Page 29 of Chasing the Dream

As she lay in bed that night, she realized that with Gabe, out of sight was never out of mind. It had been that way for the past nine years. Her life had moved along without him, but she’d never forgotten him and never stopped wondering what if? She’d thought of him as “the one who got away” even though she’d never had him in the first place.

Now he was back in her life, where so much had changed, but one thing remained the same. She still had it bad for her best friend’s brother.

Chapter 10

Gabe picked up his desk phone and dialed Morgan’s extension. She picked up right away.

“Yes?”

“Can you come down to my office for a minute?”

“Sure. Be right there.”

He hung up and sighed. For the past two weeks, he’d been on his best behavior with her. They’d driven to and from work, conversing without flirting, and at the office, he’d kept his distance. He wondered if his proposal would change all that.

She entered his office looking like the consummate professional, wearing black slacks and a striped blouse and holding a notepad and pen. Still, he knew what she looked like in a bikini, and the image hadn’t left his mind.

“Close the door, please.”

She did as he requested and then sat in the chair across from his desk.

“I have a business opportunity to discuss with you,” he said, leaning forward and folding his hands under his chin.

Eagerness sparked in her eyes. “What is it?”

“I received a call from someone named Bryan Jameson. He recently opened a bar on the east side of Scottsdale, and he’d like to have his website redesigned. An acquaintance of his designed the current site, but he’s not happy with it. He found my company online, and he’d like to meet with us.”

“Us?”

He slowly nodded. “I thought we could work together on this, if you’re agreeable.”

She blinked a few times like she was trying to process the news. “It sounds interesting, but I won’t be here very long and…”

“You’ll be here long enough for us to roll it out. When Dana returns, she can take over the maintenance.”

“Why me? I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but you have so many other designers to choose from.”

It was a valid question and one he’d already thought of an answer to. “You wanted the experience, and the rest of the staff is maxed out. This will give you the chance to show what you can do.”

He could tell she liked the idea, but she was still hesitant.

“What would your role be?”

“I’d be in on the initial meetings, but after that, it’s all yours. I’ll just be here to assist.”

“Really?”

She couldn’t hide her enthusiasm, and it made him smile. “Yes.”

“When would we meet with him?”

He leaned back in his chair. “He asked us to come to his bar this Saturday night when it’s busy so we can get a feel for the place. After that, we’ll draw up a plan and then present it to him here at the office.”

“Hmm.”

He could practically see her wheels spinning as she mulled it over. Like him, she might be thinking that the two of them going to a bar on a Saturday night wasn’t the best idea, but he already had an answer for that too.

“It’s not a date, Morgan. It’s a business meeting, but if you’re not interested, I’ll ask someone else. It’s up to you.”