Page 37 of Rescued By the Mountain Man

From the corner of my eye, I saw Warrick’s head snap to me, his brows lowering. Clearly, he was wondering why I was lying, but hopefully, by the time this meeting ended, I’d have come up with another lie to cover this one.

“Can you give me any tips on getting a tan?” he laughed. “I could never hold onto one. I wonder if the sun in Fiji is different.”

“Good sunscreen,” I said with a flickering smile.

“Can we get back to the subject at hand?” Drayton Senior said, his tone having all the pompousness of a man who saw other people as peons. “We just need to sign off on the transfer of power, have it notarized, and we can move on. I have a weekend conference in Malibu to attend, and I must be on the way.”

“Ah, yes.” Treeve opened a folder and slid a paper out. “Just drop your John Hancock here, and you two are going to sign as witnesses.”

Drayton took a fountain pen from his inner pocket and signed off. His son followed, and, when the paper was slid over to Warrick, he took the offered pen and signed a loopy signature, left-handed. I’d never noticed that before, but now that I think about it, he had held his coffee cup in his hand, and he did ride with that hand on the reins.

“Here,” Mr. Johnson said, after finishing his part. “All free and clear.”

“We’ll have it notarized later on and send a copy to you,” Treeve said. “You don’t have to wait anymore.”

“Good,” Drayton said, plucking some keys from his pocket and handing them to his son. “The penthouse is cleaned and ready for you. Try not to run my SUV into a ditch.”

Drayton Jr. took the keys. “Thank you.”

When his father left, William turned to us. “I have my own car, but it’s sometimes easier to say yes to my dad. He can have his nose stuck in the air at times.”

“I think he has it stuck somewhere else,” Warrick grunted while Drayton, Johnson, and Treeve spoke to each other.

I pressed my lips tight and ducked my head, trying not to let out the laugh stuck in my throat. Warrick really did not like this guy, did he?

Fortunately, I managed to swallow the laughter and cleared my throat. “Erm, excuse me, I know this is not what the meeting is for, but how are we on the fair? Do we have a timeline to start or any issues that Mr. Donovan has to clear up? Surely the grounds have dried by now.”

“Oh, oh yes, yes.” Treeve nodded and tapped a pen on the desk.

“The organizers have rebounded, and all the stakeholders have been apprised that, God willing, we’ll start in three days, so hopefully on Monday, after the weekend. By then, the ground should be dry enough, and we’ll have our ducks in a row. Thank you for shooting two birds with one stone, Miss Harrington.”

The mayor spoke to Warrick a little more about the fair while I tried to pay attention, but I felt William Drayton’s eyes on me. His gaze was not threatening, but it still made my skin itch.

Warrick seemed to sense it too as his gaze flickered to Drayton, but back to the mayor. By the time the impromptu meeting ended, I left feeling unsettled.

As we were about to leave, Drayton Jr. asked, “Where in Florida did you say you were from again?”

“Miami,” I said. “Coral Gardens. Have you been there?”

“No, sorry,” he laughed. “The only part of Miami I know is Palm Beach.”

“A bit out of my beaten path,” I lied with a soft laugh. “But if you go back, avoid the sharks.”

“Why? I’m the biggest one,” Drayton grinned.

What the fuck was that about?

“Oh, I forgot. Warrick, Janie Blackwood asked for you,” Treeve said. “She’s about to get a couple of machines that her foundation sourced for you. You might want to run by her some time.”

“She found the Q-Line Solarium?” Warrick’s jaw dropped.

“And the Horse Vibration Plate,” Treeve added, rubbing the back of his neck. “I tell you, there is nothing that lady cannot find. She’s got contacts who've got contacts. She could probably get you an audience with the President if you want.”

We said our goodbyes and left for the parking lot. Hopping into his truck, I let out a long breath. “Was that me, or was that…strange?”

“The nepotism or unwanted attention Drayton was giving you?” Warrick said as we weaved through the town.

“Both.” I shivered.

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