"Oh, you mean the bullshit you told mom and dad? Yeah, I missed that." He waggled his eyebrows. Watching her, Derek couldn't decide if she was amused or exasperated.
Finally, she rolled her eyes at Derek. "Ignore him," she said. "He's a first class asshole."
"Maybe," Nolan said, flashing his cockiest grin. "But he's a smart one."
Chapter Nine
"Where are you today?" Amanda asked the second she answered the phone.
Derek grinned, loving the way she just dove into a conversation. "What, no hello?"
"Hellos start conversations that end in goodbyes. And with all of your traveling with this job, I feel like we're saying way too many goodbyes."
He couldn't argue with that. "Disneyworld, actually. The Winston family of hotels is about to break ground for a glorious resort. Complete with shuttle service to the land of the mouse."
"Sweet. Nice to do business in the happiest place on earth. Or is that Disneyland?"
"Neither as far as I'm concerned. Not unless you're with me. And even if you were tempted to jump a plane to Orlando, I'm leaving tomorrow for St. Louis."
"I think it's snowing there. You have a coat, right?"
"I pack for all occasions now," he said, which was true. Though he loved that she worried. The truth was, he was getting damn tired of living out of a suitcase. And if some of the corporate changes that were in the works got pushed through--which they should for the good of the company--then he'd probably be traveling at least seven more days each month.
Prestigious job. Crappy situation.
And except for the two meetings he'd had with Brooke at the motel, that project was moving slowly. Now, at least, the ball was in the owners' court. Derek and Brooke had made their pitch. Now they just had to wait.
"Any chance you'll be in Austin f
or New Year's Eve? I know we're not technically dating, but there was this dress that I just couldn't resist, and so I bought it. I was kind of hoping you'd have the chance to see it."
With every word, his heart seemed to flip over and die.
"You have no idea how much I wish I could."
"Really? You can't?" The disappointment in her voice both broke his heart and lifted his spirits. "I saw an article about a huge New Year's Eve bash at the Winston. I thought maybe you could come down as, you know, the official representative of the Winston family."
"That's a great idea," he told her. "Unfortunately, it's not original."
"What do you mean?"
"We hold those events at every Winston hotel in the country. I'll be at the one in Chicago as the corporate rep. Unfortunately, New Year's Eve is a workday for me."
"No problem. I knew it was a long shot."
"I'm glad you thought of it, though." He pitched his voice low. "That means a lot."
"Oh. Well. You know."
He could picture her cheeks, flush with the embarrassment of being caught out. And her disappointment that he couldn't join her tugged at his heart.
"You should definitely go to the party, though. It's always fun. Good food. Great music."
"I don't know. I--"
"I'll reserve a VIP table for you. If you don't use it, that's fine. But it would be a shame to waste a dress. Maybe take Brooke. You two could make it a girl's night. Or Nolan."
"Maybe."