The Good Luck Charm (The Good Luck Series) (3 page)

What are you doing Jama? Account Director? That isn’t why I came home.

Darren shook his head, but remained silent as his sister continued to brag on him.

“In fact, he’s already landed a major account for us. Yesterday, he signed McDaniel to a five year contract.” Jama beamed in his direction as applause erupted around the room. When the clapping subsided, she continued. “And despite his arrogant airs at times, like almost being late to this meeting, he’s every bit as down to earth as the rest of us.  Even if he’s picked up some bad habits along the way.”

Adjusting his tie, he tried to make sense of why Jama was doing this to him. He understood she needed a new Account Director, but surely she had others just as deserving within her agency that could do the job. She didn’t need to place that burden on him.

“Do you have anything you’d like to say, Darren?” Jama asked. All eyes focused on him. Some were hostile.

He cleared his throat and slowly stood. “It’s an honor to be here at Wright and Associates. Jama’s the reason I began a career in advertising. It was her dream job and some of that dream rubbed off on me. While I prepped for college, she prepped for campaign projects. And I’d bug the crap out of her giving my advice on how ‘she should do it’. I think she spent more time telling me why my ideas wouldn’t work than doing her assignments.

“I listened to what she said and grew to love advertising too. So it’s a huge honor and surprise to be named Account Director.”

He laughed. “I didn’t come to the agency to take on this role. I came to refocus my career path, but I promise not to let you down.”

Applause again filled the room and the meeting soon broke up. A few of the executives he’d begun to work with came by to congratulate him. When the room finally emptied, Jama came over and hugged him.

“I thought you were going to ruin my surprise by not showing.” She beamed. “So do you have any immediate plans? What direction do you think you’ll be taking us?”

Grinning, he shrugged. “Up. We’re going up. Down isn’t an option.”

Jama laughed, turning to leave. “Good. Don’t let me
down
, little brother.”

“Jama, wait.”

She stopped and turned back toward him.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were in trouble here? I’d have come home sooner if you had.”

When he’d decided to finally come home after working in the Big Apple for five years, he’d needed a break, and it was a good way to get his mother off his back. He hadn’t realized she’d been pestering him because Jama needed his help but was too proud to ask.

“And admit defeat from the start?” She shook her head. “I had to prove to myself and to Ted that his leaving and practically stealing the agency blind wasn’t going to break me. And I almost did it too. If we hadn’t lost the local Marshall’s account last December—”

Darren nodded. “I know. One account can make or break an agency. Who did they go with?”

“Jackson and Jackson. A good firm with a go getter ad exec who is landing accounts left and right for them. I’m hoping you’ll be able to curtail some of their glory. You already have by landing McDaniel.”

Darren nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“While you’re doing that, I’d like to see you become a mentor for one of our people. Shelby Mitchell. She’s a top-notch account manager and is eager to advance. I think Shelby could learn a lot from you.”

“I’ll be happy to help her.”

“I’m counting on it,” Jama said. She opened the door and, with a quick wave of her hand, left him alone in the conference room.

Darren leaned back against the table thinking about the burden his sister had placed on him.

Whether she realized it or not, she was expecting more from him than just directing the agency into landing more accounts. He had to make sure Wright and Associates was solid again. After all, they were family.

First things first, he needed to get acquainted with Shelby Mitchell and get the scoop on the go-getter at Jackson and Jackson.

Keely parked her car that afternoon and got out, smiling as she listened to the happy chirping of birds, a tell-tale sign of spring. She opened the back car door and snapped on Duke’s leash before he lumbered with a yawn out of the vehicle.

He seemed rather lethargic today and that worried her. Her vet, Kyle Landers, had given her a Pamphlet on the complications associated with excess weight in large breed dogs known as bloat. He said a good way to prevent this was maintaining Duke’s weight with daily exercise. She was working hard to see that the dog stayed on a routine and it wasn’t doing her any harm either. Not only did she have more energy because of her daily jogs, but she’d also met an interesting guy as a result.

Leading Duke toward the trail, she scanned the green area and noticed it was sans Frisbee players today. She’d been looking forward to seeing Darren again. In all honesty, she’d hoped he’d be there, minus his friend. Frowning, she stretched her calves on a nearby park bench, preparing for their jog around the duck pond while Duke sniffed the ground.

“Are you ready, boy?” she asked Duke, petting him on the head.

He looked up at her with woeful brown eyes. His flews drooped and saliva dribbled from them as he yawned again.

Ew.
She never understood why her brother got a pet in the first place and second, she couldn’t imagine why he’d chosen a bloodhound. He didn’t hunt. Alex was a workaholic. His job required him to travel more than fifty percent of the time. Taking care of a dog wasn’t in the plan.

She’d been called upon numerous times to pet-sit over the years. So when Alex transferred to Alaska and couldn’t take Duke with him, she wasn’t shocked that he’d turned to her for help.

She sighed, knowing she was too soft when it came to her brother. She’d given up her lease on the perfect downtown loft to move back into the family home just to take care of the dog.

Duke. An overweight bloodhound.

She clucked to him as she started to jog. He kept up for the first lap, then without warning, dropped down on the trail, jerking the leash from her hand.

Startled, she jogged in place and half-turned, finding he’d stretched out behind her. He didn’t look hurt. He just looked bored.  Typical Duke.

“None of this. We’re got to keep moving, Duke.” She picked up his leash again clutching it tighter in her hand. With a firm jerk she got the dog on all fours and they started moving forward.

Half a lap later however, Duke dropped down on the trail again, but she didn’t lose her grip on the leash this time. Annoyed, she glared at him, and continued to jog in place to keep her heart rate up. “What’s up with you today, boy?”

He ignored her, closing his eyes as if napping.

She tugged on the leash, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Great.” She stopped moving and stooped down to check on him. His collar wasn’t too tight, so his circulation wasn’t being cut off and he didn’t feel hot, so he wasn’t overheated. Those were the two signs her vet had advised she watch for as they exercised.

Duke opened his eyes. He raised his head and his ears perked up. He got to his feet again and without warning began running at full speed. His sudden movement jerked Keely to her knees and he pulled her across the trail, through a patch of dirt and gravel, disturbing a gathering a geese and leaving loud squawking and the rustling of ruffled feathers in his wake. He continued pulling her through a mass of low-lying bushes until he finally broke away from her hold. She lay on the ground with her face in the grass trying to figure out what had caused the dog to take off like that.

“No, Duke. Stop!”

She looked up in time to see the dog leaping toward Darren and knocking him into the water.

This can’t be happening.  Not again.

Pushing herself up, she felt the sting of the leash burn on the palm of her hand and winced. Sitting in the grass for a moment, she surveyed the damage of her skinned appendages before she got to her feet. She’d definitely be sore tomorrow.

By the time she got to the water’s edge, Darren was wading toward Duke, trying to grab his leash.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” she asked, fearing the worst. This was the second time the dog had caused him to fall into the water.

“No.” Darren turned and waded toward her, while Duke doggie paddled to the edge. Getting out Darren laughed and handed her the leash. “I think he was happy to see me, but I wish he’d picked a different way of showing it.”

She sighed. If he was laughing, then he wasn’t upset. This was good. She didn’t want this mishap to make him avoid her.

“What about you? Are you okay? As I walked from the car I saw him dragging you—”

“I’ll live.”

“You said that yesterday. What will you say tomorrow?” A dark brow arched and he cocked his head to one side.

“If anything else happens tomorrow, then shoot me because I can’t take further public humiliation. And I’m sure you don’t want to end up back in that water again.”

He laughed and reached for her hand, running his thumb over the red area of the leash burn. “That must sting.” Without warning, he raised her palm to his lips and kissed it.

The warmth of his breath on her palm sent a tingle soaring through her, and she sucked in her breath hard. If his kissing her palm caused that reaction she could only imagine what kissing his lips would cause. 

Finding her voice, she choked out a response. “It does.”

He nodded and glanced at her skinned knees. “Those need looking at. Do you have a first aid kit in your car?”

She shook her head, not believing he was more concerned about her than the fact that he stood there with algae in his hair.

“I do.”

“That’s okay. I’ll take care of my knees at home. I should get Duke out of here before he can cause more harm.” Looking down at her clothes she noticed she was covered in dirt, grass and bits of twigs from the earlier escapade. She haphazardly dusted herself off feeling her cheeks warm with renewed embarrassment. “I still can’t believe he took off like that. He’s never…”

“He’s a dog, Keely. Their attention span is short.”

“I know, but…he plowed you down…”

She looked up and Darren placed a finger over her lips. “It’s okay, accidents happen.”

There was a brief silence as they walked toward the parking area. Duke loped along beside them. Darren slowed in front of the sports car that had parked next to her four-door hybrid.

“Have dinner with me tonight?”

His questions startled her. “Dinner?”

He nodded.

She swallowed and stared at his lips, wondering what it would be like to finally kiss him. This was the second time he’d asked her out. Under the circumstances, she couldn’t really say no. Nor did she want to.

“What do you say? I won’t take no for an answer this time.”

“I’ll have to take Duke home and change.”

“No problem. Is that a yes?”

She nodded and he moved back, crossing his arms over his chest. “So what do you say? Will an hour give you enough time to take care of things?”

She nodded.

“Good. Meet me across the street at Litton’s. We’ll have a burger and figure out a way to keep calamities from happening every time we meet.”

She grinned. “We managed just fine at the Jazz club.”

“Correction, every time we’re near water and Duke’s around.”

“I can’t wait to hear what you come up with.”

“Neither can I.”

For a moment she thought he might kiss her considering the way he was staring at her, but he didn’t make a move and the moment passed.

“See you soon.”

Keely nodded then gave the leash a tug, urging Duke to follow her.

Darren enjoyed the view of her hips swaying as she walked away. He waited until she was out of sight before finally getting into his car. He had a feeling there was more going on between them than the mishaps at the Fountain City Lake. And he was certain he was going to enjoy finding out what.

People lined the entryway at Litton’s waiting for their names to be marked off the chalkboard cube to be seated. Darren inched his way through the crowd and wrote his own name on it and joined the wait for a table. When he turned back around, he saw Keely, dressed in jeans and a short-sleeved sweater, squeezing her way past a family of four.

He waved.

She smiled. “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting.”

“I just got here myself. Duke didn’t give you any more trouble did he?”

She shook her head and glanced over at the dessert cooler. Her brown eyes enlarged as she surveyed the night’s selection of Italian Crème, Red Velvet, Black Tie Cheese Cakes and Key Lime Pie.

“Boy, they know how to tempt a body,” she murmured, licking her lips. “Have you checked out the cookie and brownie selection?”

“No.”

“It’s probably safer that way.”

He agreed, but knew he’d enjoy seeing her reaction to it anyway. They walked over to the case for her to take a look. “So what do you do besides pet-sitting?”