“More than enough.” She sat back in her chair, feeling entirely relaxed for the first time in months. This weekend was a brilliant idea. If she’d stayed home she’d likely be on her laptop about now, going through financial projections and staffing, and reading proposals for next week’s meetings.
This was so much better.
When the waiter came and asked if they were having dessert, she fully expected Nathan to say yes, so she was surprised he declined.
“No dessert?”
He shook his head. “Nah. I’m good for now.”
When the waiter laid the check on the table, she grabbed it and took out her credit card.
Nathan frowned. “I can get that.”
“Or I can get this one, and you’ll get the next one.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
She liked that he respected her enough to let her pay and that he wasn’t one of those guys whose ego got out of joint when a woman paid the tab.
They left the restaurant. It was a nice night. The air was crisp but the stars were amazing. Nathan headed for the car, but Mia grabbed his hand.
“I’m so full. Let’s take a walk.”
“Sure.”
The grounds of the hotel the restaurant was located in were amazing, with places to sit by the pool and waterfall. There were walking paths so they traversed those while Mia occasionally looked up to gape at the night sky. As they wandered, she caught sight of some of the rooms. What she could see of them anyway. They were shrouded in privacy with tall walls and shrubbery.
“I did a little reading on this place on the way over. They have both indoor and outdoor showers. Plus a massage table in every room.”
Nathan’s brows rose. “Yeah? We should stay here next trip up.”
“I thought so, too. I love a good massage.”
“You should book one while we’re here.”
“I’ve considered it. I need to work out the kinks.”
They made their way to a fire pit, and since she was chilled and no one was there, she led Nathan to a cozy bench in front of it so they could sit.
“This is awesome,” Mia said as she warmed her body in front of the fire. “I need a fire pit.”
“Where? In your living room?”
She laughed. “No. It’s a someday thing. When I have a house and a backyard.”
“Why didn’t you buy a house?”
“I had enough going on trying to find the space for MHC, getting the company up and running and hiring staff, plus moving here. The last thing I wanted to do was go house hunting. Leasing the town house was enough for now. Eventually, though, I do want to buy.”
Nathan leaned forward, closer to the fire pit. “We’ll have to go house hunting.”
She lifted a brow. “Oh, we will, huh?”
“You’d buy a house without my input?”
“Of course not. You being such an expert on house things.”
“Hey. I know house things.”
She gave him a skeptical look. “You do, huh? Like what?”
“You might be surprised to know I’ve learned a few important details about home ownership over the years from my dad and my uncles.”
“Which means they used you as free labor.”
“You got that right. But if you do go house hunting, you might want to bring me along. I have mad skills and can tell you if plumbing is crap or if an A/C unit is a piece of shit.”
“I’ll definitely keep that in mind. But it’s going to be a while, so cool your house-hunting jets. I have enough on my agenda to keep me busy.”
“Yeah, I get it. You’re in building-an-empire mode right now.”
“I don’t know about building an empire, but not having my company sink in the first year is a good start.”
He scooted closer to her and put his arm around her. “Babe. You’re not gonna sink. Look at how busy you are right now. You’ve already said you’ve gotten more business than you thought you would right out of the gate.”
“True.” She turned her attention from the fire and focused on Nathan. “But can I keep the momentum going?”
“Of course you can. Word of mouth is what breeds success in a business like yours. And the more clients you bring on board, the more they’ll talk about your company, and that means other athletes will want to know about you.”
She inhaled a deep breath, then let it out. “I hope you’re right.”
“I’m always right.”
She laughed. “I’m going to bring you into my Monday morning meetings as a motivational speaker.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Are you Nathan Riley?”
Mia looked over to see a guy with a camera. And not just a random fan, either.
“I am.”
“Okay, thanks.” He took a quick photo. “Is this your girlfriend?”
Nathan frowned, stood and took Mia’s hand. “Let’s go.”
They started walking back, the guy following them. Mia heard the click of the camera as they walked along. They got into their car and drove off.
“Who is that guy?” Mia asked.
“Paparazzi would be my guess.”
“I thought those guys only took photos of famous people, like TV and movie stars.”
He shrugged. “They take pictures of anyone they think will earn them a buck.”
Nathan parked and they made their way inside the hotel.
“Nathan, that was so weird. I mean, I’m no stranger to cameras. My brothers have had their photos taken by fans and press photographers before. But not in the middle of dinner or on the street.”
“I’m sure it’s because the season is starting soon and there’s this whole idea of me stepping into my dad’s shoes. This guy’s thinking he’s got a story to tell, and he got a lucky shot of me out in public, that’s all.”
“I guess.” But still, it worried her. For a lot of different reasons.
“Come on, let’s step into the bar,” he said. “I need a beer.”
They grabbed a table and a waitress came over. Mia ordered a glass of cabernet and Nathan ordered a beer.
Mia sat and pondered the run-in with the photographer. What did he want and how had he found Nathan up in Napa?
The waitress brought their drinks, and Mia sipped hers, lost in thought.
“Hey,” Nathan said, laying his hand over hers. “What’s going on in your head?”
“Oh. Thinking about that photographer. I mean, how did he even find you?”
Nathan laughed. “I don’t think he was specifically looking for me. He probably trolls all the hotels and restaurants hoping to spot someone he can photograph. Likely he knows sports, so he recognized me. That’s all.”
She took another sip of her wine. “You’re probably right.”
“Don’t worry about it, okay?”
“What? Me worry?”
He laughed. “It is kind of your middle name, isn’t it?”
Her lips curved and she felt the tension begin to dissolve. “At least three people mentioned that to me in meetings at work this week.”
“Hey, you’re just organized. That means you worry about every detail. Nothing wrong with that.”
“I do tend to get a little obsessive, but that means I’m doing the best for my clients. You should see me in meetings. I’m very good at my job.”
“I know you are.” He quirked a smile at her and swallowed the last of his beer. Then he stood and held out his hand for her, pulling her to stand. “I could think of a lot of fun things to do with you, Mia, but biz meetings isn’t one of them.”
Maybe it was the wine buzz, but she moved in closer to him. “Is that right? What kind of fun things?”
He put his arm around her and tugged her close. “Depends. If it’s friends only, then it’s hanging out. If it’s friends with benefits, I could show you.”
She’d had a rough week, and the thought of Nathan helping her release all that pent-up tension sounded very appealing. She laid her palms on his chest. “Well, since you mentioned it . . .”
His phone buzzed. He ignored it and she lost herself in the depth of his gaze. But his phone continued to buzz.