Page 11 of Touchdowns and Temptations

“Why not?” I ask the counter question. “I'll send him another e-mail and get all the information from his last agent You'll see - I can do it!”

“You will,” he replies, smiling at me. “You're my daughter after all.” He winks at me. I smile weakly, but my father is far from finished with his praise: “I am so proud of you and so happy to have you working in my company. I know my only child will run it in my spirit when the time comes.”

I swallow hard and the guilt I feel towards him almost consumes me. Maybe I should tell him the truth about Noah and our work together.

“Mr. McCarter suggested we have dinner.”

“You and him?”

“Yes.” I step closer to the kitchen island and place my hands on it. “Do you think that's a ... well ... good idea?”

I'm certainly not going to tell my dad that Noah really wants to go on a date.

“Well,” he replies, thinking about Noah's supposed suggestion. “There's nothing wrong with dinner. I've gone out to dinner with my agent many times.”

“But?” I hear myself shouting inside. My father has a ‘but’, and probably a damn good one.

“You're a beautiful woman, Cara,” he says. “The most beautiful woman in the world.”

“Daddy!” I scold. “Don't let Mom hear that.”

“Your mom knows,” he replies with a grin. “My little girl is the prettiest in my eyes. But what I will say is that you are a beautiful woman, twenty-two years old and therefore his age.”

“What are you getting at?” I feel uncomfortable.

“My point is that maybe a different relationship will develop between you and him...”

“Dad!” I look at him indignantly. “I'm not like that!”

“Cara,” he says, sighing, “if you like him, it will come naturally. And that could affect your professional relationship. Both positively and negatively. Your mother has been my most important advisor over the years. No matter how much I threw down the throat of the guys in my management. I always asked your mom first.”

“He wants to have dinner with me, not propose.”

I roll my eyes and my father grins. “I just wanted to have dinner with your mom and then I married her.”

“And how many years in between?”

“Five!”

“So,” I conclude. “I have all the time in the world.”

“Cara,” he says, getting serious again. “You can go out with him and celebrate a business deal with him. But he's still your client. Of course, something unplanned can always happen, but I think you know what I mean.”

“Okay,” I say, nodding. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Anytime,” he replies, sipping his espresso. “I'll be in the basement working out.”

It's unbelievable that he still values exercise after so many years. At twenty-two, I'm already too lazy to work out.

“Okay,” I say. “I'll get back to Mr. McCarter.”

“Great” Dad puts the empty cup in the dishwasher and leaves me alone.

I walk out of the kitchen in the opposite direction and up the stairs to my room. On the way, I pull my cell phone out of my purse and open the chat with Marina.

*Cara: He's my client!!!

I push open my bedroom door, put my purse on the small stool next to the door, and sit down on the couch. There I reach for my MacBook to open my e-mail program.

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