Page 21 of Wild in the Woods
She turned away from Fox to give Greg her full attention, which, of course, he seemed to drink up.
“Five years now. Yeah, I own the 76 Bistro downtown so I can get away whenever a call comes in. As a matter of fact, I’m looking to open another location in Denver—”
“That’s enough, Romeo,” Fox ground out. “Everyone in the conference room.”
“Should I come too?”
He’d rather she go wait in the truck, but he nodded instead. “Sit in the back and don’t ask questions.”
Entering the conference room, he found his crew around the long oval table with Osprey gobbling up the opportunity to wiggle from man to man for attention. Needy dog. All eyes shifted to Lulu as she entered and took a seat in a chair pushed against the wall in the corner. She held her phone in one hand and a stylus in the other, ready to take notes for her damn story.
Why did that irritate him so much?
“Everyone, this is Ms. Orlando. She’s observing today.”
“You’re the reporter from Chicago,” someone called from the back.
“No,” someone else said. “She’s Cap’s date to Desi’s wedding. Right?”
His date. God, was everyone trying to hook him up?
“Hey, Cap, my sister said she’ll go with you. Want her number?”
“Hell, my wife said she’d go with you. Not sure how I should feel about that.”
Fox shook his head. “Here’s the CAD. Everyone look it over while we wait for Rocky Mountain Search and Rescue to brief us.”
Lulu was looking at him with a hefty dose of curiosity. She’d want to know about this wedding date business. More fodder for her story. The story he wasn’t going to give her. Checking his phone for any updates, he glanced back her way to see Greg sitting beside her. She was laughing at something he said, and Greg’s arm slowly sneaked along the back of her chair.
His insides jumped as his bear came to attention. It sniffed, listened. Growled with a threatening rumble. The sound of the paper being passed around the table was loud in his ears. Greg’s aftershave mixed with Lulu’s delicate scent and had him seeing red.
Another male was marking over her scent, claiming her—
“Hey, Cap. Why don’t you let Ms. Orlando write a story about No Boundaries? That’s some good advertising!”
Greg sat up straighter in his chair. “I mean, she can write about me all she wants. 76 Bistro is at your disposal.”
The whole room was looking at him. “We have a missing hiker. Focus.”
Ryker grinned and leaned back in his chair. “Can’t do much until Rocky Mountain calls. We’re just killing time, so, let’s talk this out. What would it take for you to agree to her interview?”
Fox moved his jaw back and forth and aimed a deadly glare at his brother. A chorus of agreement went up around the room. Rocky Mountain could call any damn second now. Lulu was still looking at him, her face displaying her eagerness for his answer.
He didn’t have an answer. It wasn’t going to happen.
His phone rang, thank God.
Answering, he swiveled out into the hallway for some privacy. A minute later, he put his phone away, relieved as he went back inside the conference room.
“The hiker has been found. Thanks, everyone. Sign the roster on your way out.”
A cheer went around the room. Too many calls didn’t have a happy ending, so those that did deserved a little celebration. The room emptied, his men continuing to rib him on their way out.
Standing, Lulu smoothed her shirt and approached. Why hadn’t he noticed how sexy she looked in black skinny jeans and a black top? Her cocoa skin looked smooth beneath the fluorescent lights that highlighted the hues of copper and black in her hair.
“Can I ask you some questions now?”
Fox whistled to Osprey who was napping in the corner, tired from all the attention.
