIE TRIED TO KEEP a neutral expression on her face as she looked up at the place where Blake lived.
The house was a combination of brick and glass, with brown frames outlining the doors and windows. A deck on the upper level of the house overlooked a vast estate, including a small pond that Callie could see from where she was standing outside his car. She walked forward, caught a glimpse of the city lights, and imagined that standing on his deck would be quite an experience.
When Blake had unlocked the large oak door he stepped aside for her to walk past and her neutral expression gave way to a jaw-drop.
Brick walls, wooden furniture and sparks of green were scattered across the living room in a design that screamed warmth. A fireplace was the focal point of the room—and rightly so, she thought as she took in its impressive design, and then walked through the room to a passage that opened onto the kitchen and dining
