Brittany squeezed Brooke’s hand. “Once Emilio and I are married, they’ll be that much closer to realizing they have to accept all the Jefferies into the Garrison family. Maybe there will even come a time when Garrison, Incorporated can merge with Jefferies Brothers.”
“Perhaps.” Brooke forced a tight smile although she really wanted to scream. Even her own sister saw this relationship in terms of a business negotiation.
Still, Brooke wasn’t so certain things would be settled with her family that easily.
By the end of the week, Jordan wondered why he hadn’t managed to settle this wedding issue yet. He tried to take comfort in the relationship being public now. A Friday night dinner at a back table in his brother’s restaurant counted as progress.
She hadn’t been happy about the newspaper articles, but as he’d hoped when he’d had his secretary leak the story, Brooke had quit worrying about secrecy. They’d begun dating openly in earnest.
He had to admit, he’d enjoyed the hell out of the past week although he should be focusing on the upcoming opening of his Hotel Victoria. He had a stack of work and telephone messages sitting by his computer right now—although at least he could ignore the five messages from his ex. Damn, she was persistent. When she’d called out of the blue yesterday, he’d told her he was seeing someone else now. If she wouldn’t listen to words, distance seemed the best option. His secretary would have to tell her he wasn’t available.
Jordan put his ex-lover out of his mind, into his past, and realized he didn’t feel the least regret. He had his mind and intentions firmly set elsewhere, something others began noticing, as well. Emilio had even caught him watching the clock during a late-day board meeting.
Of course, he didn’t bother masking his attraction to her. While romancing Brooke every night this week, he’d also worked to win her over by easing tension with her family.
An unhappy family made for an unhappy Brooke.
So he’d taken Brooke to Brittany’s restaurant/lounge for supper one night. To her brother Adam’s club another. He’d made a point of being where her family congregated, and sure enough, the press hadn’t gotten over their fascination with snapping photos yet. He couldn’t blame them. Candlelight played well across her beautiful face—and wreaked havoc with his self-control.
Still, in spite of his best efforts, aside from Brittany, the reception from the Garrison clan stayed at subarctic temperatures. The disapproval was starting to chafe.
He wanted to enjoy this Friday night away from her family, without thinking about another Sunday dinner with the Garrisons. His jaw still hurt from the last gathering. Not that he would ever let that arrogant ass Parker know.
Maybe he and Brooke could skip the family dinner if he came up with a better plan for the weekend, a different tactic for winning Brooke over. He’d been thinking how important it was for his child to know he or she had a father who cared, a father who was there. How he wouldn’t be like Emilio’s old man and run out on responsibilities.
Perhaps Brooke needed a reminder of the scars an absentee father could leave on a child.
Jordan waited for the waitress to finish serving their after-dinner lattes before he reached across to take her hand. “Would you like to fly down to the Bahamas and get away from the paparazzi?”
Her eyes lit as bright as the oversized flickering candle between them. “Yes.”
His hand over hers, he thumbed along the soft inside of her palm. “Visit your half sister.”
“Definitely, yes.” She sagged back in her seat, the relaxed atmosphere of the nightclub and music appearing to calm her more than anything else this week.
Might as well go for broke. He explored the smooth skin and perfect manicure. “And tie the knot.”
She snatched her hand away. “No, thank you.”
He kept his smile in place and chased her hand back down, soothing her with a kiss over her knuckles. He lingered to nip the gold band on her thumb. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I can stop dating a guy who won’t listen.”
That caught him off guard. He never overplayed his hand. Although it had been a while since he’d dated, after all. In fact, he’d broken things off with his last relationship shortly before that first night with Brooke.
And there hadn’t been anyone since then. A fact he wasn’t ready to consider for too long. “You would really cut us off from being together, after the great week we’ve had, just because I want to marry you?”
“I don’t like being manipulated.”
A smart man listened, and he’d never been accused of being stupid. “I asked you a simple question, which you answered. I’ll back off.”