Chapter 37

It was Friday and Serenity and I were having dinner together tonight. In public, unfortunately, but we'd agreed that we weren't going to avoid being seen together forever. We'd both had good weeks and I'd asked her out to blow off some steam together.

Everything was on track for my mother's wedding that was coming up in just a few weeks, and while I was ready for it to be over, I definitely didn't feel like Serenity was the bane of my existence anymore. I was actually really happy that we'd met, even if I was still supremely surprised that things were working out the way they had.

My day at work dragged and dragged, but that was the excitement about tonight. I had everything all set up and now I just had to wait for it to get here. Lance distracted me when he walked into my office about an hour before the end of the day, carrying a bottle of single malt in one hand and two tumblers in the other.

"Got time for a drink?" he asked.

I nodded. "Sure. I'm not meeting Serenity until eight, so I've got time. What are we celebrating?"

"I closed the Davidson project today," he said, smirking at me. "A cool ten-bar, weekend-long polo event that should look pretty good for the estate."

My eyebrows shot up and I grinned at him, sticking out my hand to shake his. "That definitely calls for a celebration. Congratulations, man. That's great. I know how hard you worked to get that one."

"I put in the hours." He shrugged, but he was being modest. The truth was that he'd busted his hump and I hadn't missed it.

He'd been working with me for a while, but he'd moved up after my father had passed and he was doing exceptionally well. Some might even say he was excelling.

Waving for him to take a seat, I cracked open the bottle he'd brought and poured us each a drink, lifting my glass for a toast before I'd even sat down. "To you, Lance Yates. We've been trying to get them to hold the Davidson Cup here for years. I don't know how you did it, but thank you."

He grinned as he clinked his glass to my own, and we each took a drink before resuming our seats. "They've told me that if all goes well, the estate will be the new home of the Cup, which makes this an annual thing. Let's just hope all goes well."

I chuckled. "You'll make sure of it. I have complete faith in you."

He smiled, but his head tilted like he was confused about something. "You've never said anything like that to me out loud before. I've always known that you trust me, but you're different these days. Serenity, or your mother?"

"Both," I said. "Mostly Serenity, though. At least, that's what I think. I guess it helps to know that Mom's happy again as well, but I'm happy too. Really happy, which makes a difference as it turns out."

He laughed. "Welcome to the world of being a real human. Of course, being happy makes a damn difference. What did you think?"

"That people were goofy idiots who should stop smiling so much and just focus on getting stuff done," I said honestly, chuckling as I leaned back in my seat. "You're happy too, right? Here, I mean. I should've said it before that I have faith in you. There's a lot of things I should've said before. To a lot of people, actually, but at least I know it now."

"Don't worry," he said. "I won't take the Davidson Cup elsewhere, if that's what you're thinking. This is my home as much as it is yours. We make a pretty decent team."

"True," I replied. "I wasn't worried about that, though. It's simply recently occurred to me that people in our industry work incredibly hard to make sure things are perfect for other people. I haven't given enough recognition to our own people for that. I should, though. The game is changing. Competition is heating up. I need to keep on top of that kind of thing if I want to avoid losing the best."

He laughed. "Speaking of competition heating up, how are things with Serenity? Did she accept your apology?"

"She did. Thanks to you, I realized exactly what it was that I had to be sorry for and I suspect it helped that I truly was sorry about it. Things are going well again now, but she's going to keep me on my toes as a competitor. They got Horowitz."

His face scrunched up. "Damn it. I was going to go after that next."

"Can't," I said. "They're locked in with Serenity, but I thought we were booked that day anyway?"

"We are, but I was hoping to convince them to let us set them up outdoors. Perhaps next to the dam overlooking the view. It might've worked."

"Yeah, well, next year," I said, chuckling. "It looks like we're all going to have to up our game to keep up."

He laughed. "Trust you to fall for the girl who's going to start making our lives difficult when people finally realize just what she has to offer. On the other hand, it'll keep things interesting. Are you picking her up for your date? I hope so."

"I'm not, but I offered to. She said she'd rather meet me at the restaurant. We're not avoiding being seen together in public, but arriving separately should keep away as many paparazzi as possible, which is obviously a good thing. I still don't like having them crawl all over me and neither does she."

"Sure, no one does," he said. "As long as you offered, I'm proud of you. You're learning."

I nodded, finding out more about what would be expected from us at the venue hosting the Cup while we finished our drinks. After that, I headed home to change and then finally, it was time to go meet my girl.

I got there a few minutes before she did, and I took the liberty of ordering our first round of drinks while I waited. I was wondering if I should've texted to ask her what she wanted instead of deciding to get us each a beer, but then she walked in and my brain exploded.

At least, my thoughts scattered as if my brain had exploded.

We'd chosen a low-key, laidback restaurant for dinner, and Serenity was wearing jeans that fit her like a glove paired with a flowing white top that reminded me of the stuff my mom had worn in her bohemian phase. But Serenity's showed off her deep cleavage, which mercifully, Mom's never had.

With low slung ankle boots on her feet and her hair hanging in loose waves to her waist like a golden curtain, she looked amazing. Like a wholesome country girl out to have a good time.

She smiled, striking a pose when she reached our table by putting her hand on her hip as she jutted it out. "Take a picture. It'll last longer."

I laughed, once again wishing I could kiss her but simply getting up and pulling the chair out for her instead. "If you don't want me staring, stop looking so damn hot."

"I would, but this is just how I look," she joked as she sat down.

Once I'd pushed the chair back in for her as well, I rounded the table, amazed by the fact that she'd been here for all of about a minute and she'd already made me laugh. Somehow, she often did, which was unusual for me.

Batting her lashes innocently, she propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin on top of the back of her hand. "How was your day, sweetheart?"

I chuckled again. "Sweetheart? If you're giving me a nickname, I think I'd prefer Sexy. Or Hotness. My mother calls me sweetheart."

"Hotness, really?" She doubled over laughing, shaking her head at me. "You are really hot, but I'm not sure I could ever call you that. How about Handsome?"

I rocked my head from side to side. "I guess that could work, but only if you said it with conviction."

"I'll keep thinking," she promised, her eyes sparkling as she looked at me from across the table. "I heard a rumor this afternoon that you guys are going to be hosting the Davidson Cup this year. Is it true?"

"How? We only found out about that this afternoon." Our beers arrived, and since Serenity immediately picked hers up and started sipping it without complaint, I figured I'd made the right call. Pleased with myself, I couldn't be too annoyed about word already having gotten out. "I swear, nothing is a secret for long in this town."

"Except us." She winked at me playfully. "We're still a secret. For now, anyway."

"Sure, at least until I stop fighting the urge to kiss you in public." As it was, I could barely wait to take her home and get her out of her clothes. "It's going to happen soon. I can feel the slip coming."

"Bullshit." She giggled. "You've got more self-control than anyone I've ever met. You'd never slip up like that."

"Fine. It won't be a slip." I shrugged, a smirk on my lips. I leaned across the table and lowered my voice. "Are you really that hungry, or are you up to a midnight snack at my place later instead? We could?—"

"Well, actually, I have other plans in mind for us tonight," she said coyly. "We should go out. I'd like to see you having fun. You never let loose and you need to."

"Let loose?" I asked, my forehead puckering as I tried to imagine what that would even look like. "What do you want to do?"

"You, but before we get to that, I'd like to see you dance."

"I don't dance."

"Oh, Hotness. Tonight, you do," she murmured as she leaned closer too, her eyes on mine. "We're blowing off steam tonight, right? So it's dinner, dancing, and then, if you're lucky, we'll get lucky."

I sighed, but even as I did, I knew I wasn't going to argue with her. I was willing to give this woman whatever she wanted, and if what she wanted was to grind on me on a crowded dance floor, then I guessed it wouldn't be the most terrible thing that ever happened.

"Okay, I'll do it," I said. "For you. I'll do it."

What I should've said was that for her, I'd do anything, but I had a feeling it was still a little too early in our relationship for that. So tonight, it was dancing. Eventually, she'd realize that she had me. Hook, line, and sinker.