opinions about it. So you may want to rethink your plan. I’m sure I could come up with someone to fill the part for you.”
She didn’t want to come up with someone else for him, she realized, had changed her mind when she studied his plan. His project intrigued and excited her.
So did he, in an even bigger way. She’d be taking on a big risk personally because he, too, intrigued and excited her, unlike anyone else had for a long time.
“Are you saying you’ll do it?” he asked. He’d gone still and serious.
She’d fallen in love with the idea of his resort, but she couldn’t let him see the extent of her interest yet. She needed to be sensible first. She didn’t want to lose her credibility—or have her heart broken. “I’d like to take the plans home and study them further before I decide. I’d also like to see the scale model you talk about in your plans. And I’d like to see the site in person.”
He half smiled. “It’s not like I’m asking you for money.”
“I can’t lend my name if I don’t fully support what you’re doing. And we have to go into this assuming that some people will figure out who I am. I don’t flaunt it, but I don’t hide it either.”
“I respect that.” Their server picked up their plates, offered dessert menus, then left when they declined. “Are you free tomorrow?” he asked.
They worked out a plan for the next day as they left the restaurant, stopping outside the entrance. She slipped into her raincoat as he held it, then she pulled her mini-umbrella from her briefcase.
“Not gonna rain,” he said, looking up. “Not for a couple of hours, anyway.”
“I suppose you can smell it in the air or something, mountain man.”
He smiled. “The point is, I can’t smell it.”
“I’ll bet you’re very good at your job.”
His shrug could mean anything.
“Where’s your car?” he asked.
“I walked. I usually do.” She pointed ahead. “That’s my building.”
“I’d offer you a ride on Hilda, but I don’t have another helmet with me. And you’d have to hike up your skirt…” He angled toward her, looked about to say something, then stopped himself. “I’ll walk you home.”
She wished he’d said whatever had been on the tip of his tongue. “That’s not necessary, Gideon, but thanks. You should get going before the rain does come, just in case your nose isn’t right,” she added, even though she figured he knew what he was talking about. “You’ve got about an hour’s drive, I think?”
“Are you always this bossy?” He softened the words with a grin. “I want to see you safely home. Be gracious.”
“Who’s the bossy one?” She wasn’t afraid to walk home alone, even though the hustle and bustle of commute time had passed. There wasn’t the usual crowd to get lost in.
He rested his hand at the small of her back to get her moving. Every hormone, every nerve ending in her body reacted.
“You always walk in those stilts?” he asked.
“I left my walking shoes in the office.” Her ego had overruled her usual sensibilities. She’d caught Gideon admiring her legs in the high heels.
“Hilda’s your motorcycle, I gather,” she said, needing to make conversation, needing to do anything to slow the arousal racing through her, clamoring for attention.
“Yep.”
“Why Hilda?”
“It means ready for battle. Hilda Harley is her whole name. She’s a full pedigree. So, should I call you Denise or Deni?”
“Probably Denise, if you don’t want people to guess who I am. They sound like completely different names, don’t you think? Denise is pretty old-fashioned sounding.”
“I don’t know. I’m thinking it might be helpful for people to know who you are.”
She frowned at him. “You must not remember the reputation I had.”
“Was it deserved?”
“Not to the degree it was put out there.”
“People have an impression of who I am, too,” he said, “based on the work I do, as if I wouldn’t be responsible or reliable. I’m responsible for life and limb while my clients are with me. I take that seriously.”
“So then, that’s even more reason to keep my identity a secret. If they got the impression they were working with two flighty people, there’d be no chance of success.” She was aware of him beside her. Aware of his height, his ability to stay focused, his muscular frame, his strong hands. David’s wife had told her about him. How David and Noah went to Gideon for advice, that nothing seemed to faze him. How the brothers all had different mothers but were raised together, their father getting sole custody of each of them. There was a story there, something to ask another time, when they knew each other better.
“You’re quiet,” he said as they waited at a signal.
“You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
“Good.”
They crossed the street, were only a block from her high-rise condo complex. “What happens if you don’t get the backing, Gideon?”
“I keep doing what I’ve been doing for all these years. Maybe I’ll find another location and try again. I don’t think in negative terms. I believe this is going to work, one way or another. And I like challenges.”
“Why don’t you go ahead and buy the land, since you have the money for it, then take the time to get a partner?”
“Because if I can’t build the rest of it to create the whole package, I would never have enough of a business to do more than the Bakers have—which pays the bills, but that’s all. I can’t commit to it without knowing there’s a payoff for me.”
“And seeming to be married, even though it’s a lie, is critical to your success.”
“Without question.”
“But no pressure, right?” she asked with a smile.
“Of course not.”
They reached her building. “Would you like to come up?” The invitation came spontaneously, not a conscious decision but an emotional one. If she’d taken a moment to think about it—
“Thanks. I think I should hit the road. Beat the rain.” He looked up. “What floor are you on?”
She was glad he’d turned her down, wasn’t ready for him to be in her space. “Lucky thirteen. The view’s amazing. Plus there’s underground parking, a swimming pool, a library and a fitness room. The amenities are great.”
“I
