Fall for Me (Danvers #3)(15)
The elevator chimed before they could move away and Declan Stone stepped out. She saw Ella’s face light up as if she were a child sitting on Santa’s lap for the first time. For some reason, Ella was nervous around every man of her acquaintance except Declan. Like herself, Beth thought that Ella needed to get out there more, but she didn’t think Declan was the ticket.
The man was hotter than Myrtle Beach on the Fourth of July, but there was something almost dangerous about him. You never saw him standing around chatting with others, nor was he connected romantically with anyone. The man was a machine. Everything he said was direct and to the point. According to Nick, he was flawless in business negotiations and well respected around the world.
The only person who seemed to thaw the ice surrounding Declan was the woman standing beside her, and Beth was both impressed and terrified for her friend. Ella tended to stammer a lot when men spoke to her, but with Declan, everything was effortless for her. Beth caught a glimmer of a smile on Declan’s surprisingly lush lips when his gaze rested on Ella.
“Good morning, Declan,” Ella enthused.
“Morning, Ella. I . . . hope everything worked out okay with your grandmother’s procedure.”
My god, this is priceless. He likes her. The Iceman actually likes Ella. Oh, shit, no! He will eat her for lunch and spit her out. She needs a man with training wheels to get her feet wet, not a man who started life as a Corvette.
“She did great, Declan, thank you for asking.”
Clearing his throat and obviously uncomfortable to be having this conversation in front of Beth, Declan turned his gaze and finally acknowledged her presence. She got the more formal, “Good morning, Beth.”
“Good morning, Declan. Ella, I’m going to go check in with Suzy. How about lunch today?”
Ella smiled and agreed immediately. When Beth turned the corner, she saw Ella and Declan still standing in the same spot. Ella seemed to buzz around him like a brightly colored firefly and Declan seemed helpless to look away. Why are you worrying so much about Ella and Declan? It seems like you have more than enough problems of your own to keep you busy for a while. Ella’s a big girl and there is no way Declan would get seriously involved with her. She is way too innocent for him.
* * *
When she walked into her sister’s office, Suzy was ramming papers in her red leather bag and cursing under her breath. Sparing Beth a quick glance when she closed the door, Suzy said, “I have to be across town in twenty minutes and I can’t find my damn phone.”
Beth smiled as she walked to the credenza behind Suzy’s desk and unplugged her sister’s iPhone. “I think you plugged it in here to charge.”
“Why can’t they make a phone that doesn’t have to be charged? What’s wrong with a twelve-month Duracell?” Suzy grumbled. “I’ll be gone until after lunch. I’m going to check out the new conference facility for next month. Can you check with the suppliers and see where we are on our orders?”
“Yep, I have it on my list for this morning. You’d better get going. Traffic will be terrible at this time.”
As Suzy started for the door, she turned and asked, “Did you tell him?”
“Yes, Mother, I did so you can stop worrying. He wants to get married and buy a house immediately. I told him no.”
Suzy shook her head, clearly trying to process this latest development. “He wants to get married? Are you sure we’re talking about the same Nick here? Oh, hell, don’t say anything else. I’m going to be late and I’m terrified you will start talking about sex and I’m not strong enough for that this morning. We’ll talk when I get back.” Suzy slammed out the door and then almost immediately flung it back open. In a low but menacing whisper she said, “You’d better not have sex in my office . . . ever!”
Beth chuckled as she walked to her own office. She hoped Suzy’s warning didn’t extend to her office because if it did, she had already violated that one. Maybe after-hours sex didn’t count.
* * *
When Ella tapped on her door at lunchtime, Beth was just hanging up the phone after another exhausting call from Nick. At this point, she would rather him freak out and run than stay in the methodical mode he was currently in. He seemed to have an accidental-pregnancy handbook from the 1960s and he was running through it step by step. Marry the little woman immediately. Buy a house immediately. Plan the next ten years of Junior’s life immediately. She felt weak and dizzy after the last call, and it had nothing to do with morning sickness and everything to do with Nick suffocating her. No matter how much she protested, he just kept going on as if he hadn’t heard her. Was it really so hard for him to imagine a woman not dying to marry him? Um, yeah, you probably are one of the few women alive who wouldn’t jump at the chance.
“Tough day?” Ella gave her a sympathetic smile as she perched on the corner of Beth’s desk.
Dropping her head onto her desk, Beth said, “You have no idea. The man is making me crazy. I just want a moment to breathe, but he is after me constantly. I haven’t even had a chance to come to terms with it myself and he is pushing me relentlessly.”
Ella patted her back consolingly while making murmurs of agreement. “Grab your purse and let’s walk around the corner for lunch. Getting out of here for a while will help.”
Beth gave her friend a grateful smile as she gathered her stuff. “That sounds great, but I’m warning you now. If we see Nick anywhere on the way out, be prepared to run for your life because I am not talking about the advantages of breast-feeding anymore today, I mean it!” She heard Ella’s groan of disbelief behind her as they walked to the elevator. “You only think I’m kidding. He’s already tried to talk me into natural childbirth, too. Someone needs to stop the man from doing any more Google searches about pregnancy.”