Follow Your Heart (Catalina Cove #4) - Brenda Jackson Page 0,22
him she didn’t think that was a good idea, trying to spare him the misery of being interrogated by her brothers if she did such a thing, he got upset. In an angry tirade after downing too many beers, he’d admitted his only purpose for dating her was for her family’s name. He said her last name of Madaris would open doors for him.
That’s when it had become crystal clear that Karl was a man with high ambitions and saw her as nothing more than a meal ticket. She had gone home during that spring break with a broken heart. When she’d returned to campus, Karl had had the nerve to seek her out and asked for another chance, saying he hadn’t meant what he’d said to her. She refused to believe him and all his begging and pleading for forgiveness hadn’t moved her one iota. Victoria decided then that she wouldn’t be so quick to give her heart to another man, and that she would make sure whatever she got in life was because she earned it, and not because of her last name. That was the main reason why, after finishing school, she’d sought a job some place other than Texas, where her family’s name was well known.
That’s why she had no problem with Mama Laverne finding her a husband. At least he would be vetted thoroughly, and she wouldn’t have to worry about future heartbreaks caused by guys like Karl.
She knew Tanner’s family—the Jamisons—had just as much money as the Madarises, although they weren’t as well-known. Like her uncle Jake, Tanner was in charge of growing his family’s wealth through investments, and from what she’d heard, he was good at it.
Not wanting to think of Tanner anymore, her thoughts returned to Roman. She had enjoyed sharing both dinner and breakfast with him, and discovered he was someone she could talk to easily. While waiting for Tanner to come around, it would be nice to have objectivity from a male’s perspective, and hopefully, Roman could give her that.
Although she was close to her brothers, she dared not ask them anything—especially any advice regarding a relationship with a man. The less they knew, the better. However, she had felt comfortable enough with Roman to tell him about Mama Laverne’s matchmaking plans for her and Tanner. It had been good talking to someone about it other than Christy.
But then who would give her advice regarding Roman when she knew she was attracted to him? What kind of advice did she really need? She understood the principles of nature. Women were attracted to men and men were attracted to women for different reasons. Roman had a lot of sex appeal, along with a ton of charisma, which made a deadly combination. All she had to do was recall that day when all her female coworkers had surrounded the monitor and drooled.
She decided that if she got to know him better, the attraction would eventually wear off and she would think of him as another big brother.
Victoria glanced at her watch. She had hung back long enough. It was time to go up top. She hoped she would be able to keep the attraction she felt for Roman at bay until it wore off. And she was certain that it would.
CHAPTER SEVEN
FOR THE UMPTEENTH time that day Roman forced his gaze away from Victoria. Had she noticed him staring, she probably would have seen both admiration and attraction in his eyes. Admiration for how well she could handle a fishing rod and bait a hook. She’d caught just as many fish as he had.
Then there was the attraction. He wasn’t sure what had gotten to him most—her looks, her smiles, her movements or her talent for conversation, which showed how well-versed she was in a number of subjects. For someone who didn’t like politicians, she knew a lot about their world, both domestically and internationally. He actually enjoyed being around her.
Over lunch, she brought him up-to-date on Jonathan and Marilyn’s sons and daughters. Although they lived in different cities, while growing up, their sons—Justin, Dex and Clayton, who were also his godbrothers—had been role models for him. Okay, Clayton, maybe not so much since he’d been known as the womanizer in the group. Roman had always liked Justin’s easygoing approach to things and Dex’s serious side. Dex had a way of letting people know how far to push and if pushed too far that he would push back.