He was an attractive man. She’d noticed right away that he was an inch or two taller than she was, a plus in any acquaintance. He had the rangy build of an athlete—more sleek runner than bulky weight lifter. As he had on Friday, Dan wore faded blue jeans and a T-shirt that stretched over a nicely muscled chest.
This was not a man who spent hours in front of the mirror. Dan appeared to be comfortable with himself, which was probably the reason she felt so comfortable with him.
She knew instinctively that Dan was a kind man. A man who saved toppling giants and shared his dessert with hungry strangers. A man who knew how to get people to talk about themselves and possessed the rare willingness to listen to the answers.
Maddie remembered with a guilty start that she’d been so preoccupied with Colton on Friday she hadn’t asked Dan anything about himself. “Tell me about Dan Willis,” she said before popping a forkful of salad into her mouth.
He flashed her a self-deprecating smile. “Not much to tell.”
She shook her head. “Sorry, I’m not buying that. It’s payback time. I told you all about me on Friday, now it’s your turn. I’ll help you get started. Tell me what you do.”
“I’m a photographer.”
“A professional photographer?”
He nodded.
“That’s interesting. What do you take pictures of?”
His laugh sounded more disgusted than amused. “At this moment, I don’t know.”
Uh-oh. Out-of-work photographer. No wonder he was hesitant to talk about himself. Probably pretty touchy about it. She reached across the table and patted his hand. “Don’t get discouraged. Something will turn up.”
He caught her hand in his, holding it up to examine it. Maddie’s breath lodged midwindpipe. Wow. Amazing how his casual touch could make her insides go all squishy. She forced herself to breath. Dan’s hand was warm and strong. She was amazed to see that her hand looked feminine, almost fragile when clasped in his larger one.
“This looks suspiciously like a fresh manicure to me,” he teased.
She snatched her hand back in embarrassment. “It is. I had my nails done on Saturday.” She didn’t go on to confess that it was her first manicure ever or that it was his remark about her hands being great that had sent her racing to the nearest salon.
She’d been taught all her life to play up her assets but until she met Dan she hadn’t been sure she possessed any.
Lunch ran overtime. Conversation was so easy with Dan that Maddie forgot to keep an eye on her watch.
“Oops,” she said when she finally realized she’d been due back at the office ten minutes ago. “I’ve gotta run.”
Dan smiled. “No problem. I’ll look for you down here tomorrow.”
Maddie’s heart felt surprisingly light as she hurried toward the elevator. He didn’t compare to Colton, of course, but Dan made a pretty terrific lunch date.
Chapter Four
“I’m not going with you today.”
Maddie paused from loading campaign sketches into her briefcase to look at her boss. “What?”
Jack grinned. “I said I’m not going with you and Colton to Swanson Shoes today.”
Maddie chuckled and resumed loading. “Very funny. You nearly gave me a heart attack. For a minute there I thought you were serious.”
“I am serious. I’m not going.”
She put down the briefcase to give him her full attention. “What are you talking about? Of course you’re going. You’re the Swanson account exec.”
“Not as of ten minutes ago when I handed Colton the title.”
He was serious. “Jack, why would you do that? You’ve been the Swanson account exec from the beginning.”
“That’s precisely why I’m giving the account to Colton. Think about it. We’ve worked so hard on this new campaign. I’ve pushed the creative team to the brink of a nervous breakdown with these deadlines. I would hate for all our effort to be wasted because the new president didn’t want an old man directing his advertising.”
“That’s crazy.”
Jack shook his head. “I don’t think so. And neither does Colton. This morning when I voiced my concern that my presence might jeopardize our chances he admitted he’d had the same thought. We agreed that we’d be better off making a clean break from our previous association. New direction. New leadership.”
“I think it stinks.”
Jack smiled. “I appreciate your loyalty, but the decision stands. I’m stepping down from the account. It’s up to you and Colton to salvage Swanson Shoes.”
However rattled Maddie might be by the unexpected change in command, Colton appeared at the door a minute later looking his calm, cool, fabulous self. In his expensive double-breasted navy blazer and knife-creased khakis he was success personified.
“I’ve got the audio tapes and storyboards,” he said, pointing to the large black portfolio in his right hand. “Have you got the sketches?”
Maddie scooped her briefcase off the table. “Right here.”
“Excellent.” Colton looked to Jack. “Unless you have any parting words of advice for us, I think we’re ready.”
Jack shook his head. “I have every confidence in the two of you. Make me proud.”
Maddie spoke little over the ten-minute trip to Swanson Shoes. She wanted to talk, to share some witticism or pithy insight, but her tongue and brain refused to cooperate. The combination of sitting eight inches from male perfection and apprehension about the upcoming meeting with Paul Swanson left her speechless.
If Colton was nervous it didn’t show. He used the drive to brief her on how they would approach the meeting. Basically he would make the pitch and she would back him up. Maddie had been relegated to a minor supporting role.
It was on the tip of her tongue to protest. After all, she was every bit as prepared to make the presentation as he was. Though she knew she had a valid argument she remained silent. Too much was riding on the outcome of this morning’s meeting to entrust it to her inexperience.
Colton’s confidence was contagious. By the time they reached the receptionist’s desk, Maddie’s misgivings about leaving Jack behind were gone.
“Good morning,” Colton said to the elderly woman behind the desk. “Cue Communications here for our ten o’clock meeting with Paul Swanson.”
Maddie felt a genuine compassion for the awed receptionist. At an age when she should have been immune to his beauty, it took her a full ten seconds to recover her power of speech after being broadsided by Colton’s amazing smile.
“Mr. Swanson is—is expecting you,” she stammered. “Second office on the left.”
Maddie followed Colton into the small conference room where two men and a woman were seated around the far end of an oblong table. The man seated in the center stood and approached them, hand extended. “Hi, I’m Paul Swanson. You must be the team from Cue.”
Paul Swanson wasn’t what Maddie expected. She’d pictured him as a pampered little rich kid eager to flex his newfound muscle. Not so. He looked like an average guy with his feet firmly planted