Emilee’s face had been imprinted on his brain since kindergarten and his teenage self had spent hours cataloguing the rest of her. He’d been so awkward in high school, he hadn’t dared to let her notice him noticing her. He was the textbook definition of “dork” back then. A gorgeous girl like Emilee would never be interested in him.
The adult version sitting in front of him now looked dazed, as if she’d seen a ghost. For a sickening moment, his gut twisted in fear that she’d forgotten him. He’d taken for granted that Emilee was the one person who’d seen him in high school. The real Drew, behind the think glasses, lack of fashion sense, and laser focus on his studies. He’d had few friendships in high school and had spent his college years and beyond getting over his insecurities and growing into himself. But Emilee was the one person he’d considered a true friend.
“Drew!” Emilee stood up quickly, then stepped forward to offer a hug. Drew let out a relieved breath.
In the next instant, Emilee was in his arms, his every teenage fantasy come to life and he had to remind his body that this was a friendly embrace and not the start of something more intimate. He angled his hips away as he reveled in the feel of her against him and the faint rose scent in her hair. The hug was over before he could fully enjoy the moment and he found himself a respectable distance from Emilee as they awkwardly eyed each other.
Time to take charge of the situation like the CEO he was. He wouldn’t balk at a table full of investors in his San Francisco boardroom, so he was surprised a mere date threw his confidence. Except this wasn’t an ordinary date. It was a date with his teenage crush—who was even more gorgeous than he’d remembered.
“Ready to go?” he asked as he gestured to his car. Emilee popped her head into the screen door to let her mom know she was leaving.
He heard a muffled “Have fun, kids” from the inside of the house.
Emilee preceded him down the steps and he ducked ahead of her in order to open the passenger door. She slid smoothly into the bucket seat. “Ohh, this is nice,” she said, running her hand reverently along the supple leather.
Drew settled into the driver’s seat. “It’s one of the perks to being successful. I don’t like to be flashy about it, but having the resources to make life a little more pleasurable is pretty amazing.”
He saw Emilee glance at him with a question in her eyes, but she didn’t ask it. She must know that, as CEO of the most successful app development startup in history, that he was well off. He’d been featured in numerous articles and had graced the list of Sexiest Billionaires in the United States just last week.
In fact, his ability to stay under the radar shifted dramatically after that article. Local media had picked it up and he couldn’t go anywhere in the state of California without being hit on mercilessly. Which is why he’d concocted the plan for this date to be as discreet as possible.
He wanted to spend quality time catching up with Emilee, not be caught up in a media circus. So he called up his college friend, Felicity Dupont, and arranged a private meal at her family’s winery—Chateau Felicity.
He glanced at Emilee to see her hands twisting in her lap. She kept her gaze determinedly out the window and not on him. She turned to find him watching her and blushed. She was just as nervous as he was.
She took a gulp of air. “Remind me what you do for work…”
“I’m in app development,” he replied.
“That seems like an interesting job,” Emilee said. “I’m a yoga instructor. I’m saving money to buy into the business.”
Impressive. He’d known she was an instructor but hadn’t realized she was planning to invest into the studio. He made a mental note to research the fitness industry in case he could provide any resources to Emilee.
“There’s nothing better than being your own boss.” Drew had done his time working for others and knew he’d never go back to the traditional nine-to-five job again. He much preferred to call the shots—in all areas of his life.
The reason he preferred to drive his own car instead of hiring a ride service. He pulled the car into the entrance of the regional airport and provided his credentials at the security gate. Emilee gasped as the gate raised and Drew pulled his car onto a road parallel to the private airfield.
“Where are we going?” she squeaked. “My mom said you were picking me up for dinner.”
“I am. We’ll be at dinner in thirty minutes.” Drew parked in a reserved space in front of the hangar.
“We’ll be where, exactly?” Emilee unbuckled her seat belt and stepped out of the car before he could come around to open her door. She retrieved her purse from the seat, then stood in awe of the private jet in front of them.
“You’ll see,” Drew replied with a wink.
He took great satisfaction in Emilee’s shocked expression as she stared wide-eyed at the jet. He’d spared no expense on this evening and hoped she’d appreciate the champagne and appetizers he’d ordered for their short flight.
Placing a hand on her lower back, he leaned down to whisper, “Ready when you are.”
She shivered under his touch and Drew couldn’t help the grin that spread over his features. Tonight was going to be fun.