Maybe This Summer (Colorado Ice #2.5)(2)
“And there she is,” Isabelle said.
Owen wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it hadn’t been the sexiest woman on the planet. Dressed in a black, slim-fitting suit that stood out in contrast to the pale office décor, his eyes bulged slightly as he took her in. Three-inch black open-toed pumps made her look nine feet tall as she stepped out into the waiting area behind her current appointment, and if the heels were a source of discomfort, she hid it well as she practically glided across the waiting room. Tied back in a low ponytail, her long blond strands nearly reached her waist and swished from side to side like a silk curtain. Under the jacket, she wore a white turtleneck that covered a long, thin, graceful-looking neck. She looked cool and professional.
He was suddenly sweating.
He averted his gaze to the two men leaving as she addressed them.
“Thank you for coming in. I’ll look forward to hearing from you both,” she told the football players he recognized from the Denver Tigers.
Her voice wasn’t what he’d expected either—deep, rich, smooth as honey—unusual coming from such a sleek, thin frame. An irresistible combination.
He ran a hand through his hair and straightened his tie.
“Hey, Westmore,” Clint Fields, the Tigers quarterback said as he passed. “Great season.” The guy was in shorts and a polo shirt. So was his teammate—running back Alex Carr. In fact, no one was as dressed up as Owen was.
Maybe he should have gone casual as well. But at least the suit jacket covered his less-than-professional tattoo sleeves and the sweat pooling at his lower back. It also helped his confidence level in these meetings. Despite years of working as promotions manager, he still got nervous as hell before these one on ones. Once he started talking, he usually relaxed, but another glance at Paige told him that wouldn’t be happening today. The suit jacket would be staying on.
“Yeah, you too,” Ben said, shaking both players’ hands as the “you’re great, no you’re great” banter continued for several seconds.
The football stars turned and waved to Paige as they left.
“Hi. Thanks for coming in,” Paige said, turning her attention to them. She shook hands with both, but naturally her gaze never left Ben.
Owen shoved his hands in his pockets. Why the hell was he still friends with the biggest cock-block in Colorado?
Following them into the boardroom, he watched as Paige gracefully made her way to the front of the long mahogany wood table. Hips swaying to a beat only in his mind, her blond ponytail continued to swish from side to side down her back. He decided the suit had to be tailored for her because it fit like she had been born wearing it, smooth across her back and tapered at her tiny waist. In contrast, his felt tight and constricting across his shoulders, and the size 34 pants had fit a little tighter that morning. He worked out with the team, but maybe he needed to up his cardio.
“Before we start, I just have a short video I’d love for you to watch.” Paige’s voice stole his focus as she hit the button on the remote to turn on the large flat-screen on the wall.
On the screen, a group of kids played at what looked like a summer camp. The words BURN CAMP PROGRAMS scrolled across the bottom as various kids appeared to talk about their experiences.
Paige remained standing, her attention glued to a video she must have seen a million times, and he took the opportunity to study her—so serious and put together—just his type. He loved the challenge of trying to break a steely exterior, to get a smile or laugh from someone so seemingly guarded.
She crossed one foot over the other and rotated a thin, delicate-looking ankle.
Ah, so the black, skinny-heeled pumps obviously weren’t as comfortable as they were sexy.
His gaze went to her left hand. No ring. He smiled. Then again, maybe she just didn’t wear it to work. There was no way she was single.
Hitting the Stop button a moment later, she sat across from them. “That is why I asked you here today. This year’s celebrity charity golf tournament will be raising money to send some very deserving kids to camp in August. Children come from all over the US, and every year, we have scholarships for kids who wouldn’t normally be able to attend, but this year the demands for them are higher, and we don’t want to say no to any of these children.” She handed them each a binder featuring the pics and profiles of all of the children who’d applied for the scholarships. “Each of the stories in there is moving and touching. These kids have been through a lot and have overcome so much.”
As Owen flipped through, he felt his bank account emptying from all the way across town. He’d pay the tuition for these kids himself if he could.
“The goal with this year’s tournament is to raise thirty thousand dollars,” Paige said.
That was all? Most of the charity fundraisers they participated in had goals of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Couldn’t straight donations accomplish that rather easily without the expense of a tournament?” Ben asked, obviously thinking the same thing.
“Yes, they could,” Paige said. “But we also want to create awareness for the cause. The hospital does a lot of fundraising, but those funds are distributed among various wards. The Burn Treatment Center is sometimes forgotten about, as the conditions are not seen as life threatening in most cases.” He picked up a hardened note in her voice, but the edge was gone again as she continued. “This fall, we are launching a rather big campaign to purchase equipment needed to perform cutting-edge skin replacement and rejuvenation surgeries. As you can appreciate, some of the equipment has a price tag of over two hundred thousand dollars. Therefore we’d like to generate some forward momentum before then—generate public awareness and launch our new campaign during the camp.” She leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table, her hands clenched together, the only sign that she was finding this meeting any bit uncomfortable or trying. Owen got it. Fundraising and garnering support wasn’t easy. He’d done his share of convincing the public to open their wallets and give of their time. Not an easy job. Yet, Paige did it with far more finesse and dedication than he’d ever been able to muster.