Weekend Agreement (3 page)

“It’s not about a date. I’m not sure it’s even about me.”

“What are you talking about?”

Charlotte shrugged. “I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I can’t shake the feeling I walked into the middle of something. One thing’s for sure, the man’s got a major chip on his shoulder. He actually accused me of using my looks as a negotiating ploy. He told me I was beautiful, but not that beautiful. Did you know he actually suggested I would be the one trying to seduce him?”

“Hmm.”

“What?”

It was Judy’s turn to shrug. “Would you consider it?”

“What? No! This whole escort request is a game to him. I doubt Daniel Moretti thinks in terms of men and women. More like him and those beneath him. He gets his kicks out of watching us commoners jump through hoops.”

“Little superiority complex, huh?”

“Major. His mother must have told him he was the crown prince.”

“If the business press is to be believed, he is. Or at least the second coming.”

Judy was right. Every time she passed a newsstand, there was some kind of article trumpeting how he built a billion-dollar business from the ground up. His success, along with his looks and his penchant for dating famous women, ensured that Daniel Moretti was never out of the limelight. Remembering his arrogant presumptions, she rolled her eyes heavenward. “Spending time with him will be insufferable.”

“Then cancel. Teach the guy a lesson.”

“And kiss my property good-bye.”

“Would that be the end of the world?”

“Yes, it would.”

Judy reached out and covered Charlotte’s hand with one of her own. “I know this land means a lot because it belonged to your mother, but it is just a piece of land. It’s not going to bring her back or anything.”

“No, but being there keeps her close to me. I don’t have much else.”

“She didn’t leave much else.”

“You sound like my brother.”

“Honey, I know keeping the family flame alive is important to you, and I admire your respect of the past. It’s what makes you such a good historian. But you have to admit, some things in the past are better off left in the past. And this attachment to a piece of land, just because your mother lived there, is a tiny bit obsessive.”

Yes, the practical part of her brain agreed, but the heart wasn’t always practical.

“The farm’s all I have left,” Charlotte said, chasing away the longing that always arose when talking of her family.
We all need context
. Isn’t that what she told Daniel? Some sense of belonging, no matter how small? “My father threw out most of the photos. My brother won’t talk about her. When I’m at the farm…I don’t know, it’s like she’s still there. Like she never left.”

“But she did. And preserving her childhood home won’t change history. You, of all people, should know that.”

“On the contrary, history gets rewritten all the time.” When Judy refused to share her grin, she added, “Look, that farm’s my last connection to the woman, and I refuse to see that connection broken. So if I have to jump through Daniel Moretti’s hoops to repurchase the land, then that’s what I’ll do.”

“What if the hoops get more personal?”

“They can’t. It’ll be in writing that my portion of the deal involves only the party.”

“Who says he won’t try to renegotiate? From what you’ve said so far, the guy’s a tiger ready to pounce. And tigers don’t change their spots simply because of some flimsy agreement.”

“Stripes,” Charlotte corrected, more to change the subject than anything else. “Leopards have spots.”

“Spots, stripes, tie-dyed polka dots, whatever. Some lame propriety clause isn’t going to stop the guy if he’s interested in you.”

“Yes, it will. He steps over the line and the land goes to me free and clear,” she said. “He won’t risk losing money like that.”

Strange, but as she said the words, Charlotte actually felt a kernel of disappointment. Ego, she determined. Arrogant jerk or not, Daniel was still rejecting her, and her female self-esteem was smarting.

“The only thing Daniel Moretti is interested in is his bottom line,” she told Judy. “There’s absolutely no need for you to worry.”

“Worry about what?”

Daniel stood, or rather leaned, in the doorframe, the picture of amusement. Despite the unbearable heat, he looked as cool and crisp as ever in his dark suit and tie.
He must truly have ice water running in his veins to look that collected
, thought Charlotte. She felt incredibly unkempt with her dampened tank top and frumpy peasant skirt.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you until this weekend,” she said, trying to at least sound cool and collected. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Judy shove her skirt over her legs.

“I had an appointment on this side of town,” he said. He held up his attaché case. “We have some paperwork to go over, remember?”

“You could have sent that by courier.”

“I like to be hands-on.”

I bet
, thought Charlotte, wondering if catching her off guard was another one of his games. And boy, did he catch her off guard. Her heart beat a mile a minute.

“I’m not interrupting an important discussion, am I?” he asked, a glimmer of a smile on his face.

Charlotte was still struggling for something appropriately witty to say when Judy said, “We were discussing the pros and cons of hoop-jumping. Care to weigh in?”

“Afraid I can’t; I don’t jump.” Clearly amused by Judy’s boldness, the humor in his face turned into a full-blown grin. It was the first time Charlotte had seen him smile, and the result was dazzling. His eyes crinkled at the sides, softening them and vanquishing the darkness from his face. He was, she realized, breathtakingly handsome when he wanted to be. Her stomach flip-flopped.

Moving inside, Daniel extended his hand and introduced himself to Judy. “Professor Doherty and I have entered a business venture together.”

“Charlotte told me all about it,” Judy said, arching an eyebrow. “Although I’m not sure business venture is the right term for it.”

Daniel nodded. “Arrangement then. Unorthodox as it may sound, however, it’s still business, and there are some details to firm up.” He set his briefcase down, the request for Judy to leave implicit.

“Judy and I were about to get something to eat,” Charlotte said. She disliked how Daniel sauntered in unannounced, assuming everyone would drop what they were doing to accommodate him.

Now here he was, sitting on the edge of her desk, all his attention focused on her, looking very much like he wasn’t moving.

“I won’t take up too much of your time,” he said. He continued to smile, looking more handsome and charming than he did in the doorway.

Charlotte busied herself with the papers Judy dropped on her desk. Judy had been right about the air-conditioning. This section of the building did need some. The room was growing hotter by the minute. Looking up, she saw her friend shooting her a set of arched eyebrows. She glared in return.

Finally Judy rose. “It’s okay, Charlotte. I should stop by the bookstore anyway. You know how notorious they are for getting titles in late, and we can’t have the freshman class missing out on
Julius Caesar
, can we? Nothing like a little backstabbing and betrayal to start off the college experience.”

“Preparing them for life?” Daniel asked.

“I’m sure you’d know that more than me, Mr. Moretti.”

“I imagine I do,” he said evenly. If it had been anyone else, Charlotte would swear she heard a carefully veiled tone of hurt.

Judy simply nodded in response. “Maybe we can have you lecture sometime. I’ll catch you later, Charlotte. We’re not finished with our discussion.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Charlotte remarked. “I’ll come find you later.”

“She doesn’t seem to trust me,” Daniel noted as the door shut. “Should I be hurt?”

“Judy’s a good friend and very protective of me. She doesn’t appreciate your unorthodox way of doing business.”

“Would it help if I showed her my tie-dyed polka dots?”

Charlotte paused, feeling herself grow flush with embarrassment. Across the desk, Daniel wore a mask of such perfect mock innocence she blushed even deeper. Then he smiled. A rich good-humored smile this time. Before she knew it, Charlotte was smiling back.

…

“So exactly how much did you overhear?”

They were settling themselves on the front steps of the building, Daniel having asked to move the conversation outside into the fresh air.

“Not that much. Just enough to know your friend thinks I’m on the prowl, and you think I’m the most arrogant man walking the earth. I’m not, you know.”

“Not what? The most arrogant?”

“No, I’m very arrogant. I meant on the prowl.”

“I know that. A man who looks like you…” She bit her tongue, horrified at what she almost blurted out.

Daniel’s dark eyes sparkled in the sunlight. “What about a man who looks like me?”

“Nothing. I simply meant…” She blushed and concentrated on smoothing her skirt around her legs. He knew perfectly well what she meant. If he didn’t, the blush covering her skin told him.

Daniel handed her one of the cans of soda he’d purchased at the vending machine inside the building. “Don’t worry,” he said with a chuckle. “I won’t hold you to any explanations.”

He shed his jacket and busied himself with a package of potato chips. “It’s enough to know that you find me attractive. Did I mention I’m egotistical too? Chip?”

Now it was Charlotte’s turn to smile. She slipped a potato chip out of the bag. “
Very
egotistical.”

Not to mention disarmingly charming when he put his mind to it.
I bet he could sell snow to the Eskimos.
The question was
why
was he being so charming with her? She’d already agreed to his terms.

Judy’s warning sounded in her head.

“Much as I enjoy speaking of your many attributes,” she said, stopping the playful conversation before she got too distracted, “I have a lot to do this afternoon. So let’s get down to business. What time do you want me to arrive on Saturday evening?”

“We arrive together, Professor. It would hardly look right for my date to arrive separately.”

“This isn’t a date,” Charlotte reminded him.

“A point I’m well aware of.” He drawled the words pointedly. “Regardless, I prefer to begin the party with
my escort
on my arm.”

“Fine. Then what time am I due on your arm?”

He ignored the question. “By the way, the party is formal. If you need a dress, I’ll be glad to have my office—”

“Afraid I won’t be dressed appropriately?” It was Charlotte’s turn to draw out her words. She wasn’t sure what rankled her more: his offer of wardrobe services or the veiled implication that she wasn’t up to his standards. So what if this was only business? He could at least find her a little appealing.

Glaring at his crisply starched, unwrinkled shirt, she resisted the urge to pick her clinging tank top away from her skin and took a sip of her soda instead. “I’m perfectly capable of coming up with a dress.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t, Professor.” He crumpled up the potato chip bag and tossed it in his briefcase. I was only offering to save you some effort. This whole thing is rather short notice.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll dress myself. And don’t worry.” She couldn’t resist a little dig. “I’ll do my best to look appropriate.”

She smiled to herself when she heard him sigh quietly. “You still haven’t told me the time,” she reminded him.

“My plane will fly us in tomorrow night.”

“Whoa—what?” Charlotte choked on her cola. “Could you repeat that?”

“I said my plane—”

“No, the part about tomorrow night. What kind of game do you think you’re playing?”

A couple of students sitting nearby looked up at the sound of Charlotte’s raised voice. She lowered it a notch. “Our agreement is for Saturday night only. I have no intention of going with you a moment earlier.”

“Haven’t you been paying attention to the news? Hurricane Christina is moving up the coast. It’s scheduled to hit us on Saturday.”

“Not until late Saturday night. Besides, last I heard it would go out to sea, and we wouldn’t get more than a heavy rainstorm. I’ll fly in on the shuttle Saturday morning. Plenty of time to show up on your arm.”

Daniel shook his head. “No deal. I don’t trust those puddle jumpers. Too much chance they’ll cancel if the weather moves in.”

“Then I’ll take the ferry.”

“Provided they don’t suspend service.” He cocked his head. “Why are you being so difficult? I’m offering to fly you in a private luxury jet, not bundle you up and toss you in the trunk of my car. Most women would appreciate the red carpet treatment.”

“Most women aren’t bullied into going.”