Trey could tell that this was probably the last thing on earth that Debra wanted to do. He could see her reluctance as she slowly stood from her chair, in the small crease that darted across her forehead.
He wasn’t exactly thrilled by the idea of working closely with his one-night stand, either. But, he also knew that if anyone could pull this event off on time and with flair, it was Debra Prentice.
They could work together, he told himself as he followed her slender frame into the informal sitting area at the back of the house. All they had to do was continue doing what they had been doing for the past six weeks: pretend that crazy night they had shared hadn’t happened.
“I didn’t realize she was going to pull you into this,” he said as she sat in one of the plush, comfortable beige chairs and he sank down on the sofa opposite her.
The family sitting room was large, with floor to ceiling windows on one side and comfortable, yet attractive furnishings. A bar was located at the back of the room and doors led out to the patio and pool area.
It was in this room that the family had often come together to discuss problems or simply to enjoy each other’s company and catch up on busy lives.
“My job is to do whatever Kate needs done and since this is important to you, it’s important to her.” She stared down at her notepad. “The first thing we need to do is find a venue. With less than a month lead time that might be a problem. Do you have any place specific in mind?” Her vivid green eyes finally made contact with him.
“I was thinking maybe the Raleigh Regent or the Capital Hotel,” he suggested. “Both places are popular for such events.”
“That’s the problem.” That tiny crease deepened again across her forehead. “I’m fairly sure that the Capital Hotel ballroom will be impossible to get at this late date. I’ll check with the Regent and see what’s available. Last I heard the ballroom was undergoing some renovations and I’m not certain if they are complete or not. I’m still not sure I’m going to be able to make this happen so soon. I’m assuming you want a Saturday night?”
“Or a Friday night would be fine,” he replied. He watched as she made several notes on the pad. Debra Prentice wasn’t a knockout kind of woman, but she also didn’t play up her pretty features. She wore little makeup and her hair always looked as if it had been tortured into a position at the back of her head that it couldn’t possibly hold.
Still, he knew that her light brown hair was incredibly silky and that she had a cute, perfectly proportioned figure that had fit perfectly in his arms. He knew how her eyes sparkled while in the throes of passion and exactly how her lips tasted.
“Trey?” Her eyes held a touch of impatience, making him realize she must have tried to get his attention while he’d been lost in thought.
“Sorry. What was the question?”
“How many people are you expecting to invite?”
“Two hundred or maybe two hundred and fifty,” he replied.
“Pick a number,” she said with a light edge to her voice. “I need a specific number to tell the event planner when we settle where this is going take place.”
“Two hundred and fifty,” he said firmly.
She nodded. “I’ll need the guest list from you as soon as possible. Invitations will have to go out in the next couple of days or so. Thank goodness it’s January and there isn’t much else going on around town.” She wrote a couple more notes on her pad and then met his gaze again. “I think that’s all I need from you to get started. By the end of the day I’ll have a list of dates and places for you to consider.”
She stood as if dismissing him, her body instantly poised to run back to her little office.
“Then tomorrow let’s make arrangements to see some of the venues together,” he said as he also stood. “And I’ll want to be with you when you speak to the event planner. We’ll need to pick the menu and make decisions on a number of other things.”
It was obvious he’d surprised her. She’d probably just assumed everything would be left up to her. But Trey freely admitted that he was something of a control freak. He couldn’t run Adair Enterprises and be as successful as he’d been without being detail oriented and on top of every element in his life.
“I just assumed...” Her voice trailed off.
“This is important to me, Debra. Assume that I’ll be at your side every step of the way until this dinner party is over.”
Her eyes widened slightly and then she gave him a curt, professional nod. “Then I’ll call you later this evening and we’ll make arrangements for tomorrow.”
She left the sitting room and Trey sank back into the chair, his thoughts a riot inside his head. He’d taken over the running of the family business when his grandfather had died. Walt Winston had mentored Trey and instilled in him the need to be the best that he could be.
It was Walt who’d wanted to see Trey in politics. The old man had even made a list of women he thought would be an asset in his quest for public office. At thirty-five years old, Trey knew it was time for him to marry. He also knew he’d make a more attractive candidate if he had a wife by his side.
With that thought in mind he’d dated dozens of women over the past year and finally eight months ago he’d begun to see Cecily McKenna exclusively.
Although he wasn’t madly in love with Cecily, he knew she’d make the perfect wife for him. She was a thirty-three-year-old heiress. Articulate, charming and beautiful, Cecily also possessed a fierce ambition not just for herself, but for him, as well.
He knew there were rumors swirling of an imminent engagement between him and Cecily, rumors he suspected Cecily had started herself. He smiled inwardly. He wouldn’t put it past her.
He looked up as Sam came into the room. “So, word has it that you’re joining the ranks of the sex-scandal-ridden, fake and crooked politicians of the world.” Sam threw himself into the chair that Debra had vacated.
It was obvious his brother was in one of his foul moods. “Actually, I’m hoping to do something good for the people of North Carolina.”
“That’s my big brother, the overachieving perfect son.”
Trey drew a steadying breath. He knew the man seated before him with the scowl on his handsome face wasn’t the brother, wasn’t the man who had left here to serve his country.
“Sam, why don’t you talk to me?” he asked softly. Sam had spent three months imprisoned overseas and months in a hospital recovering from the severe torture he’d endured while a prisoner. He had since been deemed unfit to return to duty and had been mad at the world ever since.
“I don’t need to talk to anyone,” Sam growled and got up from the chair. “I’m fine just the way I am.”
Trey watched helplessly, troubled for his brother as Sam left the room. Sam was a powder keg, but he refused to speak about his time in prison or what had been done to him. The scars he carried were deep and dark and Trey wished he’d share some of the horror with somebody...anybody who could help him heal.
Unfortunately, Sam wouldn’t be fixed until Sam wanted to be fixed and at the moment he appeared to be perfectly satisfied being angry.
Trey checked his watch and stood. It was time for him to get back to his own office. Now that he’d pretty much made up his mind to run for Senator, he didn’t want to just run, he wanted to win.
He also needed to call Cecily. He hadn’t even told her yet that he’d made up his mind to begin the process of gaining support and throwing his hat in the ring. She would be beyond thrilled. She’d been telling him for months that he was what the state needed, that he could do great things.
As