Chapter Ten

LOGAN

“I hope you enjoyed your stay, Mr. Hawkins,” the blonde hotel receptionist said, her Danish accent barely noticeable.

“It was great, thanks.”

She was attractive enough. I wouldn’t deny a lot of women in Denmark were pretty, but she did nothing for me at that moment. Every time I looked at a woman, I kept thinking of Emily. I missed her smile and those hazel eyes, so full of feistiness and life.

For that matter, I kept thinking of her in the red dress she’d worn to dinner on Tuesday. It took a quick mental detour to financial derivatives to stop me from hardening at the memory of her luscious curves on display, her cleavage so inviting. That dress screamed for me to pull it off and toss her on a bed.

But it didn’t matter. I was in Denmark, and she was still in Nashville, and no amount of fantasizing would change that. At least the last few days in Copenhagen had been productive, even if it was busy as all get-out. I’d hammered an agreement for a major new investment deal that would be very profitable over the next few years.

I offered a polite nod to the receptionist before turning to head out the front door, thinking about my return trip home and the date with Emily.

All my lusting over her also conveniently forced the harsh truth out of my head for a few moments. Something had gone wrong on Tuesday. I’d felt it. We’d been connecting, and at the last minute, I could see the connection die in her eyes. I had tried to play the conversation back in my mind, wondering where I went wrong, but couldn’t pinpoint anything.

I’d second-guessed myself during my entire time in Denmark. Should I have invited her back to my place? Should I have kissed her? I wasn’t sure, but I know I wasn’t ready to give up. That woman was worth it. I knew it.

I wondered if Emily was offended at my choice of restaurant. It was a nice place, but at the end of the day, I was a billionaire, and I could have afforded to bring in a Michelin-starred chef for a private dinner.

That didn’t seem right. I still don’t know her all that well, but she didn’t seem like the type to want flashy displays of wealth, even though she’d come from a well-off family.

The kiss at the party proved there was fire between us, chemistry, something real. Physical attraction isn’t everything, but it’s nothing to scoff at, either. But Emily’s body was exactly my type, and I ached to explore it more than I had. First, though, we needed to connect beyond the physical.

Our time at the restaurant made me feel like there was more. I knew now that we could chat together and have a good time. Yes, things were a little awkward with Emily not knowing about the kiss, but we’d moved past that, and she’d been having a fun time.

I might not be able to totally relate to what it was like to have a daughter, but I could relate to caring about other people and family. I wasn’t some twenty-one-year-old playboy. I wasn’t going to be scared off from a beautiful, intriguing woman because she had a daughter, either.

Juniper. She was the key. It was time to prove to Emily that I was listening to everything she’d said during dinner.

Stopping at that thought, I glanced over my shoulder at the receptionist. She looked at me, a quizzical expression on her face.

I headed back toward her. “You wouldn’t happen to know where LEGO Headquarters is, would you?”

A slightly annoyed look appeared on her face, but she quickly smoothed her features. “Billund, sir. It’s almost three hundred kilometers away. Perhaps it’s not my place to say, but don’t you have a flight to catch, sir?”

I grinned at her. “It’s not a big deal. It’s my plane.”

 

* * *

 

Saturday afternoon, I stepped into my foyer, pulling my suitcase behind me and stifling a yawn. International travel could be exciting, but that excitement always had a price, and now my body was paying it.

My housekeeper, Arla, hurried into the room and smiled at me. “Mr. Hawkins, I wasn’t expecting you so early.” She sighed. “I don’t even have anything ready for you to eat. You must be famished.”

I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not hungry. All the traveling around killed my appetite.” The lack of barking or charging dogs led to my next questions. “I assume the boys are out back?”

“Yes, sir. They’ve been a bit sad since your departure. Poor dears.”

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. “I never know if it’s better to stick them in a kennel or keep them at home. Last time I boarded them, they tried to rip all their hair out.”

“I think it’s better for them to stay in a familiar place, sir.”

I nodded. “You’re probably right.” I let go of my suitcase and headed toward the stairs. “I’m going to go lie down for a bit. I’ll play with the boys after that, and that should make them happy again.”

I had the money, of course, to hire a full-time dog sitter, but that always rubbed me the wrong way. The whole point of having pets was for them to bond with me, not strangers. Maybe I was selfish that way.

“When did you want a meal, sir?”

“Five is fine.”

“Very well, sir.” She headed toward the kitchen.

I bounded up the stairs and into my bedroom. After pulling my phone out of my pocket, I collapsed on my bed. Even the beds in the hotel I’d stayed at in Copenhagen didn’t measure up to the expert combination of support and fluffiness of my mattress. Then again, I’d paid ten thousand dollars for the thing. Worth every cent. I never had trouble getting to sleep on it.

Another yawn erupted from my mouth. Exhaustion had seeped into every cell in my body, but that didn’t stop me from thinking about the curvy, hazel-eyed woman who had been consuming my thoughts since Tuesday.

I stared at my phone. No messages from Emily. No calls. No texts.

It didn’t matter. I didn’t expect any. A worthwhile man pursued the woman he wanted. That was just how things were. Maybe I’d screwed things up on the date, maybe I hadn’t, but now that I wasn’t in Europe, I could make things right.

I dialed. She picked up on the third ring.

“Hello?” Emily said, more than a little surprise in her voice.

I swallowed. I’d missed her sweet Tennessee twang. “Hello, Emily. I just got back into town.”

“Oh, that’s right. Your business trip.” I’m no expert on listening to people over the phone, but she sounded disappointed for some reason.

“I’d like to see you again.”

She didn’t respond for so long that I wondered if we’d lost a connection.

“You would?” She definitely sounded surprised.

“Yes. I had a great time, and I’m thinking we could have another good time.”

“I did, too, but I…” She sighed.

I resisted the urge to make a joke. The last thing I wanted was for Emily to think I wasn’t taking this whole thing with us seriously.

“You can pick the restaurant.” Maybe that would help her feel more comfortable. “Oh, also I’d like to take you and Juniper out. I’d like to get to know her better, and I have a special gift for her I picked up in Denmark.”

“Huh. You do?”

That sounded promising.

“So, what do you say? Maybe we could get together tomorrow?”

“I’d, hmm, if you want to see Juniper, then we’ll need to wait until Monday. She’s still with Lionel until then.”

“That’s fine with me.”

I wished I could see the expression on her face, as all I had to go off was her tone through the phone. The next few seconds felt like an eternity.

“How about the café where we had our first date?” Emily said.

“Really?” I didn’t bother to hide the surprise in my voice. It’d be a nice, low-key place, but I’d expected she might want something fancier rather than the opposite, even with her daughter in tow.

“Is that a problem?”

I shook my head, despite the fact she couldn’t see me. Reflex, I guess. “Sounds perfect. Would five-thirty work on Monday? You need to pick her up from school, right?”

“Yes, that works. Yes, I do. Since we’re doing something different, you should know she’ll be a little hyper.”

I laughed. “If I can negotiate international business deals, I can deal with a hyper five-year-old.”

“Famous last words.” Emily chuckled, and it was the first time she’d seemed a bit lighter since we started the conversation. “Okay,” she said. “See you Monday, Logan.”

“See you Monday, Emily.”

She hung up.

I lowered my phone, a mix of excitement and disappointment warring in me. Whether or not I’d screwed up after the date, it didn’t matter, as I now had another chance. My only regret was that I’d have to wait another day.

I couldn’t deny it anymore. I wanted this woman.