Charming You (Thirsty Hearts Book 1) (12 page)

N
ick did
a double-take when he saw who was calling his cell phone.

He answered. "This is a surprise."

"I suppose it is, but I'm calling about business. Legal business," Micky clarified. Nick's stomach tightened. She couldn't possibly know about the Morans' interest in acquiring Azur. Could she? His breath caught in his throat. He didn't know what he would say if she asked him questions about the deal. Or he did. Nothing. Nothing is all he
could
say.

"Hello?"

"Yes. I'm still here. What kind of business would that be?" Nick asked, formality creeping into his tone.

"Acquisition business. That's the kind of law you practice, right?"

"Yes. Did you have a question about your company or someone else's?" Nick's voice broke a little.

"Someone else's. It's my friend Taryn's fiancé. He has a company, and they've received some offers. They're looking for an attorney to help."

Nick exhaled and lifted his eyes to the heavens in gratitude.

"I could talk with them and refer them to some firms that could help. To be honest, my firm only looks at deals in the hundred million dollar plus range. Big mergers. Big business."

"I don't know if the deal would be that big. All she told me was some of the offers are for tens of millions."

"Really?" She'd surprised him again. "In that case, it might not hurt to have a meeting. What's the name of their company?"

"I think his main company is called Code Zoo. But they're selling a technology they've developed. That has another name. I don't remember."

"So, the acquiring company would be buying a technology, not the company?"

"That's a question for Jeff, but I have his information. And I kind of already gave Taryn yours, so you may be getting a call from him. I didn't realize they might be too small."

"Maybe not. We're looking to get more tech business, and if they think they might be developing lots of technologies to sell off, the overall size of their business could be interesting. I'll take it to my partner and see."

Bringing more personal business to the firm worried Nick, but he figured this was at least a couple of degrees removed from Micky herself. The size of the business could be substantial. Who knows? If Tom got pissed off and ran elsewhere, at least Nick would have something to replace it. Maybe.

He relaxed. Even suggesting he had more business would keep his stock high.

"Thanks. I'd appreciate it. Jeff's a great guy, and this whole thing is tremendously important to Taryn."

"I'll do what I can," Nick said. "What else is going on with you?"

"Not much, as per usual. Still working on our Paris event. Planning Taryn's wedding."

"No more rumors to give you heartburn?" he asked and palmed his forehead, hoping at this point Micky continued to reveal very little to him.

"No. All clear."

"Good. I'm glad you called. Do you like basketball?"

"Uh. I go to the occasional game. I'm not the biggest sports fan."

"But the games are fun, right? And I have very impressive suite tickets for a game in a couple of weeks. Even if you don't like basketball, there's the food, cocktails, the illuminati of Dallas wandering the halls of the American Airlines Center."

The trill of Micky's laughter delighted him.

"You'll get to see my niece again and meet my other niece. I'm going to the game with my sister and her family. I promise you'll have a blast."

"You press your case like an expert. You should be a lawyer," Micky quipped.

"I'm passionate about my case."

"Let me check my schedule and get back to you. Which night is it?"

"A week from Saturday. I can pick you up, and we can grab something to eat before meeting my family at the arena."

"We'll see," she said.

"Okay. Okay. I'll let you think it over."

"Let me?"

"I'll wait patiently and with respect while you think it over," Nick corrected.

"Better. I'll call you by next week."

After he hung up, Nick turned back to the briefs in front of him. He owed Bob his corrections by the end of the day. As he clicked through the pages of the document on his computer, he found himself whistling.

"You're in a good mood. I heard you all the way down the hall."

Nick popped his head up and saw Sean Roth, one of the other associates, standing in his doorway.

"Things are good," Nick said.

"Lucky you."

M
icky wound
her way up the Tollway in rush hour traffic, getting antsier with every mile. Pete asked to meet her at a sports bar on the north side of town. He didn't say why, but Micky could guess.

He and his girlfriend were close to getting engaged. Clarissa had turned her brother into a romantic. Micky smiled. Strange that the men in the family seemed to embrace the romance in life so readily while the women alternated between practical and cynical. Pete would likely dream up something elaborate to pop the question. Whatever he needed from Micky, she was onboard.

Once she arrived, she walked in and immediately spotted her brother in a booth in the bar area. He smiled and waved, beckoning her over.

"Hey, little sis."

"Hey. What possible reason do you have for making me drive all the way out here to southern Oklahoma?" Micky asked.

Pete rolled his eyes. She liked to tease him about living in the far north Dallas suburbs.

"I need your help with something, but first, do you want a drink?" he asked.

"Are we getting something to eat?"

"Sure."

"Then, I'll have a vodka martini," she said.

The waiter arrived, and they ordered drinks and a couple of appetizers.

"What do you need my help with?"

Pete took a deep breath. "You know I've been thinking about proposing to Clarissa."

"Yeah," Micky said, smiling.

"Well, I bought a ring, and I'm ready to pop the question."

Micky grinned and kicked her brother playfully under the table. "That's great! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks. It's been a long road with quite a few crazies along the way, but I've finally found the right woman. I want this to be kind of special."

"More than 'kind of' I'm guessing."

"Her parents are coming in from Arkansas in a couple of weeks, and I'm inviting my mother back in town, and Dad. I'd like you to be there, and I need your help to set things up at the restaurant," Pete explained.

He then went into detail about how he planned to propose. He wanted the entire family there to meet and witness the engagement. Family, he told her, was very important to Clarissa, and even though his was fractured, he hoped everyone could show up and get along for one night. He'd found a pastry chef at a local Italian restaurant who could create elaborate desserts to present gifts—especially engagement rings.

"It'll be chocolate, of course. Clarissa loves chocolate. And since she's a chef too, I think she'll appreciate the artistry of the whole thing," Pete said, beaming. Who would have thought her brother, the financial analyst, could plan something so creative?

"Have you talked to Dad?" Micky asked. She hated to be a wet blanket, but rounding up the whole family often proved more difficult than it should be.

"Well," Pete sighed. "I broached the subject with him a few days ago. He said he and his girlfriend should be able to make it."

"A new woman?"

"Apparently. Anyway, he has the dates and the details, and he said he wouldn't miss it," Pete said, his voice woven with the doubts that Micky shared. Their father often promised to show up at your important events—recitals, graduations—but emergencies and overwhelming obstacles found a way of interfering at the last minute.

"I hope he can make it, but you know I'll be there. If your mom said she'd be there, you know you can count on her. I'll do whatever you need me to do," Micky assured him. "Are you nervous?"

"A little. Not about Clarissa, but all the other details. I want it to go perfectly."

The waiter appeared with their drinks and the platter of hummus, pita, and vegetables they'd ordered. Micky took the small plate in front of her and loaded it with a scoop of dip and pieces of pita bread.

"Clarissa will be thrilled with whatever you do. She loves you, you know."

Pete nodded and sipped his rum and cola. "You're going to make your brother get all mushy," he laughed.

"Good. I like seeing you mushy. It gives me hope for the male of the species. That's been flagging lately."

"Uh oh. What happened?"

"I met Hermes tie for drinks, and it turns out he was engaged, but that's over. We've seen each other a few times."

"That's good, right?"

"Yeah."

"You still don't believe him?" Pete asked.

"I do, but I feel stupid for believing him. I feel like I haven't learned my lesson."

"He's not married, right?"

"No."

"Has he lied to you? It sounds like he told you what's going on," Pete said.

"He has," Micky admitted.

"Then go slow. You obviously like him."

"I'm not sure." Micky twisted her mouth with trepidation.

"I am sure. It's obvious. Why not give him a chance?"

"I know," Micky sighed. "He invited me to a Mavs game with his family."

Pete raised his eyebrows. "His family already?"

"I think he's trying to make a point that he's on the up and up."

"Well, that should do it. Go," Pete pushed.

"I told him I'd check my schedule."

"Clear it and go. It's a date, not a wedding. You're under no obligations. You women overthink everything."

Her brother laughed.

"We have to worry about getting attached."

"Men do too. Don't forget that. Right now, this guy is somewhere getting attached to you."

"Uh huh, right."

"You underestimate your appeal. You're a great catch. And if this guy doesn't treat you like the princess you are, let me know. I'll kill him."

"Princess? More like queen," Micky snickered. "I need to go to the bathroom. And I need a drink. Order me a martini, peasant."

Pete bowed his head. "Yes, ma'am."

Micky mulled over Pete's advice and decided to get her relationship hypochondria under control.

W
ith planning
for their Paris event reaching crunch time, Micky and Taryn found themselves putting in crazy hours—from sun up to well past sundown each day. The next week flew by in a blur, and by the following Thursday, Micky had seen enough of the frosted glass walls of her office.

She decided to call an "off-site" meeting—their term for getting the hell out of the office and finding a more atmospheric place to finish their work and then ease into cocktail hour. They packed up their laptops and papers and headed for a new bistro a few blocks from their office.

"Look at that rain. The traffic is going to be a nightmare getting out of here," Taryn noted, as she popped a piece of calamari in her mouth and hit
send
on an email to a vendor.

"Then I guess we'll have to stay for dinner and drinks. See if we can't outlast the rain," Micky replied. It was nearly 6:00 p.m., and the bar area of the restaurant started to fill with happy hour revelers.

"We should order dinner to justify holding down a four-top table," Taryn declared. The pair had spread out over a corner table and taken advantage of the free wireless Internet for the past three hours.

"Okay. Can you review the copy for the event brochure? I sent it to you. We need to get that back to them tonight. Then, I'm ready for my martini."

Taryn turned her attention back to her laptop while Micky got dinner menus from their waiter. She had settled on a burger and a salad when the waiter returned with a tray of drinks.

"Those aren't ours. We haven't ordered yet," Micky told the thin, stylish waiter.

"You didn't order, but that gentleman over there in the bar sent these over. This one," he said, setting down a martini, "is for you. And the champagne is for your friend. He said to send his apologies if you don't like champagne, but he figured it was a good guess."

"It is. I do love champagne," Taryn said, sipping on the flute and twisting around to surveil the bar.

Micky scanned the area and quickly found a pair of piercing green eyes. Nick lifted his tumbler in cheers, and Micky felt compelled to lift her glass back at him. Anything else would be terribly rude.

"Mmm. He has excellent taste," Taryn noted. "We should thank him."

"You'll get your chance. He's coming over."

He had his jacket and tie off and the sleeves of his French blue dress shirt rolled to his elbows. Nick glided toward them, looking easy and relaxed, drink in hand. Micky trailed her eyes down his broad chest, narrow hips, and long, striding legs, then back up again. Her face got hot.

He must have seen her examining every inch of him. When she reached his face, he was smiling at her. Feathered crinkles framed his grass-green eyes. Then, he winked at her, which would normally make her roll her eyes, but instead, she felt her blush deepen, and warmth spread through her body.

"Thank you for the drinks," Micky said. "Do you remember Taryn?"

"I do. Good to see you again. Your fiancé called me the other day about selling part of his business."

"Oh, he did? I'm glad. Good to see you again as well."

"You're here by yourself?" Micky inquired, glancing behind him.

"Not exactly. I'm here with Sam, another associate from my law firm, but he's found himself a nice young lady to talk to at the bar. I don't think he's missing me."

He gestured toward a shorter, stockier man with thick brown hair slicked back and gelled nearly to the point of cracking. Sam had found a buxom redhead in a short, body-conscious dress. He spoke with animation about something that had her laughing hysterically.

"If Sam's abandoned you, you're welcome to join us," Taryn said, surprising Micky. Her friend closed her computer and moved her work to the side, clearing the table in front of the free chair next to her. Nick took immediate advantage of the invitation and sat down.

"Thanks. Micky tells me you are in the middle of planning your wedding. Congratulations."

"Thank you. It's nerve-wracking, but we're getting everything done. Event planning is what I do for a living, so I at least have the advantage of knowing how to navigate all the different vendors and everything. It's amazing how much more expensive everything is just because it's a wedding."

"It's a racket," Micky proclaimed.

Nick laughed. "I suppose it is."

"I'm sorry. Micky mentioned that you had just called off your engagement. You probably don't want to talk about weddings. Bless your heart."

Micky nearly choked on her martini. Leave it to Taryn to be incredibly blunt, but somehow soften the blow with her southern sweetness.

"It's fine. We're still friends. It just didn't work out," Nick replied. He paused, and Micky could tell there was more he wanted to say, but instead he took another swig of his scotch.

"Still friends?" Taryn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I suppose that's possible," Micky said.

"You aren't friends with your exes?" Nick asked.

Micky pursed her lips. "Not the most recent one."

"It sounds like there's a story there," Nick noted.

"Not really. Like you said, it just didn't work out."

Taryn coughed and changed the subject. "I want to thank you for talking with Jeff. He said it looks like your firm might be willing to help him and his partner."

"Yes. No problem. Thank you for recommending me. My supervising partner was enthusiastic about adding another tech firm to our roster. We're still ironing out the details, but things are looking positive that Jeff and I will be working together."

Taryn smiled. "Having legal help will take a lot off his plate. Now are you ready to order, Micky? I need some dinner."

"I should let you two get back to your business," Nick said, pushing back his chair.

"You don't have to rush off if you don't want to. Have you eaten anything?" Micky asked.

"No. I'd love to join you if that's okay."

Micky looked at him and gave him a welcoming smile.