minutes."
"I'll be waiting."
Chapter Five
As she hung up the phone, Olivia felt a shiver run down her spine along with a tingle of anticipation. She jumped off the bed and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She made a face at her appearance, noting the tangles in her hair and the dark shadows under her eyes. She quickly put on a little blush and some lip gloss, ran a brush through her hair and swapped her leggings for a pair of skinny jeans. Slipping on her sandals, she grabbed her handbag and walked out the door.
The hotel had a lobby bar that was warm and inviting, much like being in a living room. Colton sat at a table by the window drinking a beer. Aside from the man tending to the small bar, there was no one else in the room.
She walked across the room and sat down next to him. "Hello."
"Thanks for coming. Can I buy you a drink?"
"I don't know. Will I be here long enough to drink it?"
He suddenly smiled, and it changed his whole face. He went from angry and annoyed to sexy and charming. She had a feeling this side of him was going to be even more difficult to deal with.
"I'm not in a rush. What can I get you?"
"I'll have a glass of merlot, whatever they have."
"You got it." He stood and walked over to the bar to get her drink.
As he did so, she couldn't help but let her gaze follow him across the room. He moved with confidence. He had the kind of walk that said he was a man who knew what he wanted and where he intended to go. She'd always liked a strong sense of purpose in a man, but it scared her a little, too. She liked to be in control and to have the ability to follow her own path, which usually meant she took that path alone.
This wasn't a date, she reminded herself, wondering why she felt so nervous and fidgety. She settled back in her seat as he returned to the table.
He set down her glass of wine, then took a seat. "So, this is kind of strange," he began.
"I'm glad you think so, too," she said, sipping her wine.
"I don't usually do this."
"Do what? Buy women drinks?"
He smiled. "That I do. What I don't do is try to tell people how to do their jobs."
"Then why start with me?"
"Because my grandfather cornered me at the party earlier and asked me for a favor, and he never asks me for a favor."
"I assume that favor has to do with me."
"Specifically you. My grandfather would like you to leave my grandmother out of the book you're writing."
"He told me that as well. I spoke to him right before I ran into you."
"And what did you tell him?"
"That I wasn't going to refuse to speak to his wife. I guess he didn’t like my answer, so he decided to bring in backup and send you over here."
"He didn't exactly send me. He asked me to keep my grandmother away from you. I thought it might be easier if I just talked to you about the situation instead of playing a game of keep-away. I prefer to be more direct."
She appreciated his candor. She liked being direct, too, but cynically she couldn't help wondering if his honesty wasn't just part of his plan to disarm her.
"Tell me about your grandmother," she said. "I only spent about twenty minutes with her, but she had so much energy in her eyes and her voice. She lit up the room."
"She's always been that way," Colton said, deep affection his voice. "She has a laugh that warms you from the inside out, like a shot of whiskey. But sadly, she doesn't laugh that much anymore. And some days she has no life in her eyes. She sits in a chair and stares out the window for hours on end. She doesn't recognize her husband of more than sixty years or any of her children or grandchildren. On those days we're strangers to her, and seeing her fade away is one of the worst things I've ever had to experience."
Dark shadows gathered in his eyes, and she could feel the despair within him. "I'm sorry."
"I know you didn't see that side of her today, and I'm happy about that. I keep hoping that the bad episodes will just go away, but realistically I know that won't
"I'll be waiting."
Chapter Five
As she hung up the phone, Olivia felt a shiver run down her spine along with a tingle of anticipation. She jumped off the bed and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She made a face at her appearance, noting the tangles in her hair and the dark shadows under her eyes. She quickly put on a little blush and some lip gloss, ran a brush through her hair and swapped her leggings for a pair of skinny jeans. Slipping on her sandals, she grabbed her handbag and walked out the door.
The hotel had a lobby bar that was warm and inviting, much like being in a living room. Colton sat at a table by the window drinking a beer. Aside from the man tending to the small bar, there was no one else in the room.
She walked across the room and sat down next to him. "Hello."
"Thanks for coming. Can I buy you a drink?"
"I don't know. Will I be here long enough to drink it?"
He suddenly smiled, and it changed his whole face. He went from angry and annoyed to sexy and charming. She had a feeling this side of him was going to be even more difficult to deal with.
"I'm not in a rush. What can I get you?"
"I'll have a glass of merlot, whatever they have."
"You got it." He stood and walked over to the bar to get her drink.
As he did so, she couldn't help but let her gaze follow him across the room. He moved with confidence. He had the kind of walk that said he was a man who knew what he wanted and where he intended to go. She'd always liked a strong sense of purpose in a man, but it scared her a little, too. She liked to be in control and to have the ability to follow her own path, which usually meant she took that path alone.
This wasn't a date, she reminded herself, wondering why she felt so nervous and fidgety. She settled back in her seat as he returned to the table.
He set down her glass of wine, then took a seat. "So, this is kind of strange," he began.
"I'm glad you think so, too," she said, sipping her wine.
"I don't usually do this."
"Do what? Buy women drinks?"
He smiled. "That I do. What I don't do is try to tell people how to do their jobs."
"Then why start with me?"
"Because my grandfather cornered me at the party earlier and asked me for a favor, and he never asks me for a favor."
"I assume that favor has to do with me."
"Specifically you. My grandfather would like you to leave my grandmother out of the book you're writing."
"He told me that as well. I spoke to him right before I ran into you."
"And what did you tell him?"
"That I wasn't going to refuse to speak to his wife. I guess he didn’t like my answer, so he decided to bring in backup and send you over here."
"He didn't exactly send me. He asked me to keep my grandmother away from you. I thought it might be easier if I just talked to you about the situation instead of playing a game of keep-away. I prefer to be more direct."
She appreciated his candor. She liked being direct, too, but cynically she couldn't help wondering if his honesty wasn't just part of his plan to disarm her.
"Tell me about your grandmother," she said. "I only spent about twenty minutes with her, but she had so much energy in her eyes and her voice. She lit up the room."
"She's always been that way," Colton said, deep affection his voice. "She has a laugh that warms you from the inside out, like a shot of whiskey. But sadly, she doesn't laugh that much anymore. And some days she has no life in her eyes. She sits in a chair and stares out the window for hours on end. She doesn't recognize her husband of more than sixty years or any of her children or grandchildren. On those days we're strangers to her, and seeing her fade away is one of the worst things I've ever had to experience."
Dark shadows gathered in his eyes, and she could feel the despair within him. "I'm sorry."
"I know you didn't see that side of her today, and I'm happy about that. I keep hoping that the bad episodes will just go away, but realistically I know that won't
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