glanced away and cleared his throat. “Nice place you have here.”
“Thanks. I like it.”
“Excellent location given your job.” He made a circular motion with one hand. “Close to shops and all.”
“Yes.” She smiled. “But work wasn’t the only reason I chose it. I like being in the thick of things.”
She would. Though he didn’t know her very well, he’d already figured out that Eve was the sort of woman who grabbed life with both hands and held on tight, even when the ride got wild.
“Well, we should be going.” As he followed her out the door, Dawson wondered why he felt both eager to leave and disappointed that they couldn’t stay.
He knew the answer to at least half that question when they arrived at the Wilmington Hotel twenty minutes later. The large ballroom could accommodate seven hundred guests. Only a fraction of that number had arrived, as it was early yet. But his mother gave him a pointed look when she spied him. Dawson sent her a wink and purposely steered Eve in the opposite direction. He needed a little fortification before he faced his family and began fielding their questions. He also needed to clue Eve in on a few pertinent facts.
“How about a glass of wine?” he suggested.
“I suppose that even though this is technically a work function for me a nice glass of Chardonnay wouldn’t be out of line,” she replied.
“Not at all.”
As he ordered their drinks from a bar that had been set up in one corner, Eve said, “I guess you weren’t kidding when you said your mother doesn’t believe in doing things halfway. I wasn’t expecting the party to be quite this large. This room must be set up for at least a few hundred people to dine.”
“Seven hundred, actually.”
She blinked in surprise. “Is everyone in Denver on the guest list?”
“Sometimes it feels that way,” he said. He swept an arm out to the side. “But what you see here are the people with the deepest pockets. My mother’s specialty is getting them to reach in, grab a wad of bills and make a donation.”
“She sounds like a formidable woman,” Eve said.
He merely smiled. She could be, he thought, recalling the previous day’s conversation. At times, Tallulah could be downright relentless. The bartender handed them their wine.
“So, is your family here?” Eve inquired, taking a sip. “I’m eager to meet them.”
“Some of them are, I believe.” He cleared his throat. “Before I introduce you, though, I need to ask a favor of you. I would prefer that they didn’t know what it is you do for a living.”
“Ashamed of me?” She tilted her head to one side, sounding more amused than insulted, although he thought he saw something akin to vulnerability flicker briefly in her dark eyes.
“Of course not. It’s just that I don’t want them to feel…” He groped for the right word.
“Like you brought in a designated hitter because you couldn’t be bothered to shop for their gifts yourself?” She smiled sweetly before taking another sip of her wine.
Because his conscience had delivered a swift kick to his nether region, he replied, “You know, you can be annoyingly blunt at times.”
Her shoulders lifted in a delicate shrug. “I know. It’s a gift.”
“It’s something,” he muttered. “Maybe you should sign up for a Dale Carnegie course.”
“I already took one. Passed with flying colors, as a matter of fact. A star pupil.” She smiled at him over the rim of her glass. “So, who exactly do they think I am?”
Dawson felt as if he had been dumped back into junior high school when he admitted, “They think you’re my date.”
“Ah. Your date.” She was enjoying his embarrassment. Of that much he was sure. “And how long have we been an item?”
“We’re not an item,” he groaned.
“First date. Got it.” She grinned. “Well, I promise I’ll try not to be obvious while I’m plying them with questions to get an idea of their likes and dislikes.”
Eve wouldn’t be the only one with questions, Dawson thought. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his mother. She was homing in on them with the precision of a heat-seeking missile, not even stopping to chat with the people who greeted her along the way. There would be no avoiding her this time.
He put his arm around Eve, leaned close and whispered, “My mother is headed this way.”
“Uh-oh. Should I bat my eyelashes at you or something?” she asked.
“This was a bad idea,” he mumbled, not quite sure if he felt that way because of her glib reply or because he’d caught a whiff of her perfume. It was sexy, sinful. He ignored the tug of lust it inspired and pasted a smile on his face as his mother reached them.
“Dawson, darling,” Tallulah called. “I thought I saw you come in a moment ago.”
He kissed her cheek. “Hello, Mom. You look as radiant as ever. Is that a new dress?”
“It is, though I doubt you could give a fig,” she replied on a chuckle, letting him know that his attempt at flattery had not sidetracked her in the least. Indeed, speculation lit her eyes even as her lips curved into a smile. “And who might this lovely young woman be?”
Eve knew she was being inspected from head to toe even if Tallulah Burke was smiling and greeting her in as gracious a fashion as she did it.
Dawson performed the introductions, all the while looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable. All of his usual cockiness was gone. Eve liked him all the more for it.
“Mom, this is Eve Hawley. Eve, my mother, Tallulah Burke.”
“Eve, it’s very nice to meet you.” Tallulah shook Eve’s hand, covering it with both of hers, which were fine-boned and heavily bejeweled. She didn’t let go immediately afterward. No. She held on as she added, “I have to say, I was a little surprised when my son mentioned yesterday that he would be bringing a guest to the party this evening. I wasn’t aware he was dating anyone. I guess the mother is the last to know.”
Even as she said it, Eve got the feeling that very little got past Dawson’s mother. This was no flighty society maven. Her blue eyes were keen with intelligence and, at the moment, a great deal of curiosity.
“Eve and I haven’t known one another very long,” Dawson hedged.
“Oh?”
“First date,” Eve supplied. She didn’t quite bat her eyelashes, but came close. Dawson scowled.
“Really? How exactly did you meet?” Tallulah asked, her gaze never wavering from Eve.
“A mutual friend got us together.” Since it wasn’t exactly a lie, Eve had no
