grocery store. Or for the really adventurous, they’ve been known to frequent ravioli and various pies and pastries. But that’s not for the everyday pumpkin; definitely not for the faint of heart.”
“That’s very good to know,” he said. “So, you’re not faint of heart, are you?”
“Me? No. Not me. Not at all.”
“Did not think so. I didn’t take you for that sort of girl.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Her voice wavered a little bit.
So she wasn’t as tough as she was pretending to be. Quick-witted, yes. But not tough.
“That’s my lame way of asking you if you’d like to go to the farmers’ market with me Thursday night. We can put on our hideous pumpkin outfits and have a scandalous night on the town.”
“The farmers’ market is only open on Saturday mornings. I don’t think we can have a night on the town there.”
“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
“No. I’m definitely not easy, if that’s what you were thinking.”
He smiled. She wasn’t exactly what he would call bristly, but he could tell he’d struck a nerve. Of course she wasn’t easy; she was damn irresistible.
“Then how about simply going out to dinner with me Thursday night?”
After a few beats of silence, she said, “I’d like that very much.” Her voice was soft again.
He heard muffled background voices over the line.
“Is someone there with you?”
“Yes. Did you meet my friend Pepper Merriweather? She was at the wedding.”
Of course he remembered Pepper. Everyone in the Southeast knew Pepper Merriweather. “Right. Yes, I did meet her. Her dad is Texas Star Energy, right?”
Caroline laughed. “Yes, though I’d never really thought of him that way. But yes, I guess in a sense he is Texas Star Energy.”
“I’ve interviewed her father before for the paper.”
He paused, waiting for her to react. It was an interesting dynamic. With a certain set of Dallas’s business elite, the Journal had a reputation for being reckless and socially impudent, which, in common man’s terms, meant Drew published the cold, hard truth. He’d butted heads with Harris Merriweather and some of the higher-ups at Texas Star when Drew had asked questions that, for some reason, they did not want to answer.
It was his duty to inform the public. It was also his job to ensure the stories he published were true and unbiased. The only way he could achieve that goal was to talk to people in the know. People who were willing to talk and tell him the truth. When sources stonewalled, it sent up red flags. Those red flags only encouraged Drew to push harder. Still, with Texas Star, he got nowhere.
While Caroline and her friend Pepper moved in those elite Dallas society circles, Caroline seemed no more one of them than Drew was. Maybe that’s why they’d had such a strong connection. Whatever the reason, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d connected with a woman on so many levels.
“So Thursday, then. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
It was going to be a long three days.
Chapter Three
Drew’s distraction at work was a testament to how much Caroline had gotten to him. Apparently, his attention deficit was also obvious to his coworkers.
On Thursday morning, Bia knocked on his door and stuck her head inside his office. “What’s up, Drew?”
“Business as usual,” he said, not looking up from his computer.
“Got a minute?”
“Umm...” He finished what he was doing on the computer before he glanced up. “Sure. Come on in.”
Bia shut the office door. Tucking one leg underneath her, she settled herself on a chair across from his desk.
“How late were you here last night?” she asked.
“I left around two.” He continued typing as he talked so not to waste time.
She gasped. “Two in the morning?”
“No, I left at two yesterday afternoon.” He looked up at her and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Of course two in the morning.”
“All right, grouchy. Obviously someone needs a nap.”
He had not meant to bite her head off. It was already four-thirty. He’d hoped to put this week’s edition to bed by five, but thanks to some glitches, he was running behind. “Sorry, B, I’m just trying to finish up here. Didn’t mean to snap at you.”
Bia nodded. “Something else besides this week’s edition is on your mind. I can tell. Want to talk about it?”
She was perceptive, that was for sure. It was a quality that made her a great reporter and an even better editor. But he really did not want her digging in his personal life.
“What makes you think I have something other than work on my mind?”
She quirked a brow at him. “Maybe the way you seem to be in an extra big hurry to get the paper out this week.”
“What’s wrong with that?” he asked.
“Who said there was anything wrong with it? It’s just out of character for you.”
Drew tried to keep his face neutral. When Bia got a whiff that she was onto something, she read all the signs and signals until she had enough to substantiate her hunch.
“Do you have a date tonight?” she asked.
Drew looked away and started working on his computer again. Probably the wrong move—
“You do. You have a date! Who is she, Drew?”
Oh, hell. He really didn’t want to bring his personal life to the office. He’d learned the pitfalls of that the hard way when he and the woman he’d almost married both worked at the Colorado Journal of Business and Development, before they were both promoted to posts as editors-in-chief of different papers. He got the Dallas paper. Joan got the Seattle Journal.
When it became clear that one of them would have to compromise their career, it became fodder for the office gossip mill. Everyone was speculating on which one would give up the dream job for the preservation of their relationship. In the end, they sacrificed their future together. To this day, they remained good friends and even better colleagues, calling on each other for professional advice and sharing a good-natured rivalry concerning circulation and notable scoops.
After they broke up, Drew vowed to leave his personal life at home. As the editor-in-chief, it would be unprofessional to date one of his staff. In fact, Drew had instituted a no-dating policy among the staff of his paper. It just kept things cleaner. No jealousy, no bitter breakups to add to the tension of an industry that was already stressful by nature.
“Drew? You are out of it today.” Something bounced off his temple. It only took a second to realize Bia had wadded up a piece of paper and thrown it at him.
“Seriously?” He tried to frown at her but ended up smiling in spite of himself.
“You’re always the first one here in the morning and last one to leave,” said Bia. “Go on. Get out of here. This edition is almost done. I’ll see it through until the files are emailed off to the printer.”
Drew’s smile faded. He knew he was looking at her as if she had two heads. Did she really think he would cut out early on drop day? Especially after taking a three-day weekend?
“No, thanks. I got this. I can call and let her know I’m going to be a few minutes late.