Page 13 of Say You'll Stay

“Can’t it be both?”

I smile. “I have just the thing.”

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7

BEAU

It is a pity Elsie said that thing about not wasting my time, because that is precisely what she is doing, and now, I feel a pinch of guilt about wasting hers as well. Still, though, she is fun to watch. The way she moves is breathtaking. Is it really a waste of time to enjoy the company of a beautiful woman?

It is, since I don’t intend to buy what she’s selling.

Never mind that. I’m here to listen. But she distracts me as she moves. She tied her long blond curls back into a loose, but professional ponytail and every time she turns her head, her curls bounce. A silly thing to get caught on, but I like it. Those bright blue eyes light up when she discusses her drawings, proud and confident. She knows what she’s doing, and she is miles ahead of where I thought she’d be.

This is the same woman I thought had slept her way to the top, and now, I feel like shit for thinking that about her.

Though it’s true, she could have made someone else do the drawings for her, no one is this good of an actress. She isn’t pretending while presenting someone else’s work—I know precisely what that looks like.

When I’d been a nerd, hopelessly devoted to a cheerleader who used me for her schoolwork, I had seen her present my work over and over for years. She never knew the details of it, never studied what I gave her. It was all a show, and some teachers caught onto her game, but could never prove what she had done, and I wasn’t about to speak up, either.

This is certainly not that.

I pick a random question to test her. “Elsie, why have the family restaurant there? Why not by the outer wall near the pro shop for the golfers?”

She smiles. “Two reasons—this way, it’s closer to the kid’s pool so families can easily go from one place to another, and the plumbing will already be on the other side of that wall for the fountain in the lobby. If you were to put it by the pro shop, there’s almost no plumbing around, which means you’ll have to run extra lines from there and there for the kitchen, doubling or even tripling your plumbing expense. It’s doable, if you want to blow up your budget.”

“I don’t.” A smirk tugs at my lips. “Continue.”

She nods once and goes on, and I’m struck by her answer. She is mindful of our budget, while keeping an eye out for the things I might like. It’s an outstanding trait to have for someone in her line of work—the customer service aspect of her job I thought she didn’t have, given our last meeting. She had been spiky then, and I’m not sure why exactly. But she hadn’t left me with the impression that she understood how to speak to a client, and I am pleasantly surprised by her turnaround.

And when she turns around, I am pleasantly surprised again. That ass—

“Beau, are you with me?”

I blink. “Yes, apologies. Clearly, I need more coffee.”

She smiles politely. “Understood. I’ll make the rest of this quick. If you...”

But I tune out once more. One of her buttons has come undone, giving an even better view of her ample cleavage. I never know what to say to a person when that happens. Well. I never know what to say to a woman when that happens. With a man, it’s generally safe to alert him to the situation. With a woman, it’s treacherous waters. They could accuse me of all sorts of things, and regardless if they’re true, the fact remains I can see the edge of her pale pink bra’s lace.

It vexes me. Almost as much as her perfume.

I’d caught the fragrance when she breezed in, and now my office will be scented with Elsie Braudel after she leaves. Not that she wore too much of it—on the contrary, it’s a rather light perfume. Almost floral mixed with something else...vanilla? I can’t quite tell. But I like it.

But. No matter how good she smells or looks, no matter how innovative or professional she is, she is still not Pavel. I had to take this meeting to make it look like I was playing ball and honoring our contract, but I am waiting on pins and needles for my lawyers to give me my way out of it. So, I smile and nod and pretend to pay attention to more than her pink lace. She wraps up her discussion of the restaurant, and moves on to the golf course, and I cut in. “Does Klein and Associates do many golf courses, or do you outsource?”

“We can do everything in-house, but you are welcome to contract with a golf architecture firm if you like. The golf course wasn’t stipulated in our contract, so that is up to you.”

That’s a relief. I had neglected to realize it could be in the contract. “Is there someone you like to work with on these things?”

Elsie’s plump lips curve upward like she has a little secret, and it’s devious and sexy as hell. Damn, she’s got to stop doing that, or I’ll have a hard time kicking her out. “I am supposed to tell you about someone on our design team who is fabulous and will make all your golfing dreams come true, but the fact is, Denny Winters at Dynamic Golf in Manhattan is better. I can send you an introduction email, if you like.”

“That is quite generous. I’d appreciate it. Thank you. And thanks for the honesty, as well.” She is doing her best to make me not want to dismiss her.

She shrugs, smiling. “Walter had tried to get Denny in at Klein, but he has a contract with Dynamic. No sense in making you miss out on something extraordinary just because he has a contract in the way.”

Her turn of phrase cuts at the heart of the problem, but I refrain from pointing that out. “Indeed. Go on.”

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