Thorn's Challenge - Brenda Jackson [3]
Thorn nodded in agreement. “So where will it be?”
“Tara’s place.”
Thorn turned and narrowed his gaze at his brother. “Why the hell are we playing cards at Tara’s place?”
Stone hoped the amusement dancing in his eyes didn’t show. He and the other brothers had taken Tara up on her offer to have the card game at her place mainly because they knew it would rile Thorn. They were well aware of how hard he went out of his way to avoid her. “The reason we’re having the card game at her place is because she invited us over as a way to thank us for helping her move in.”
“I didn’t help.”
“Only because you were out of town for a race that weekend.”
Thorn propped his hip against a table and decided not to tell Stone that even if he’d been in town he would not have helped. Being around Tara Matthews was pure torture and the last thing he wanted to remember was the time he’d lost his head and gotten a real good taste of her at Dare’s wedding. If his brothers knew the two of them had kissed, he would never hear the last of it.
Sighing deeply, Thorn slanted his brother a hard look. “Why can’t we play cards at your place?”
“It’s being painted.”
“What about Chase’s place?” He asked about the brother who owned a soul food restaurant in downtown Atlanta. Chase was a twin to his brother Storm.
“Too junky.”
“And Storm’s?”
“There’ll be too many interruptions from women calling him on the phone.”
Thorn sighed deeply. At thirty-two, Storm, who was the younger of the twins, was a fireman by day and a devout ladies’ man at night.
“Then what about my place?”
Stone laughed and shook his head. “Forget it. You never have any food in the fridge or enough beer to drink. So are you coming?”
Thorn frowned. “I’ll think about it.”
Stone inwardly smiled. It was hard for Thorn to miss a Westmoreland card game “Okay, if we see you, that’s fine, and if we don’t see you that will be fine, too. I’ll just win all of Storm’s money by myself.”
Thorn’s frown deepened. “Like hell you will.”
Stone smile. “And like hell you would even if you’re there,” he said throwing out the challenge, knowing just how much Thorn liked challenges. Whether Thorn admitted it or not, his brothers knew that his biggest challenge was a good-looking woman by the name of Tara Matthews.
The buzzing of Tara Matthews’s intercom captured her attention. “Yes, Susan?”
“Mrs. Lori Chadwick is here to see you, Dr. Matthews.”
Tara lifted a brow, wondering what had brought Lori Chadwick to her office. Her husband, Dr. Martin Chadwick, was Head of Pediatrics and a very important man around the hospital. He was also her boss. “Please send her in.”
Tara smiled when the door opened and Lori Chadwick walked in. As usual the older woman looked stunning. It was a known fact that Lori Chadwick enjoyed raising money for the hospital, and if the new children’s wing was any indication, she was very good at it.
“Mrs. Chadwick,” Tara greeted respectfully, offering her hand.
“Dr. Matthews, it’s good seeing you again, dear.”
“Thanks,” Tara said, gesturing to a chair across from her desk. “It’s good seeing you again, too.” The last time she’d seen Mrs. Chadwick had been at a charity function a few weeks ago. It had been the first such function she had attended since moving to Atlanta and joining the staff at Emory University Hospital.
Lori Chadwick smiled. “I know how busy you are, Dr. Matthews, so I’ll get straight to the point. I’m here to solicit your help in a fundraiser I’m planning.”
Tara sat down behind her desk and returned Lori Chadwick’s smile, flattered that the older woman had sought her assistance. One of the first things she’d been told by the other doctors when she had first arrived was not to get on Lori Chadwick’s bad side. The woman loved her pet projects and expected everyone else to have the