Renaissance: A Contemporary Erotic Romance (Iris Series Book 5) (11 page)

“Yeah.  Have fun, you two,” Drew said, his eyes finding Tiffany’s once again.  He smiled politely, if not a bit stiffly, and he and his sister walked away to a table ten feet away.

Once she and Todd were seated again, Tiffany realized that Drew sat facing her while Carly’s and Todd’s backs were to each other.  She took a deep breath and grabbed her burger, hoping to distract herself from feeling Drew’s eyes on her.  She chewed, her eyes skittering up only to see the doctor looking at her from his table. 

She swallowed some of the food in her mouth with some difficulty, and looked away.  They ate in silence for a few minutes until Todd finally broke the tension.

“So,” Todd began.  “How long did you and Drew date?”

Tiffany nearly spit out her food.  Instead, she swallowed, the bread from the bun practically lodging in her throat.  She took a sip of water before answering.

“Excuse me?”

Todd gave her a ‘come on’ look.

“We’re just friends.  He’s got a girlfriend.”

“That’s not what I asked.”  He waited patiently.

“There’s nothing, really.  We’ve been out a couple of times alone, but usually when we see each other it’s with friends.”

“So you’ve never had a relationship outside of friendship?  I just thought I saw something there,” he continued, giving her a probing look.

Geez.  How did this conversation become so personal all of the sudden?  Did he see ‘that something’ from her, or from Drew?

Tiffany hesitated, then said, “We went to a hospital party on New Year’s, shared a nice kiss at midnight, and that was that.  Like I said, just friends.”  She took another bite of her burger. 
Nice, my ass.  Mind blowing was more like it.

Todd waited a moment.  “If you say so,” he shrugged. 

She smiled and he began talking about his new contract on the Brooklyn brownstone.  While he talked, Tiffany could see out of her peripheral vision Carly’s hands moving in lively conversation with her brother, hearing her laugh.  After a moment, Carly got up from the table and headed toward the restroom. 

At one point, Todd looked down at his food during his conversation, and Tiffany looked over to Drew who sat there staring at her from his table, a lazy and smug smile curling his lips.  He cocked an eyebrow in challenge at her.

Tiffany bristled and wiped her mouth.

“Todd, I’m just going to run to the restroom.  I’ll be right back.”

“Sure.”

Tiffany got up and walked confidently toward the man who was still staring at her, his smile becoming more and more challenging as she got closer.

“Is there a reason why you’re staring at me, Doctor?” she demanded sweetly.

“There are lots of reasons, actually.” 

She clenched her teeth and smiled.  “Care to elaborate?”

“Well, one, you’re a beautiful woman.  A man can’t help but stare.”

She rolled her eyes, but tamped down the excitement at his words.

“And two, I was just remembering the other day.”  He scratched at his tightly trimmed goatee, an innocent expression on his face.  “I seem to recall you saying you weren’t dating anyone.” 

She crossed her arms.  Was he jealous?  He couldn’t be, could he?  He was dating someone, after all.  Oh, this was good.  Her lips lifted into a grin.

“I didn’t realize I needed to keep you aware of my dating schedule, or the change in my relationship status.”  Before she could shut her mouth, she added, “You certainly didn’t keep me informed of the change in
yours
.”

He leaned back and crossed his legs, folding his hands in his lap.  His features were controlled.  “Had I known there was a desire for you to be informed, I certainly would’ve done so.  You certainly didn’t lead me to think that you even cared that much.”

A moment passed where they glared at each other, trying to read the other’s mind.

“How long has it been going on?” he asked.

Huh?
“How long has what been going on?”

“Wow.  I guess he hasn’t made that much of an impression on you.”

Her eyes narrowed at him.  How had she not realized how arrogant the man was?

“If you’re asking how long I’ve been dating Todd, we’ve only just begun seeing each other.  We’re not serious, really.  It’s very casual.” 
Stop there, Tiffany.  Just shut up for once.
Of course, she couldn’t.  “I didn’t lie to you the other day.  I told you I was ready to date and at the time, Todd and I hadn’t begun seeing each other yet.”

“Well, I guess you were right.  After our conversation, you waited all of two days.  You really
were
ready, and apparently didn’t waste any time getting back out there.”  His snarky yet innocent tone put her back up.

She put her hands on her hips.  “You know what?  I don’t owe you any explanations.”

“So were you seeing him when I stopped by the other night?  Because it’s funny.  You didn’t mention him.  Well, interestingly enough, you
did
when you were talking about the foundation, but didn’t mention you were dating him.”

She sputtered, “You are something else, you know that?”

He raised an eyebrow.  “How’s that?”

She looked around then lowered her voice, plastering a smile on her face.  “
You
were seeing someone when you stopped by the other night.  And by the way,” she couldn’t stop herself, “you certainly didn’t waste any time getting back out there either.”

“Oh, really?”  He shifted in his seat and looked her dead in the eye.  “In what way, Tiff?  Tell me.  Because I recall it being several
weeks
after New Year’s before I –”

“Hey, there.  I hope I’m interrupting something because this looks good.”

Tiffany looked up and saw Carly standing at the table.  She wiped her face of all annoyance and smiled tightly.  “Nothing good here, I can assure you.  You guys get back to your dinner.  See you tomorrow.”  Then she gave Drew a look and said saucily, “I need to get back to my date.” 

“Yeah, have a good one,” Drew said, as if he could care less.

She turned and walked away, adding a little more sway to her hips.  She thought she heard Carly chuckling.

“I’m back.”  She sat down in front of Todd.

“Hey.”  He looked at her closely.  “You okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Your face is flushed.”

“I’m feeling a little warm, I think.”  She fanned out her shirt a little.  “I’m okay.” 

“Food alright?”

“Yeah, it was great.”  She still had a half of a burger left.  “I think I’ll take this to go, though.”

He raised his hand to call the waitress over who was nearby.  She took the plates and before she left, Todd asked if Tiffany wanted dessert.  When she declined, the waitress handed them the check. 

“You want to split it?” she asked, wondering how he wanted to settle the bill.  He’d asked so she assumed he was going to want to pick it up.

Drew would’ve paid for it regardless.

“Sure,” he said, grabbing his wallet.

Hmm.
 

Her mind immediately went to the cafeteria lunch with Drew, not to mention her dinner out with him months earlier.  There was no way in hell he would let her pay for the dinner, having very strong views about gentlemanly behavior.  Although she argued like the devil with him that night, the stark difference between his behavior and Todd’s struck her and she was immediately confused by her reaction to it.  She was a taxpaying citizen, had plenty of money, and was absolutely a liberated woman who contributed to society.  Why the hell should it bother her that they split the bill?

They got up to leave and she felt Drew’s eyes on her.

“Do you want to say goodbye to your friends?” Todd asked.

“No, I’m good.  I’ll just wave.”  She lifted her hand and waved to Drew.  He nodded at her while Carly turned to see where he was looking.  She waved to Tiffany exuberantly and smiling, mouthed ‘See you tomorrow’.  Tiffany smiled, and she and Todd left the restaurant.

Tiffany was quiet on the cab ride home, her mind racing from the conversation she’d had with Drew minutes before.  Todd playfully knocked his knee with hers to get her attention.  She glanced over at him and he gave her an inquisitive look.

“Sorry,” she said, feeling guilty.  “I’m not feeling that great, I guess.”

He nodded, watching her.  “I’m sorry.  I hope it wasn’t the food.”

“No, I think I’m just tired.  It’s been a long week.  Thanks for calling tonight.  It was good to get out,” she smiled politely.

“I’m glad you came.”

The cab pulled up in front of her building, and she took out some money and paid her half. 

“I could’ve gotten that,” he groused.  “Just get inside.”  He turned to the cabbie and asked him to wait.  “I’ll walk you to the door.”  He got out with her and they walked up to the door where the doorman stood.  “Feel better, okay?”

“Thanks.  I’m sorry I’m such a fuddy duddy tonight.”

“No worries.  You don’t feel well,” he shrugged.  He leaned over and kissed her softly on the cheek.  “Talk to you soon.”  He smiled softly and touched the side of her face.

She nodded and said goodbye, and he turned and got back into the cab, waving through the window as it pulled away from the curb.  She walked inside, almost in a dream state, going over every single word that was said between her and Drew. 

Going through the motions, she changed into her leggings and sweatshirt.  With her mind still racing, she settled on her comfy sofa, wine in hand and e-reader on her lap, needing a ‘run of the mill’ sappy romance to escape and stop her brain from zipping between Drew and Todd.  Well, if she was going to be honest, it only zipped to Drew.

Had he been jealous tonight?  He’d certainly appeared so.  She’d never seen him other than polite and sweet, but tonight, he was definitely more...

She couldn’t quite come up with the word, but the first word that came to mind was
sexier
.  She put her wine down and dropped her head back onto the cushion, closing her eyes.

...after our conversation, you waited all of two days...you were ready, and apparently didn’t waste any time getting back out there...oh, really?...in what way, Tiff?...because I recall it being several weeks after New Year’s...”

The sound of her text going off jolted her from her thoughts.  She looked at the clock on her mantle.  It was already ten o’clock.  She must’ve fallen asleep.  Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she grabbed her phone and looked at the text.

It was from Drew.

DREW: 
Hate to interrupt your date, but wanted to give u a time for tomorrow since Carly and I just talked about it.

Tiffany bit her lip, smiling. 

TIFF:
No worries.  What time did u decide?

It took a minute or two for him to respond.

DREW: 
I wasn’t expecting to hear from u so soon.  Date end early?

She chuckled.

TIFF:
Once again, concerned w/ my dating schedule, Doc?

DREW:
And once again, doesn’t sound like he’s making a big impression.

Grr.  She wanted to beat the man.

TIFF: 
Anyway. What time do u want to meet tomorrow?

DREW: 
Hm. Evasive. How does 4 sound then dinner afterwards?

TIFF: 
Not evasive, just not your concern, Dr. Huntington.  And 4 sounds fine.

Take that, Doc.

DREW: 
No need to get snarky, Daniels.  Now that your back out there, I’m just making sure you’re picking men who’ll at least make an impression.

TIFF: 
What makes u so sure he hasn’t made an impression?

DREW: 
A lucky guess.  I’m a smart man.

TIFF: 
And so humble.

DREW: 
That too.

TIFF: 
I’m seeing a different side of u, Doc.
She wanted to add, ‘jealous much?’ but didn’t want to push it.

DREW:
That’s b/c I know how to make an impression on a woman.

Wow.  What the hell did that mean?

TIFF: 
Yeah, but what’s the impression you’re going for here?

DREW: 
I think you know what impression I’m going for.

She sat there and stupidly looked at the phone.  Her mind was in complete disarray and she had no idea how to respond.  Moments passed and still she didn’t know what to write back.  Apparently she took too long.

DREW: 
Wow, speechless?  That’s almost unheard of, Daniels.  See u tomorrow.

She smacked her forehead.  Shit.  Just thinking about the texts made her anxious.  What did it all mean?  He was showing a different side to her, and if she was going to be honest, it made her even hotter.  He was blatantly flirting with her in his subtle way which was keeping her off kilter.  He was no longer that sweet and humble man who had been a good friend, who happened to be gorgeous as sin.  He was now morphing into a more complex character, showing nuances and attitude which only made her feel more tension with him.

And it made it that much more difficult to not be attracted to the jerk.

She slept fitfully that night, and by three o’clock the next day, Tiffany was in a state of insanity thinking about Drew.  Before leaving, she chose her clothing carefully, wearing a cranberry colored Vera Wang top with skinny jeans and high boots.  Choosing to wear red had nothing to do with Drew liking her in the color.  It was her favorite color on herself as well.  She had tons of red clothes.

Yeah, whatever you say, Tiff.

When she got to the warehouse, she straightened up the office and lounge area then went into the small room off of it to make sure the bedding was straight on the single beds set up in the rest area for the girls.

After that, she wiped her hands on her pants to try to lessen the nerves she felt and went to her desk to go over questions she wanted to ask Carly.  Thankfully, the task distracted her until she heard the knock on the door.

She looked up to see them through the window.  Carly was beaming from ear to ear, and Drew...Drew stared holes through her, giving her a once over with his eyes.

She swallowed and put on a happy confident face, then walked to the door to let them in.

“Hey there,” she said smiling, stepping back so they could enter.

“Hey,” Drew said quietly.  His eyes continued to peruse her face then drifted down the length of her body as if trying not to forget one detail.  Tiffany was doing the same, memorizing the dark jeans, his tan boots, and pale lavender button down shirt with a plaid buttoned vest and blazer over it.  He looked stylish and scrumptious.  The two of them enjoyed their moment until Carly cleared her throat loudly.  Tiffany looked over to her, embarrassed.

Carly smiled at her.  “Don’t let me interrupt.”  Her eyes twinkled and immediately she engulfed her into a bear hug.  There was such a positive and lively energy surrounding her.  “It’s so great to finally see the place.”  Both she and Drew had the same look on their faces she hoped every person would have when they entered.

“Holy shit,” Drew said finally looking around, just as Carly whispered, “Wow.”

Tiffany gave them their moment which stretched into two full minutes until finally they both turned to her, big toothy grins on their faces.

“We’ve got to bring Deidre here.  Could you imagine?  She’d go nuts,” Drew said.

“It’s
awe
some, Tiffany.  Lord, what a thing to design.  This is amazing,” laughed Carly.  “I want to live here.”

Tiffany bit her lip to stop from giggling, but she couldn’t help but smile broadly at their reaction.  “It’s great, isn’t it?

“That’s an understatement,” Drew said, still looking around.  He was still shaking his head and then finally looked back at her with such pride in his eyes.  “They have no idea what they’re getting with you.”

Carly reached for Tiffany’s hand and squeezed it affectionately.  “As I said last night, Drew already told me about the foundation.  But looking around, it’s almost a shame that only girls will be able to experience it.”

“I know,” Tiffany agreed. 

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Drew said.

“That thought entered my mind more than once,” Tiffany continued.  “I’m tossing around ideas, hoping we can open it to both boys and girls later on.  Or opening another place for just boys?  I don’t know.  I’m still thinking it all through.  I know my brother would love to be a part of that.”

“I would too,” Drew said. 

“Or we could welcome boys here eventually, and change the name from
Renaissance Girls
to
Renaissance Kids
?  But there’s a part of me that would want to design differently for the boys,” she shrugged.  “It’ll be a work in progress.  Let’s see how this goes first, but I’d love to start laying the groundwork for it.”

“I can see what Drew meant when he first told me about you.”  Carly gave Tiffany a look bristling with sisterly approval. 

Tiffany raised an eyebrow in question.  “Which was?”

“He said you were innovative with a heart of gold.  And that you would make our mom proud.  He speaks very highly of your capabilities,” she said pointedly.

Tiffany tamped down the joy she felt at her words and glanced over at the very man being talked about.  “Well, he speaks highly of you, as well.”

“That’s because I pay him well.”

“You haven’t sent me that last installment actually,” Drew said dryly.

“You should’ve signed up for the direct deposit.”  Carly winked at Tiffany.  “So show us around.  I’m so excited for you and I’m thrilled about brainstorming with you.”

“I’m so grateful for your time.  Really.  Dinner is on me tonight, I insist,” Tiffany said, already knowing that Drew would balk.

He did.  “That’s not necessary,” he began.

“No, it’s not, but we’ll let her pay anyway,” Carly swatted at her brother.  “She’s a liberated woman and she wants to thank me.  Don’t take that away from her.”  She patted his arm and smiled, then turned back to Tiffany.  “Thank you for the offer.  That’s sweet of you.  So.  Give us a tour!  I need to touch that cave over there.” 

For the next hour they walked the space and talked shop.  Both Drew and Carly were extremely complimentary, oohing and ahhing over every little thing with the updates, finishes, and designs.  By the time the tour was over, they ended up in the lounge area on the sofas and talked even longer about developing new ways to bring in more money.

“I’m toying with using a consulting firm for the development position.  What do you think?” Tiffany asked Carly. 

“That’s certainly one way to go.  I also have two girlfriends who may be interested.  Very qualified and both live in the City.  They’re freelancers, but I’d be happy to give you their names if you want.”

“That would be great.  Thanks for that,” Tiffany said excitedly.  “I’m almost finished with putting together the board, so I was hoping whomever I used for development would take a position on it.”

“I know you want to hire someone, but in all honesty, you can probably handle a lot of the logistics.  Just from talking to you, and knowing what Drew’s shared about you, you may be able to do a lot of this yourself to save some money.”

“I know.  But I’m still learning how to write grants, and it would be great to have another set of eyes.”  What had Drew shared with her?  She’d certainly not been at her best these last few months, but apparently she’d made enough of an impression for him to compliment her to his sister.  “I can probably swing a lot of it, but with the day to day running of things I just want to make sure I’m not forgetting anything crucial.”

Carly’s phone rang, interrupting them.  She looked at it.  “It’s Pop.  Excuse me for just a sec.”  She answered.  “Hey, Pop.  Everything okay?”  She listened for a bit and her lip quirked up.  “How bad are we talkin’ here?  She
is
a drama queen.”  More silence.  “What’s that supposed to mean?  I wasn’t that bad.”

“Yes, you were,” Drew said with brotherly sweetness.

It was obvious their father had just compared his granddaughter’s theatrics to Carly.

“How high is it?  Hmm…well, okay.  Let me talk to Drew.  Maybe I’ll head home tonight, then.”

Drew and Tiffany looked at Carly.

“Is she sick?” Drew asked.

“She has a fever.  Pop’s a little concerned.  He gave her some medicine a bit ago, but it hasn’t gone down yet.”

Drew took the phone from her.  “Hey, Pop, it’s me.  What’s going on?”  He walked away to ask questions.

“I’m sorry she’s sick.”

“She’s fine, I’m sure.  Kids get fevers all of the time and hers isn’t even that high.  But given the history of our mom and my little brother, my dad gets overly protective when one of us gets sick.”  She cocked her head, saying, “Do you know about my mom and brother?”

She nodded.  “I’m so sorry.  About both of them.  Your brother...I’m so sorry for your family’s loss.  It must have been devastating.”

She looked at her with a warm, but strange look.  “I’m glad he shared that with you.  He never talks about it.”  She looked over at Drew still on the phone.  “I’m wondering if I should head back so Pop’s not dealing with it.”  She bit her lip while she wrestled with the decision.  “I know he’ll be worrying and I don’t want to put him through that, even if it’s just for the night.  I was heading back tomorrow morning anyway, but–”

Drew walked back over.  “I told him you’d call him back after we talked.  I think she’ll be fine but if you want to head back, I understand.  Especially given how Pop gets.”

“Kids,” Carly sighed dramatically.  “I was really looking forward to gettin’ it on with Chris Martin tonight.”  She sighed again and thought some more.

“What do you want to do?” Drew asked her.

“If I go back,” Carly began and looked thoughtfully at Tiffany, “Tiffany can take my ticket.  You’re not doing anything tonight, are you?”

The suggestion caught her off guard.  There was nothing she’d like to do more than go to a Coldplay concert with Drew.  But she hesitated and sent him a look.

He cleared his throat.  “Are you?  Doing anything tonight?”

“No, but –,” she let her voice trail off.  She was about to ask about Katrina.

“Katrina’s still in LA with her mom,” he looked over at Carly as if wishing her from the room.  Carly, however, stood there with an amused and inquisitive look, watching the scene unfold.

Her eyebrow went up.  “Katrina?  Who’s Katrina?”  She appeared to relish the discomfiture of her brother.

“His girlfriend,” Tiffany explained.

“What?” Carly screeched.  “Since when do you have a girlfriend?”

Drew rolled his eyes in brotherly annoyance.  “You know Katrina.  My friend from the hospital from ages ago.”

“
That
Katrina?  When did this happen?”

“A few weeks ago,” Tiffany answered for him, also enjoying his discomfiture.  She knew all about brother/sister dynamics and bit her lip to stop from smiling.

He pressed his lips together.  “Apparently I’m not needed for this conversation.”

“Oh, yes you are.  What are you dating Katrina for?” Carly asked seriously.

“What’s wrong with Katrina?  She’s a sweetheart,” he said matter of fact.

Tiffany tamped down her annoyance.

“Of course she is.  I just didn’t think you liked her that way.”

Drew looked between the two women, both of them waiting to see how he’d address the statement.  Instead of saying anything, Drew looked at Tiffany with a glare.