And it sure hadn’t been easy. The high-end clients she was landing in her old job preferred the prestige and reputation of a larger firm. In the two years since she’d started Premier Image and Planning, Hannah’s Hope was by far her largest, most prestigious account to date. The gala would draw in the organization’s wealthiest contributors, including politicians and Hollywood celebrities. If she pulled it off without a hitch, and word got around, it could be the big break she’d been hoping for. So in essence, this single event could shape the entire future of her company.
“Sounds like you’ve done well for yourself,” Brandon said.
“I’ve worked hard.”
“How long have you worked with Hannah’s Hope?”
“Since February.”
“You’re friends with Ana Rodriguez and Emma Worth?”
“No, I met Ana through a business contact. I coordinated a wedding for a friend of hers. She was impressed, and when she was looking for someone to plan the gala she remembered me. Emma I don’t know well at all.”
“How much do you know about Hannah’s Hope?”
“Other than what they do for the community, and the information I need for the gala, not much. Why do you ask?”
“Just curious,” he said, and gestured to Billie, who was taking an order a few booths down. Several more booths and tables had filled with customers since they sat down. “So, what do you do for fun?”
Hadn’t they already covered this? “I don’t really have time for fun.”
“What do you do on your days off?”
“I don’t take days off.”
His brow rose. “Are you telling me you work seven days a week?”
“Typically, yes.” She lifted her glass and realized she’d already sipped her way to the bottom. She hadn’t meant to drink it so fast.
“Everyone needs a day off now and then,” he said.
“It’s not as if I don’t ever take a day off. It’s just that my business is at a crucial stage right now. The Hannah’s Hope gala could make or break my career.”
That seemed to surprise him. “It’s that important?”
“Absolutely. With Ana’s fiancé, Ward Miller, involved, and his name behind the organization, there will be music executives and Hollywood people attending. That’s exactly the clientele I need to target in order to expand my company.”
“I didn’t realize it would be that big of a deal,” he said, looking like the idea made him a little nervous.
“Don’t worry. You’ll do fine. I’ll have you so well prepared, no one will ever guess you’ve never been in the public eye.”
Billie appeared and set two more drinks in front of them.
“Thanks, Billie,” Brandon said.
When had he ordered these? “You said one drink,” she reminded him, glancing at the time on her phone. She’d already been away from the office longer than she should have.
“You’re not enjoying my company?” he asked.
No, she was definitely enjoying it. For some reason, she felt comfortable talking to Brandon. Maybe because he really listened. She even liked the nervous, fidgety feeling she got when he studied her with those ocean-blue eyes. Even though it was wrong in more ways than she cared to consider. But a girl could fantasize, couldn’t she? She could imagine how it would feel to be close to him. Even if it could never happen.
She had a plan. Her life was mapped out and there just wasn’t a place for a man like Brandon. Although it sure would be fun to squeeze him in for a night or two. But everything inside of her was saying that would be a bad idea.
“I didn’t say that,” she said. “I just have a lot of work to do.”
“What would happen if you didn’t work tonight?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Would your business crumble? Would the world come to an end?”
Now he was being ridiculous. “Of course not.”
He reached across the table and covered her hand with his much larger one, fixing his gaze on her.
Oh, boy.
The look in his eyes, the warmth of his rough palm was doing funny things to her insides. To her head. How long had it been since a man’s touch made her feel this way?
Way too long.
“Don’t go back to work,” he said, his eyes so warm and earnest she melted on the spot. “Spend the rest of the evening with me.”
Three
Brandon knew he had her.
When he touched Paige’s hand he could see her resolve draining away. Although he wasn’t sure why he was so intent on getting her to hang around when it was clear that he wasn’t going to get any information out of her in regard to the inner workings of Hannah’s Hope. So why not cut her loose right now?
Because maybe what he’d told her about being lonely wasn’t an exaggeration. He hadn’t had a whole lot of female companionship lately. Hell, he hadn’t so much as looked at a woman since he caught Ashleigh with his now ex-foreman going at it in the stable two days before their wedding last winter.
But he liked Paige. She wasn’t what he’d expected when he first saw her, prim and proper behind her desk in her designer clothes. She was no trust-fund girl. It sounded as if she worked damned hard to be successful. And the fact that she would agree to go out for a drink with a man who was, as far as she knew, poor and uneducated, said a lot about her character. The fancy labels were for her clients, to give the appearance of professionalism, not because she was a snob. And he couldn’t deny that was a refreshing change from women like his ex who spent thousands on their wardrobe for no other reason than to impress their friends. Or simply because they had money to burn. In his fiancée’s case, his money.
Paige even reminded him of himself in a way. Isolated and obsessed with work. After the breakup he’d spent the majority of his time holed up at the ranch, seeing to the day-to-day operations. It was a rare occasion that he made it into town for any reason. Even a beer at the local brewery on a Friday night. He’d shut himself off from the world. And lately he’d been so obsessed with discrediting Rafe Cameron, he hadn’t thought of much else. Only now, after meeting Paige, did he feel the desire for companionship.
But he had to be very careful where and with whom he let himself be seen. He couldn’t risk being recognized and blowing his cover, not when he’d already invested more than four months in his plan. Especially if he planned to blow everything wide open at the gala—although at this point, there was nothing to blow open.
It seemed as if Paige was far enough removed from the people at Hannah’s Hope, and
