Her smile was slightly wicked. “He’s a rich businessman.”
“Aren’t they all?” I interrupted unenthusiastically.
She shot me a look. “Sorry,” I smiled. “Continue.”
“He’s actually a friend of Tristan’s.”
“He is?” I asked, in surprise.
“He is,” Alani nodded. “He started asking questions about you, and I thought…perfect.”
“Perfect?”
“He’s your next date,” she said. “In fact, he wants to take you out to dinner tonight.”
“What?” I said. “Right now?”
“Right now,” Alani nodded. “He wants to speak to you beforehand, though.”
“Uh…why?”
“I think he’s hoping to charm you,” she smiled.
“I’m not easily charmed.”
“I told him,” she said. “So, what do you say?”
I took a deep breath. “I suppose I’ve done this much…I might as well go the whole nine yards.”
“That’s my girl,” Alani said, clapping her hands together.
I shook my head at her. “You’re enjoying yourself way too much.”
“Hey, even managing a resort like this can get boring sometimes,” she joked. “A little real-life soap opera every once in a while can’t really hurt.”
“Especially if you’re choreographing the whole thing?”
Alani winked at me and headed towards the door. “Wait,” I said. “He’s coming in right now?”
“Yes.”
Unsure of my appearance, I looked down. I was wearing sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt with a picture of Mickey Mouse on the front. “I look like an idiot.”
“I like the look,” Alani said. “There’s something very confident about a woman who doesn’t give a shit about what she’s wearing or who sees her wearing it.”
“That’s a good point,” I nodded. “Okay, let him in.”
I heard Alani’s voice faintly from where I stood, and then a moment later a tall, dark-haired man entered. He was wearing dark pants and a blue blazer, and he looked both smart and cultured. He was quite obviously one of those men who seemed to get better looking with age. He gave me a confident smile that was also admiring.
“Mickey was always my favorite, too,” he said.
As far as pick-up lines went, it was one of the better ones. I couldn’t help smiling back at him. “He’s so underrated.”
“I completely agree.”
We made eye contact for a moment, and it was obvious we were sizing each other up in the silence. “I don’t know your name,” I said, breaking the silence.
“Gregory,” he replied. “Gregory Winchester.”