Page 9 of The Paris Roommates: Dean
“Only Kyle after you kissed him to run off his ex-fiancée,” Sawyer joked, but he snapped his mouth shut after Golden Boy and Madison turned their evil glares on him.
Brooke bit the inside of her mouth. Clearly that joke was growing old.
“We seem to have everything resolved, then.” Nanine rose and walked over to kiss Dean on both cheeks. “Continue to pursue the cave. From what I recall, Chef Beaumont had a good one. Perhaps not as good as my own, but still worth having.”
“Dean and I both read the inventory list,” Sawyer told her. “It’s got a very similar profile to yours, but yes, I would agree you had the edge.”
“I told the woman brokering the auction that I’d get in touch about when we can come and see the cave,” Dean told them. “I’ll need your schedules. I can send you an online calendar—”
“I’ll handle that,” Brooke broke in, knowing how much Nanine abhorred using technology.
Nanine sent her a soft smile. “Thank you, Brooke. Of course, we will need to check to make sure it has been stored properly. I do not know what the conditions have been after the restaurant closed.”
“That is easy to discover,” Kyle assured her. “We will take the usual precautions. When is the auction?”
“Three days after Thea’s thirtieth birthday,” Dean said, his former smile reappearing. “How’s that for luck? Want more? The owner of the wine shop commented about me having the parrot. The daughter had just been in, you see, about the cave. More kismet and all. I’d like to think it will make an impression on the seller.”
“Stop trying to talk it up, Dean,” Madison told him. “You’re not in any danger from my cleaver.”
“He might be when he confesses he really likes the seller.” Sawyer batted his dark eyelashes playfully. “She’s so beautiful—”
“Hey! I can’t help having good taste in women.”
Brooke’s stomach turned to acid. Surely he wasn’t thinking…
Oh, of course he was. She fought a rare shriek. Dean was a dreamer, but he always followed it up with purposeful action. He’d risen from a rough upbringing to being a multi-millionaire in the tech sector. He had a great sense for creating things and helping people actualize their dreams, but he wasn’t known for his good sense with women.
In the past, women had used him for his ideas and his help. Even his very intelligent venture capitalist girlfriend had used him to find mega-successful ideas she and her company could invest in on the cheap. Because Dean knew when something was going to hit big. But this complication?
Brooke wanted him to be happy, but she’d worry if he put himself out there again with someone who had a cave they wanted. She didn’t need any more worries to add to her list.
The primary worry…
Helping Nanine was terrific and so was working with her roommates, but her role would be finished as soon as the renovation was done. Sure, she’d help with the bakery too, but what was she going to dothen? She was sick of reporting on the latest fashions being worn by unrelatable and often bitchy nineteen- to twenty-three-year-olds, especially when one of the biggest models in the world—the nineteen-year-old Brazilian bimbo Plumonia—was dating the man she’d imagined marrying before he’d dumped her for a teenager.
Dean dug the newspaper clipping out of his pocket and carefully unfolded it.
“Kyle, take a look at this and tell me she’s not a dream,” he said with stars in his eyes.
Kyle took the clipping, and Brooke and Madison leaned in, naturally. Nanine did as well, making a very French sound of appreciation.
God, the woman in the photograph was so Dean’s type. She was gorgeous, of course, but she also appeared confident and interesting. “Interesting that she’s a sommelier and is selling the cave.”
When Kyle handed it back, Dean fingered the clipping before putting it back in his pocket. Yeah, he was already dreaming about her. “The pet store owner said she wasn’t based in Paris.”
Brooke felt guilty for considering that welcoming news. A long-term relationship wouldn’t be possible, assuming Dean met her. Which he planned to, of course.
“You’re going to ask her out when you meet her to see the cave, aren’t you?” Madison accused with her pointer finger.
“Of course he is,” Brooke said with an eye roll.
“Dammit, Dean,” Madison continued, “you will not mess up the possible acquisition of a cave using your—”
“We know what you mean, Madison,” Nanine interjected with a cool smile. “Dean would never do such a thing. He knows how important having a prized cave is to this restaurant. And what a rare find this is.”
“Of course I do.” Dean’s laugh didn’t quite meet his eyes. “I’m the guy who found it. Heck, I was the one who believed in the impossible.”
His assurance didn’t extinguish the worry vibrating in Brooke’s stomach. Dean loved women like some people loved golf. They were going to have to watch him. “You won’t meet with her alone,” she declared, catching his eye.
