Page 18 of Agent of the Heart (Hearts in Hawthorne #3)

Chapter

Eleven

D arby finished getting dressed, putting on the freshly-laundered Hawks T-shirt Kelby had gifted her with only a few days ago. Who knew when she had donned this shirt that she would once again become a Hawthorne Hawk?

She looked intently into the mirror at herself, wondering if she could see a change in her.

Because of Jace Tanner.

The handsome sports agent had certainly rocked her world last night.

Not only had she thoroughly enjoyed getting to know more about him over a leisurely dinner, but she blushed now at the intimacies which had occurred between them.

Her orgasms had been earth-shattering. She had been completely depleted by them, along with being overwhelmed by Jace himself.

Though she still felt he had the capacity to upend her world, Darby wanted more of him.

After awakening in his arms, a feeling of safety she had never experienced with another man had washed over her.

Then he had told her he was taking her back to her hotel, and disappointment flooded her, knowing that she was obviously lacking in whatever he was looking for and hadn’t been able to hold his interest.

Then he caught her off-guard, asking if he could spend today with her. Darby was grateful that she had finished up her business with Dean Baker and decided not to fly back early. Spending all day with Jace today seemed like a bit of heaven on earth to her.

Her phone chimed, and she picked it up, reading the incoming text from Jace.

In the lobby with breakfast. Do you want to come down—or should I come up?

For a moment, she hesitated, not certain how she wanted to respond. Then Darby decided simply to go for it.

I’m in Room 317.

Darby left the text at that, nervously pacing until she heard the light tap on her door.

Opening the door, she could only stare. While she had thought Jace incredibly handsome in his suit and tie, he appealed to her even more in a dark brown, fitted T-shirt and light brown cargo shorts which showed off his muscular calves spectacularly.

“Come on in,” she invited, surprised her voice sounded so normal because her heart was racing in double time. “Thanks for picking up breakfast for us.”

He went to the table near the window and set the bag and two, tall drinks on it.

As he began removing items from the bag, he said, “I didn’t know what you usually ate for breakfast. I got a couple of bagels. Two donuts. A yogurt and a fruit bowl.”

She took a seat at the table, and he sat in the other.

“I didn’t know if you were a coffee or tea drinker either, so I went with coffee. One regular and one decaf. Hope that’s okay.”

“I probably drink an equal amount of coffee and hot tea,” she told him. “I always go decaf on the coffee and herbal on the tea, though.”

“This is the decaf,” he said, pushing one of the cups her way.

Opening the lid, she stirred in some sweetener he’d brought.

“They’re both vanilla lattes,” he added, seeming nervous to her.

“I love a good latte. As for breakfast, I’ll claim the fruit and yogurt. It’s time to start eating healthier again.”

She opened the container of Greek yogurt and spooned a bite from it, savoring its tartness. Meanwhile, Jace spread cream cheese on half a toasted bagel and took a large bite from it.

“What will you do now that you’ll be back living here?” he asked, a teasing glint in his eyes. “With the temptation of cheeseburgers and enchiladas and Blue Bell?”

“I’ll keep to my healthy habits, and then I’ll splurge a couple of times a week.

Hawthorne has an amazing pizza place. Pizza Palace.

The owners are from New York, and they really know how to produce an incredible pizza with a perfect crust. How about you?

” she asked, turning the focus back to him. “What are your eating habits like?”

“As far as eating goes?” He shrugged. “I like stuff that’s good for you, but I also like stuff that’s not so good for you. Because I work out so often, I can pretty much eat whatever I want and maintain a steady weight.”

“Besides doing PiYo, I also meditate,” she told him. “It really has helped me to keep focused over the years.”

“Hmm. I’ve never tried meditation. Then again, I’m a pretty focused guy already.” He grinned. “Focused on you today,” he flirted.

She felt the blush stain her cheeks. “Are you sure you’re able to take an entire day away from work? I don’t want to keep you from anything important.”

“I’m the boss. I can do whatever I choose. Today, I choose you.”

His words caused her stomach to erupt with a mass of fluttering butterflies. It surprised her because no man’s words had ever affected her.

But Jace Tanner’s certainly did.

They finished their breakfast and coffees, talking about everything from things in the news to a new movie they’d both seen and enjoyed. The more time she spent talking with Jace, the more she enjoyed being around him.

She knew that she couldn’t let her heart become involved, though.

This was a man who lived a vastly different lifestyle from her own, especially now that she would be living in a small town.

She would simply enjoy this one day with him—because it wouldn’t be repeated in the future.

It was a day for them to both play hooky and revel in doing so.

The fact that her partner in crime was so devastatingly handsome only added to the fun.

“What are we going to do today?” she asked. “You said dress casually, preferably in shorts, and I’ve complied.”

“First, I’d like to take you by my office. I want you to see it.”

Darby frowned. “Then I better change.”

“No, you don’t need to do that. There’s no reason to dress up with everything we’re doing today being super casual.”

“I guess I still have enough of that small-town girl in me, and I want to make a good impression on people.”

He frowned. “You want to impress my office staff?”

“You’ve built your business from scratch, Jace. You’ve surrounded yourself with people who are not only terrific at their jobs, but they’re ones you enjoy being around. I don’t want to embarrass you by waltzing in, looking like a slob.”

He reached and took her hand. “You are the least slob-like person I’ve ever seen. You look terrific today.”

“If you say so.”

“I do,” he said firmly, their gazes meeting. “And I don’t give out compliments lightly.”

They left her hotel room and went down to his Porsche. Again, she thought she probably could buy four or five practical, economical cars for what he had paid for this one sports car. Darby told herself to stop thinking about all the differences between them and just enjoy this day.

It only took about ten minutes to reach his office and park. Naturally, he had his own parking space with his name prominently displayed on it. They rode the elevator to one of the top floors in the glass office building and stepped from it.

“I’m eager for your opinion about my office and my staff.”

She wondered why he would care what she thought of either but kept quiet, telling herself not to rock the boat today. Keep everything at face value. Don’t read anything into what he said or didn’t say.

They entered the Touchdown Talent Management offices and were greeted by the receptionist. Jace took Darby through the place, introducing her to Penny Hiller, who handled all the company’s marketing, and Steve Butler, who was in charge of social media and graphics for the agency.

In the breakroom, they came across a tall, wiry man with dark hair and sparkling blue eyes.

“Darby Montgomery, I’d like you to meet my partner in TTM. This is Mark Walton. He’s an attorney and handles contracts and anything else legal for us.”

Mark gave her a warm smile and offered his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Darby. If you want to know any dirt on this guy, I’m your man and will spill all I know for a Butterfinger.”

She laughed. “I may do that, Mark. I like cheap info.”

Jace said, “I won’t be in the office today. Anything I need to know about?”

“If I could steal you for five or ten minutes, that would be helpful,” Mark said.

“Let me go and introduce Darby to Elena.” He looked at her. “You can wait for me in my office if you don’t mind.”

“Take as long as you need,” she told him.

They left the breakroom and approached the desk of a pretty woman in her mid-thirties, with long, dark hair and brown eyes.

“Elena Arturo, meet Darby Montgomery.”

The assistant came from behind her desk, and the two woman shook hands.

Darby said, “He may not tell you this, but Jace has bragged on you. And from everything he said, you’re smart, efficient, and keep him in line. In other words, you’re my kinda gal.”

Elena chuckled. “I’m glad to hear he’s full of compliments when I’m out of earshot. Maybe I should use this info to wrangle a raise.”

“I’m all for that,” she told the assistant.

Jace said, “Excuse me for breaking up this lovefest, but I’m taking today off, Elena. Reschedule whatever needs to be shuffled. Mark needs me for a few minutes, so show Darby my office and have her wait there.”

Elena nodded. “Will do, Boss. Come this way, Darby. You’re going to see a spectacular view of downtown Dallas.”

They entered Jace’s office. One entire wall was floor to ceiling windows, and the view was incredible.

She glanced around. “This office is as big as my apartment in Kansas City,” she declared.

“A lot of what transpires at TTM happens here. Jace does a lot of work from his desk, but many of our meetings with important clients happen in the sitting area over here. And instead of the conference room, Jace likes to have work meetings with various employees at this table area.”

“I know you need to get back to work, Elena. I’ll just have a seat here and catch up on a few emails.”

The assistant studied her a moment. “I worked with Jace at a different sports agency. When he started TTM, he asked me to come along. The man is a machine, working sixteen-to-eighteen-hour days. He has never come in and announced he was taking a day off. You must be someone very special, Darby, for that to happen.”

Hearing this helped her to understand that Jace was feeling some of the same things that she was.

“We met in Hawthorne this past weekend,” Darby volunteered. “My cousin was getting married to Jace’s brother. We hit it off. I was in Dallas on business for a few days, and we decided to get together.”

“Jace never told anyone here about Eli,” Elena confided.

“I only learned that he had a brother yesterday. Jace keeps a lot to himself. His personal life and his emotions. The fact that he shared that he found Eli with me is huge. It’s even bigger that he’s taking the entire day off to spend with you.

I know you had dinner last night at Adelina’s.

It’s my family’s favorite restaurant. I’ve eaten there from the time I was in a highchair. ”

Elena touched Darby’s arm. “I think you’re exactly what Jace needs, Darby. I hope things go well between the two of you. Today—and beyond.”

Darby didn’t see the point of explaining to Elena how she and Jace came from incredibly different worlds.

How he would remain here in Dallas while she began a new life, teaching in Hawthorne.

She had never been a woman who’d had a casual fling, but that was exactly what this was.

Something short term. Heady. Intense. But nothing permanent.

“Can I bring you something to drink?” Elena asked.

“No, thank you. I’ll just check my emails now.”

She went and sat on one of the two sofas in a corner of the room. It was plush and comfortable, exactly what she had anticipated.

Darby didn’t let the view distract her. She answered a couple of emails and then read over her notes from yesterday’s tour. She would write up her report for Peggy tonight if she had time or on the plane tomorrow morning.

Jace appeared a quarter of an hour later. “I think we’re ready to head out.”

“Are you sure we shouldn’t just put things off and let you work today? We could have dinner tonight,” she suggested as an alternative.

He scowled. “I told you that I wanted to spend the entire day with you. That’s what I meant.” His features softened. “And tonight, as well.”

She didn’t know if that meant he wanted to have dinner—or spend the night with her.

If it were the latter, she was all in.

They returned to the parking garage and left downtown, heading east.

“What did you think of the TTM offices?” he asked.

The question might have sounded casual, but she knew her answer was important to him.

“They convey exactly what you want your clients to feel. It’s got clean, modern lines.

It’s tastefully decorated. The layout is excellent.

I know you’ve only hired people who are tops in their field.

Overall, if I were thinking about signing with you, I would have a very favorable impression of TTM. ”

“Good. Would you change anything?” he pressed.

“I’d have to think on that,” she responded. “Let me get back to you.”

They drove in silence for a few minutes, and Darby was surprised how comfortable things seemed between them after such a short acquaintance.

She had been on dates where awkward pauses drew out into long, even more awkward silences.

With Jace, she didn’t feel as if she had to keep the conversation going the entire time.

It was a relief to find things were so easy between them.

“You wonder where we’re going? We got sidetracked on that topic.”

“You’re the guy from Dallas. You should be able to take me wherever you’d like today.”

“I hope we’ll start out at a place you haven’t been to before. If you have, I can switch gears. I’m taking you to the Dallas Arboretum.”

“I went there when I was maybe eight or nine years old,” she told him.

“It was Christmastime, and they had this beautiful display at night of the Twelve Days of Christmas. It was so dark, though, that I really didn’t get to see the grounds, but each of those twelve days was like glimpsing into a winter wonderland.

I’m eager to see what the arboretum looks like in daylight during a different time of year. ”

He nodded, a satisfied smile on his face. “Today’s weather is going to be really nice. Low seventies, with a slight breeze. Sunny.”

Jace glanced to her, their gazes meeting. “I think we’re going to have a good time together, Darby.”

She thought the exact same thing.