“Aren’t we?” Her eyes met his. “Fake marriage. Fake dating. We’re not actually dating, I don’t think. We’re only sleeping together.”
“Only?”
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Fine,” she admitted. “It’s more than that. But it’s not quite dating.”
“Do you have a problem with that?” His heart leaped up and hammered itself back down against his ribs. It felt like touching the third rail, coming this close to The Talk. It felt like the moment the electricity shorted out at a concert, leaving the audience in the lurch.
“It’s not exactly that,” Penny said, worry clouding her eyes.
“What is it, then?” Anguish and relief twined around each other, low in his belly. Making this official—making it real—would be a leap off a cliff without knowing how far down the ground was.
“It’s nothing,” she said finally, then looked up at him through her lashes. “Maybe I just need your hands on me.”
They hadn’t talked about it again over the course of the week and Drew had to admit that he was relieved. He needed to wrap up this business deal first; everything else was secondary and he wasn’t sure he could handle any discussions about making anything real until the contracts were signed. This was too important.
On the way to the gala, which was a fundraiser for the local affordable housing coalition, Penny was quiet, looking out the window of the SUV. Drew reached across and took her hand, glad he’d gotten Mike to drive them. “You can always bail on this, if you’d rather not go.” He was prepared to give her an out even though it would look better if she attended.
She gave him a tight-lipped smile that turned into a real one as he rubbed the pad of his thumb over the back of her hand. “Just a lot on my mind.”
“We can drive around for another hour if you want to talk about it.”
Penny laughed. “No way. This is your big night, isn’t it? The night that’s supposed to seal the deal?”
“It sounds pretty dirty when you say it like that.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the delicate curve of her neck. “But it’s true. This is important to me. It’s my last date with Jack and Lisa before we close next week.”
“We can do it,” said Penny.
For a solid ten minutes, he believed her. It was easy enough, floating into such a beautiful space, to play the part. An art museum downtown was hosting the gala, and wide cloth banners in silver and deep plum arched down from the ceilings and back up again, transforming the space. Matching flower arrangements crowned tables with pure white tablecloths. Everyone who was anyone in the industry had come, giving the spacious room a hum of anticipation. Drew could feel the deals being made in the air.
“The happy couple!” A man named Greg, who had been an investor in Preston Logistics when it was getting back on its feet, was the first to greet them. He thumped Drew on the back. “Why didn’t you tell me you were getting married, you dog?”
Drew felt Penny lean into him. “Destination in Venice,” he said with a wink, at the same time Penny said, “I wanted a simple courthouse wedding.”
Heat flooded Drew’s cheeks, but Greg burst into laughter and stuck out his hand for Penny to shake. “That’s hilarious. A courthouse wedding in Venice. This guy would fly you to Venice to get married. He’s got a big heart.” Greg waved to someone behind them, and Drew took the opportunity to steer Penny further into the ballroom.
“Can’t slip up like that again,” he said, trying to swallow his own frustration and wishing they’d taken the time to figure out the types of questions people would ask and how to answer them. It was the kind of mistake they hadn’t made before but he wasn’t going to kick himself over it. One mistake didn’t mean the night was ruined. He stole a glance at Penny. Her jaw was set, no sign of a smile. “Hey.” When her eyes met his, he smiled. “I should have waited for you to pick the wedding venue.”
“That’s right,” she said, an edge of irritation fading from her voice. What was it in her smile that was…off? It was as gorgeous as ever, but her eyes were guarded. That was it. And no wonder.
It was smooth sailing at the open bar—champagne for Penny, whiskey for Drew. The first sip relaxed him, but they turned away from the bar and walked straight into Bob Jenkins, one of the board members at Preston. Drew’s father had done away with the CEO-as-king model during his time at the helm, and honestly, Drew appreciated that some of the responsibility was divided among several people.
“I owe you a wedding gift,” said Bob, by way of greeting. “Penny, I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself at the barbecue. Even from a distance I could tell that you’re wonderful with Logan. That boy put stars in your eyes!”
Penny blushed. “Oh, thank you. That’s—”
“I’m sure you’ll be adding to the family soon,” Bob said with a wink. “They’d be lucky kids, having a couple like you as parents.”
“Oh, at least two,” Drew answered, Penny’s own reply hitting his ears as he spoke the words.
“I’m not ready for children yet.”
How were they screwing it up this badly? Bob looked between the two of them and opened his mouth, eyes twinkling, but someone called his name.
Saved by the bell.
“My fault,” Penny said as soon as Bob was gone. “I jumped in. I just—I’m too into the part, I guess.”
“Maybe take a step back from the part, then,” Drew said. “Just be yourself.”
Her tentative smile froze. “You know, if you had critiques, you should have told me before the event.”
“There wasn’t a good time. It’s my fault for not coming up with questions that people might ask us so we could agree on them ahead of time. Besides, you’ve been in your head this week, and I didn’t want to push.”
Penny glanced around them, her facsimile of a smile hardly convincing. “I work for you, Mr. Preston. I’m not going to talk through every thought that goes through my head.”
“Some of those thoughts might have been pretty relevant to our situation now.”
“What is our situation now?” Her dark eyes searched his. “You’re frustrated, and I’m…”
“You have been everywhere.” Jack Holloway brought a hand down on Drew’s shoulder, and he felt himself slipping fully into business mode.
The frustration he’d been simmering in—that was personal. This thing with Penny was personal. Something they should deal with behind closed doors. Should have already, but he was waiting. For what, he didn’t know. He shot her a look that he hoped said as much, then turned to shake Jack’s hand. “I have been everywhere,” Drew agreed. “Barbecues, salmon dinners…” He paused to greet Lisa, who was smiling by Jack’s side. “You look beautiful tonight.”
“You’re too much,” she said, waving him off with color in her cheeks.
“You’ve even been at fundraising galas.” Jack clicked his tongue. “And you still had time to plan that excellent presentation.” One of the knots in Drew’s chest uncoiled. “I’m looking forward to the closing next week, son. I thought I’d let you know.” He gave Drew a satisfied nod. “We’re going with Preston Logistics.”