Not Quite Over You
Page 25

She started to laugh. Whatever had been was long gone. The sex had probably been a mistake, but despite the potential consequences, it had been worth it.
“What was it we were having?” she asked. “Steak and something?”
He kissed her. “Pesto risotto and chicken with mushroom reduction.”
“Oh right. Nice that you’re more than a pretty face.”
“You, too.”
* * *
IT WAS ALL Drew could do not to whistle. Nothing showstopping—just the happy mindless tune of a man who had been bedded well by the woman he, ah, admired very much. Because he did admire Silver. She was smart, she was ambitious, she was kind and honest and beautiful and funny and—
“Are you all right?”
The sharp tone, not to mention the question itself, pulled him out of his happy daydream and back to the present. He looked up from his desk and saw his aunt standing in the doorway of his office, staring at him.
“Good morning, Libby. I’m fine, thanks. How are you?”
Her gaze narrowed. “There’s something,” she muttered, half under her breath. “You’re not on drugs, are you?”
He laughed. “I assure you, I’m not on drugs.”
“That wasn’t meant as a humorous comment. I don’t do humor.”
“Of that I am well aware.”
She continued to stare at him for another couple of seconds before shaking her head and walking away. Drew leaned back in his chair and grinned. Oh yeah, he had it bad.
His postcoital smugness lasted the entire morning. At ten-thirty he went out into the lobby to greet clients. The Newports were a young family. Doug and Melissa were in their thirties. Doug was a plumber and Melissa a stay-at-home mom. They’d recently inherited two hundred and fifty thousand dollars from a distant relative and Drew was helping them invest the money to fund their kids’ future and their retirement. While he didn’t usually handle private wealth clients, he’d gone to school with both of them and had taken them on as a favor.
He found the couple in the waiting area, then raised his eyebrows when he saw they weren’t alone.
“Family day,” he said happily. He crouched down in front of a little girl he knew was eight. “You must be Emily. I’m Drew. Your mom and dad told me all about you.”
She had dark hair and eyes and looked like a miniature version of her mother. Her gaze was wary.
“I’m not sure I like it here. Mommy said I had to be quiet.”
“It’s a bank,” Drew told her. “People are thinking a lot, so it helps if we keep our voices down.” He glanced at Melissa and nodded at the small baby she held. “Jacob?”
“Yes. We’ve had him just over a week.” She looked chagrined. “I’m sorry we had to bring the kids but my mom got sick and you said we were just signing some paperwork.”
Drew shook hands with Doug, then smiled at Melissa. “It will be fifteen minutes, tops.” He leaned toward Emily. “Are you excited about your new little brother?”
Her expression was doubtful. “I guess. He cries and his poop smells really bad. Mommy says Jacob is too small to meet Mr. Whiskers, so I take care of him all by myself.”
“Mr. Whiskers?”
“My rabbit. He’s a really good pet.” She eyed Jacob. “He’s very quiet and his poop doesn’t smell at all.”
Drew knew that Doug and Melissa had been unable to conceive a second child so had turned to adoption. They’d been chosen by a pregnant teenager fairly quickly. Although they’d tried to get Emily excited about expanding their family, it seemed her heart had yet to be won.
“I think you’re going to find that having a little brother can be fun,” he told her, then held out his hand. “Would you like to come see my office? I’ll shut the door so you don’t have to worry about disturbing anyone.”
Emily smiled. “Yes, please.” She put her small hand in his. “Do you have cookies?”
“Emily!” Melissa stood. “Sorry. When we go see my friends, they usually give her a cookie.”
Drew winked at the little girl. “You know what? I think I know where I can find cookies.”
“Thank you very much. Mommy says we can trust you with our money. You’re not going to steal it, are you?”
He chuckled. “I am not. I promise. Cross my heart.”
Emily ate two Oreo cookies while her parents signed the paperwork to transfer the money into their account at the bank.
“I’ll be in touch as soon as the money arrives,” he told the couple. “We already have our investment plan ready to go. By this time next week, we should be all set.”
“Thank you.” Melissa smiled at him. “We really appreciate all your help. The inheritance was an unexpected windfall and we were totally unprepared.”
“Happy to help.”
He showed them out, winking at Emily as she turned to wave goodbye. As he walked back to his office, the urge to whistle returned. He managed to control himself but chuckled as he imagined the look of horror on Libby’s face if he gave in. His good mood continued right up until he glanced at his phone and saw he had a text from his mother, then it burst like a punctured balloon.
Good morning, darling. I need to speak with you.
He groaned. His mother wanting to talk to him was never a good thing.
I’m at work. Can it wait until tonight?
Of course. I just arrived in Happily Inc myself. I’m settling in at your grandfather’s and am looking forward to speaking with you.
Arrived as in... “Holy crap,” he muttered out loud. No wonder his aunt was in a bad mood. She was going to be sharing a house with her older sister.
Drew had two appointments after lunch. Once they were done, he shut down his computer and headed for his grandfather’s house. Why was his mother back in town? Whatever the reason, it wasn’t going to be good for him.
He found his mother in the largest guest suite on the second floor. He knocked on the open door and called out, “Hi, Mom.”
His mother, a dark-haired, slim woman of average height, stood to greet him. Irene wore a dark pants suit, diamond stud earrings and a gold link necklace. The outfit was very elegant and probably cost as much as a car. Or five. His mother wore the best, drank the best, lived in the best. Everything in her life was about being the best.
“Darling, you came to see me. How lovely.” She leaned in for an air kiss, then stepped back and studied him. “Let me look at you. You’re keeping fit. Excellent. No one wants to deal with a fat lobbyist.” Her gaze sharpened as she studied his face. “You look young but we’ll try to work that to our advantage.” She clapped her hands together. “Come in and sit with me. I’ll order tea from one of the maids. One would think with so many running around this house the response would be faster, but alas.”
Drew thought about mentioning that the slow service might have something to do with how she treated the staff, but knew there was no win in that for any of them. His mother wouldn’t get the point and would take out her annoyance on everyone who worked at the house.
She picked up a house phone and dialed zero. “Yes, this is Irene. I would appreciate some tea. Quickly, if that’s at all possible. Two cups.”
She hung up without saying thank you, then turned to him.
“Come, darling. We have to so much to talk about.”