Ship of Dreams (Dreams Come True Series Book 2) (28 page)

“I loved butterbeans. I’d never had them until I got to the farm, and I asked to have them every night for dinner.” Amanda offered a good-natured shrug. “Pretty soon Gram and Nathan started calling me butterbean.”

“And what about Nathan? Does he have a nickname?”

Amanda snickered.

“Oh, we’re not going there.” He cast an eye toward Amanda. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Now you really have to tell me,” Laura cajoled.

“Amanda,” Nathan warned.

His sister looked between him and Laura.

“Come on,” Laura said. “I’ll protect you.”

“I’m not scared of him. I’ve got too much on him.”

Nathan had risen to stand over her, causing her to descend into a case of the giggles.

“It’s”—more giggles—“It’s hambone.” She rolled on the sofa, clutching her stomach, as gales of laughter filled the room.

Laura snorted, then erupted into laughter herself. “Hambone?” She gazed up at Nathan. “Why?”

“Because when Gram baked a ham,” Amanda said between chortles, “he’d gnaw the bone clean, he loved ham so much.”

Laura laughed again. The nickname tickled her funny bone, but it also tugged at her heart. The thought of two children who’d been living on the edge for so long, finally getting their fill made her thankful for Dorothy Patricia Parham-Maxwell.

After an uneventful flight home, he and Laura drove straight to Darc
y and Josh’s house Monday evening so Nathan could meet with Josh and talk over the best way to handle the bank and the developers.

A tall, clean-cut man in slacks and a dress shirt answered the door.

“Dracula,” Laura nodded in greeting.

“Medusa,” Josh returned.

“Why did God make snakes before lawyers?” Laura asked.

“To practice,” Josh answered.

Nathan lifted a questioning brow at the woman who’d just joined them—the one he’d seen in the photo in Laura’s apartment.

“Don’t ask,” she said, as she shook her head. “You must be Nathan.” She stuck out her hand.

“Yes,” Nathan replied as he took her dainty hand in his. “Laura tells me you’re a writer. Romances, right?” Nathan asked.

“Yes,” Darcy said with some reticence.

“What?”

“I’m waiting for the derisive comment.”

“I don’t have a derisive comment.”

“Oh. Sorry. I get a little defensive.”

“Why should you apologize for doing what you love?”

“Why, indeed?” Her smile lit up the room, and Nathan liked her instantly.

After Laura introduced Nathan and Josh, Darcy said, “You boys talk business,
we’re going to talk baby stuff.”

Laura grimaced. “We are?”

“Yes.” Darcy hooked her arm through Laura’s and hauled her off to the kitchen. For someone so petite, Darcy sure was strong.

“So that’s Sexy Southern Guy, a.k.a. The Liar?” Darcy whispered as soon as they were in the kitchen.

“I thought we were talking baby stuff.”

“We are, but first things first. Is it him?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t know you were, you know, back together.” Darcy gave Laura a non-too-gentle shove. “You don’t call. You don’t write. How am I supposed to keep up with things?”

“We were never together-together. It was just a shipboard fling.”

“And this is what? A New York City fling?”

“Maybe.”

“Well he’s certainly gorgeous. And, love the accent. It’s so Rhett Butler.”

“Hello? That’s what I tried to tell you.”

“What about the competition? The Imperial account?”

“We’ve agreed not to discuss anything to do with the Imperial account, and may the best woman, or man, win.”

“Well, that’s very adult of you.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that in Laura’s World, everything usually takes a backseat to work. You must really like him if you’re willing to let bygones be bygones and not let work interfere.”

Laura shrugged. “He’s gorgeous and he’s great in bed. What’s not to like?”

“Well, I
like
him. He didn’t make a snide comment about my profession. That speaks volumes. At least to me it does.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” Laura answered. She placed her hand on Darcy’s still-flat belly. “How’s my godchild treating you?”

“The little peanut is giving me morning sickness, but by noon it’s over and done, and then I’m fit as a fiddle.”

They spent a half hour catching up with one another, giving Josh and Nathan time to discuss the farm and then returned to the living room where the two men were wrapping up.

“I’ll call Elizabeth first thing tomorrow morning and put her in touch with you and Amanda. She’s great.”

The two men shook hands.

“I can’t thank you enough,” Nathan said as he wrapped his arm around Laura’s waist and gazed down at her. “And I can’t thank you enough for introducing me to Josh.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and she felt the heat creep into her face. Unaccustomed to such intimacy and tenderness, and in front of her friends, the gesture left her feeling awkward.

“Hey,” Darcy said, relieving her from further embarrassment, “we’re having a party for some of Josh’s clients next Friday. We’d love it if you and Nathan would join us.”

“Um . . .” Laura hedged, desperately trying to come up with an excuse.

“Oh come on, it’ll be fun. Seven o’clock.”

Laura released a long-suffering sigh, then looked up at Nathan. “You game?”

“Sure. Why not?”

“Fine.”

Chapter 24

Instead of dropping her off at the front of her building, Nathan insisted on bringing her luggage up.

In the elevator, he asked, “Why don’t you like Josh?”

Laura drew back in surprise. “Who said I didn’t like him?”

Nathan barked out a laugh. “Okay, then.”

Once she’d opened her door, he set her bags inside, then stepping into her, he ran his hands down her arms before clasping her hands with his. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For coming with me. For being there for me. For being so nice to Amanda. She really likes you, you know?”

“You’re welcome. And I really like her, too.”

“The next two days are going to be pure insanity for both of us, so I don’t suppose we’ll see one another.”

“No. Probably not.” She already felt lonely.

“So, goodnight.” He leaned down and gently kissed her mouth. Pulling back, he gazed into her eyes. “Get some sleep, and start fresh tomorrow.” He pressed another gentle kiss to her lips and left.

After the door closed with a quiet click, she leaned against it and sighed like a love-struck teenager.

The wo
rd insanity didn’t begin to cover Laura’s Tuesday. It was after nine p.m. before she walked through the doors of her apartment building. Nothing like a fourteen-hour day to make you appreciate a ten-day Mediterranean cruise.

Ignoring the lights, she walked through her dark apartment straight to the bedroom and a nice hot shower. Before she could even slip out of her shoes, her buzzer sounded. “Oh, good gravy! Who could that be?”

“Yes?” Whoever it was would hear the annoyance in her voice.

“It’s Nathan. Can I come up?”

Nathan? What was he doing here?

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah. I just . . . I need to talk to you.”

“Come on up.”

She walked back through the living room, flipped on some lights, and opened her door.

The usually cool and calm Nathan looked harried as he stepped off the elevator, tie loose, hair mussed as if he’d been running his fingers through it.

He strode up to her, cupped her face in his hands and drew her in for a kiss so soul-searing she felt it all the way to her toes. Wrapping her hands around his wrists, she met his kiss with everything she had. Only one night apart and she craved him like a dieter craves a gallon of ice cream.

He finally broke the kiss. “This is going to complicate matters even more than they already are, but . . .” He took a deep breath. “I’m in love with you.”

She took an automatic step back. “No you’re not.” Her heart jackhammered in her chest.

“‘Fraid so.”

“You don’t even know me.” She took another step back.

He didn’t try to close the space she’d created between them. He just stood in the same spot. “Oh, but I do.” He spoke softly, his sexy Southern drawl sending tingles along her spine. “I know that you walk around with this cool, I don’t give-a-fuck cloak around you, but underneath is a woman who cares deeply for her friends.”

“I know that you have a reputation for being a hard-nosed business woman, but that you also use your incredible talent to help a worthwhile cause. I know that you’re loyal, that you have a strong work ethic, and that you appreciate beautiful craftsmanship in everything from stilettos to cinnamon buns. That you have the grace and poise of a princess, but you lick your fingers when you eat fried chicken.”

She couldn’t take her eyes off his face. How could he see these things? Things not even her family could see?

“But I also know that you have a difficult, contentious relationship with your father, and despite that you’re successful, generous, and steadfast. That in your apartment you have no photos of your family, but that the photos you do have are of the people you love. And who love you. And I know that when your grandmother disinherited you, it wasn’t the loss of the money that upset you.”

“Why are you doing this now?” she whispered. Tears stung her eyes.

She looked down, but he reached out, lifted her chin to his gaze. “Because I know you think you have something to prove. To your father. To the world. To yourself. But you have nothing to prove to me. And I wanted you to know that.”

She tore away from his grasp as the tears blurred her vision. Nathan stepped back. “I want you to know that win or lose the Imperial account, I’ll still love you, and I’ll still be proud of you. Good luck tomorrow.”

He skimmed a finger along her cheekbone, then turned and left.

What the hell was she s
upposed to do with that? She angrily swiped at the tears that ran down her cheeks. Laura Armstrong did not cry. She didn’t become a puddle of mush because some guy confessed his love for her.

Laura Armstrong stood on her own two feet. She ate her competition for lunch. And she lived her job. It had been everything to her for so long. Her family, her significant other, her child. It was who she was. She’d had no room in her life for a man, a commitment, love.

Her shoulders sagged beneath the weight of her sudden revelation. Because the truth was, there was nothing in her life
but
room.

For the first time in her life, she was scared. Scared she’d come to rely on Nathan. Something she swore she’d never do. But also scared that she’d be alone. Left behind. With nothing but her career accomplishments to keep her company.

She always thought the next account she’d landed, the next promotion she’d achieved, would be the one to bring her happiness. That her life would be complete when she’d achieved her Life Plan.

But that wasn’t enough anymore. The joy in her job wasn’t fading, but something else was taking precedence.

Dammit to hell.
Frustrated, she headed for the shower. She couldn’t think about this now. She had an account to land.

Late Wednesday morning, the Giddin
gs-Rose offices were a hive of activity with the pitch less than two hours away, and the team making last minute changes to the proposal, which they still had to print and bind. All hands were on deck, standing by to jump in and assist with compiling the final pitch packet. With their offices only blocks from Imperial’s, they could tweak and perfect right up to the last minute.

Laura paced from creative, with their giant desktop Macs, to research with their spreadsheets, back to creative, all the while relaying questions, ideas, changes. She lived for this! The exhilaration, the adrenaline rush. The hunt. And hopefully, the kill.

Setting aside her worries for Nathan, whose team was presenting at that moment, she focused with laser-like attention on their pitch.

“There’s alcohol at the end of this day,” she shouted to her team.

Long nights and weekends worth of work would be boiled down into a one-hour pitch. Confident in their approach, Laura only sought to fine-tune the message.

Dante called her over to show her the latest revisions to the app graphics.

“Yes. Just maybe move this”—she pointed to an icon on the screen—“here.” She watched a minute as he worked his magic. “Perfect.”

Striding down the hall, she popped her head into Katie’s office. “Do we have the final numbers for the demographics page?”

“In three seconds . . . here.” She handed Laura a printout. Laura then walked back down the hall to creative.

“Who’s working on the demographics page?”

Raoul shot up his hand. “Me.”

Handing off the printout to him, Laura paced over to Celeste, who was putting the finishing touches on the cover page with the pitch tagline, ‘Imperial Cruise Lines, Where unparalleled freedom meets incomparable luxury.’

“We almost there?” Laura asked.

“You tell me.” Celeste leaned back so Laura could get a look at the screen.

“That’s it! Let’s print this baby.”

Shouts and clapping exploded around the office.

Glancing around the table as he concluded hi
s presentation, Nathan felt good. Damn good, in fact. The presentation had gone very well, with lots of discussion, lots of questions, which showed his audience had been paying attention.

Jack and his father sat among other members of the board, taking notes, casting glances at one another. They’d seemed very intrigued by the Braniff Airways-inspired campaign, and with the name for the new line Hawk Media had proposed: Halcyon Cruises.

“Ladies and gentleman,” Nathan concluded, “thank you for your time and your attention. I appreciated the interaction and the opportunity to present to you today.”

“Thank you, Nathan. We’ll have our decision to you in about a week,” Jackson said, receiving nods from the other board members. “Great job.”

Nathan looked over at Hawk, and received a subtle nod of approval. Releasing a calming breath, he gathered his documents as his audience stood and left the room for a much-needed fifteen-minute break before Giddings-Rose presented. He knew Laura would be outside with her team, feeling the same jitters as he’d had over an hour ago.