The Texas Christmas Gift (7 page)

Trying not to think about the way he looked at her—as if she was the most fascinating woman on the planet—Eve sipped her wine. “There is no one in the picture.”

“No one you find interesting?” he pressed.

Except you?
“Not even marginally.”

He smiled in satisfaction, clearly not about to give up on his pursuit of her.

Ignoring her inner burst of excitement, and figuring it was her turn to ask questions, Eve said casually, “What about you? Have you dated since your divorce?”

“Some.”

She didn’t know why she found that disappointing. Keeping her gaze matter-of-fact, she prodded, “And?”

His lips compressed. “I have to say, up to now my heart really hasn’t been in it.”

Up to now
. “You’ve been going through the motions.” Eve understood. She’d done her fair share of that, too.

“But I’ve been going along with it, for my family’s sake,” Derek continued.

Now they were getting somewhere. “They want to see you married again.”

He grimaced. “Very much so. To the point they’d like to see me sign up for services with my sister-in-law, Alexis. She’s a professional matchmaker for Foreverlove.com.”

Another alarm bell sounded in Eve’s head. She welcomed the arrival of their entrees, which served as a distraction. “You’re resisting, I take it?” she asked when the waiter was gone again.

Derek nodded and cut into his steak. “I prefer a less orchestrated approach.”

Her gaze swept over his handsome face. “Meaning...?”

“On paper, my marriage to Carleen should have worked.”

Eve had to fight the urge to reach over and take his hand. “But it didn’t.”

His eyes drifted to the pulse throbbing in her throat. “Maybe the key is finding someone not so much like yourself. Maybe that’s the way to a happy ending.”

Eve wasn’t so sure about that. The only thing she did know for certain was that she and Derek were very different. In their backgrounds, in their wants and needs and most definitely in their outlooks on life.

* * *

“
Y
OU’RE LOOKING BETTER
this morning,” Marjorie murmured when Eve went to the cardiac rehab to have breakfast with her.

Eve felt better after her leisurely dinner with Derek the night before.

She’d slept well, too, and to her consternation, awoke dreaming of kissing him again.

Not that Derek had made a move on her the night before. He’d been a perfect gentleman when he had taken her back to her car after dinner. Which was, after all, what she had wanted.

Wasn’t it?

“I’m glad,” Marjorie continued. “I was worried about you last night.”

“Same here,” Eve murmured, looking her over with the same close regard.

Clearly, there were improvements here, too.

Marjorie was dressed in workout clothes for the physical therapy she’d be doing later. Although she wore no makeup, her color was actually a lot better this morning than it had been at the office the previous afternoon. “I gather you had a good night’s sleep?”

“Probably because Loughlin Realty is still in the lead in sales. Although—” Marjorie frowned “—maybe not for long. Sibley & Smith is set to go to contract on two more properties this morning, which, unfortunately, would put them only one point seven million dollars behind us.”
In other words,
Eve thought,
one luxury property.

“How do you know this?” she demanded, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

Marjorie pushed the cottage cheese and fruit around on her plate. “I still have my ear to the ground.”

Everything fell into place when Eve spotted the BlackBerry that was peeking out of her mom’s pocket. Her appetite suddenly almost nonexistent, too, Eve nibbled on a whole wheat pancake provided by the cafeteria. “You’re supposed to avoid stress, Mom.”

Marjorie scoffed. “Keeping an eye on my business is a lot easier on me than being kept in the dark.”

Unfortunately, Eve knew that was true. “I’ll make the sale to Red Bloom happen, Mom.” The Houston oilman not only loved collecting unique homes, he had tons of money to spend.

An imperious brow arched. “That’s what you promised when it came to Derek McCabe.”

“And I did find a property for him. One he’s very excited about.” Although Eve still felt Derek had rushed into the deal, and might end up regretting it if everything didn’t go the way he hoped.

Marjorie sneaked a peek at her BlackBerry. “I would have preferred he be excited about an eight-million-dollar listing.”

Eve stifled a groan. She liked to put property under contract as much as the next agent, but didn’t want the sales race to dominate her life. “Mom. Please. It’s Christmastime. Let’s stop worrying about competition. And work on finding the joy in our lives.”

Marjorie slid her phone back into her pocket. She peered closely at Eve. “Since when did you become so romantic?”

Eve flushed.

“Or maybe,” Marjorie continued, even more sagely, “I should ask who is responsible for making you see the world this way?”

There was only one answer to that, Eve knew. And she sensed her mother knew it, too.

Derek McCabe.

Chapter Five

Derek’s rancorous business meeting the following day was in direct contrast to his incredibly enjoyable dinner with Eve. The young entrepreneurs sat on the other side of Derek’s desk, looking crestfallen when he finished his in-depth analysis of their pitch. “So in other words, you’re not going to fund us,” the lead programmer said with obvious resentment.

This was the part of the job Derek loathed. He regarded the trio of budding geniuses. “As I said, your ideas are great. The business plan is not.”

“How do we fix that?” the more amenable software designer asked.

“Find an executive with experience running a small software company, and a chief financial officer, to help set things up.”

The marketing guru shook her head vehemently. “We don’t need someone already set in his or her ways telling us what to do! The whole point of starting our own company is so we can run things ourselves!”

Knowing he’d done what he could to set them on the right path, Derek stood and shook their hands in turn. “Then I wish you luck,” he said.

But they wouldn’t be getting any venture capital from his company.

Alma May, his fifty-something administrative assistant, popped her head in the door after the surly trio departed. “Your parents called while you were in the meeting. They said they’d catch up with you later.”

Aware his folks would probably be full of questions about the house he was buying when they did end up talking, Derek nodded.

His family would also be full of questions about Eve, if they had any inkling how interested he was in the pretty real estate agent. Luckily, they hadn’t a clue. Derek wanted to keep it that way. Pursuing her was going to be a delicate business. She was cautious to a fault, overburdened with work and worried sick about her mom.

Hence, it wasn’t an ideal time to jump-start a romance, Derek rationalized. And yet, to wait would risk losing what momentum they had gained.

Oblivious to the direction of his thoughts, Alma tossed her springy silver curls as she continued going down her list. “I rescheduled your appointments, as requested, so your afternoon is free.”

Derek wondered if Eve would have any spare time, too. He wouldn’t mind taking her out to lunch. Since she’d paid for dinner the night before, this would be his treat. And since the transaction would be closed by then, there would be nothing stopping them from interacting in a purely social way. Except, of course, Eve’s theory about it being only the house-hunting that had brought them together.

“The bank called. They have the cashier’s check ready for the closing. Which is...” his assistant consulted her watch “...in forty-five minutes.”

Derek shut down his computer, glad to be done in the office for the day. He smiled. “I’m headed there now.”

Eve was waiting for him, gorgeous as ever. She was wearing an elegant business suit with a black watch plaid skirt, dark green silk blouse and fitted black blazer. Black tights and matching suede heels set off her sexy, spectacular legs.

One thing that was different about her today, Derek noted appreciatively, was her hair. The silky golden-brown strands had been brushed off her face and twisted into a chignon at the nape of her neck. On another woman, the sophisticated style would have highlighted imperfections. However, on Eve, it pointed out the lack of them. From the oval shape of her face, to her wide-set amber eyes, straight nose, chiseled cheekbones and full, bow-shaped lips, she was absolute perfection.

Derek knew it. And it was evident that the sellers, the attorneys and even the other Realtor involved knew it as well. Only Eve seemed oblivious to just how lovely she was.

Derek promised to remedy that as soon as humanly possible. But first things first; they had to close on the property.

Two hours later, it was a done deal. The lawyers and sellers departed. Hal Brody, the listing agent for the other party, stayed behind to tie up loose ends. After taking the lockbox off the door, he glanced over at Eve. “Congratulations. Looks like Loughlin Realty is going to win. Talk is, despite their recent sales, Sibley & Smith is still going to fall short.”

With a pleasant smile fixed on her face, Eve cautioned her colleague, “Let’s not be too hasty, Hal. As you and I both know, anything can happen, especially this time of year.”

He went to get the real estate stand out of the front yard. “Well, just so you know, since it can’t be us,” the distinguished-looking Realtor said as he returned, “I’m rooting for your team.”

“Thanks, Hal,” Eve replied. But her expression indicated they would just have to see what developed.

“Pleasure doing business with you, as always.” Hal slid the sold sign into his trunk.

Behind them, a familiar canary-yellow truck pulled up to the curb. Derek’s heart sank. As much as he loved the occupants, he did not need this now.

Eve caught his expression and frowned. “Expecting company?” she asked quietly as Hal waved and took off.

“No,” Derek said, but after his email announcing his plans the day before, he should have guessed his parents would show up in person, rather than just call him at the office.

Smiling and waving, his parents got out of the pickup. As always, they made a handsome couple. The kind you could look at and just know they belonged together, and always had. It was that kind of comfort and compatibility that Derek wanted, too.

Beside him, he felt Eve’s attention turn to his folks. She seemed curious—obviously, she hadn’t put two and two together yet, and wondered what he had in common with this couple—yet she appeared as welcoming as always.

Derek understood. He was standing here in a suit and tie, having just come from his downtown Dallas office. His mom was dressed in her usual jeans, boots and wool jacket. His dad, also in jeans and boots, had a shearling-lined suede jacket on, a black Stetson slanted across his brow. Both looked very West Texas and proud of it.

“Eve, I’d like you to meet my parents, Josie and Wade McCabe. Mom, Dad, this is Eve Loughlin, the Realtor who negotiated the purchase of my new home.”

Josie greeted Eve warmly, and then turned back to Derek. Wade did the same. “I gather the closing went without a hitch, then?” she asked.

Derek tried not to notice the hint of disappointment in his mother’s eyes. “Usually does when you pay cash for a property,” he quipped.

Another glint of disappointment appeared.

Ever the peacemaker between Derek and his mom, his dad stepped in like clockwork. Wade’s years successfully investing in troubled companies of all kinds had given him an ability to talk affably with everyone, no matter what the circumstances. “Want to show us around?” he asked Eve.

Derek knew the agenda here. His mother wanted to talk to him alone, as she always handled the “emotional” issues in the family. His dad would get to know Eve, and figure out what, if anything, she had to do with his hasty actions.

Apparently unwilling to get swept up into his family drama, however, Eve lifted a hand and took a step backward. “Actually, I should be going—”

“Actually,” Derek cut in, “if you have a minute, Eve, I’d really like you to stay.” He knew his parents were worried about him. They’d been concerned ever since he had given up on his marriage without a fight. He just didn’t want to hear about it.

Derek pivoted to Eve, awaiting her decision.

Their eyes met and held. “Certainly,” she said at last, with a look that conceded she owed him when it came to running interference with family. “I’d be glad to help out in whatever way I can.”

* * *

E
VE WASN’T SURE
what was going on between Derek and his folks. She did know they were the last people he had wanted to see at that particular moment. And if his tense body language was any indication, that feeling seemed to intensify when his parents stepped into his new home and had their first look around.

Clearly, they were in shock as they scoped it out. Wondering, even if they were too polite to actually come out and say so, what in the world Derek had done.

Finally, Josie drew a deep breath. “It will be a wonderful home when it’s redone.”

Wade nodded as he strolled through the downstairs. He looked out at the spacious backyard through a bank of grimy single-pane windows that were definitely going to have to be replaced. “I think so, too.”

“But what are you going to do in the meantime?” his mother asked. “I thought you wanted to be out of the hotel by the holidays.” Her youthful face radiated concern. “For Tiffany’s sake.”

“And I will be,” Derek promised.

Josie’s gaze narrowed in a way that let Eve know this woman would not accept any useless excuses from her son. “Surely you know that you can’t have a baby around ongoing renovation.”

“It’s going to be finished by Christmas, Mom, with a week to spare.” Derek went on to state in excruciating detail what all was going to be done.

Josie and Wade stared at him as if he had lost his mind. “That will all be finished two weeks from now?” his mother repeated with a mixture of shock and disbelief.