CAROLINA HATED NEW YEAR’S EVE IN NEW YORK CITY. Typically, she either hightailed it out of town, or hid in her apartment, content to let everyone else crowd the streets and celebrate.
She anticipated with dread whatever Drew had in store for her for tonight. Knowing him, he’d thrust some hideous party hat on her and drag her out to Times Square.
She was sipping her tea when her phone rang. Frowning, she looked at the time. It was only eight in the morning, and it was Drew calling.
“A little early for our date, don’t you think?”
“Not really. Pack a bag. We’re heading out.”
“Staking out our place in Times Square already?”
He laughed. “Do you really think I’d do that to you?”
“I have no idea.”
“Pack a bag. We’re getting the hell out of here.”
“Okay. And what should I pack?”
“Pack for the beach. I’ll be there in an hour to pick you up. Can you be ready?”
What did he think she was, some diva who needed three hours to prep? “Yes. I’ll see you in an hour.”
Pack for the beach? Where were they going? As long as it was out of here, she was game.
She headed into her bedroom and grabbed her bag, threw in some capris, a sundress, and, though it was a ridiculous notion, her swimsuit. It was winter. Even if they hopped over to the Hamptons, which sounded like a delightful idea, it was still winter. She added a sweater and her yoga pants, too, just in case.
She took a shower and got dressed, then grabbed a bagel to eat while she waited.
Drew showed up exactly at the time he said he would. She liked that about him. He rang the bell, so she grabbed her bag and went downstairs.
When she opened the door, he smiled. “I love a woman who’s on time.”
“Hey, I even had time to eat breakfast.”
“Well, aren’t you efficient. Is this it?” he asked, grabbing her bag.
“You’re not kidnapping me for a week, are you?”
He led her down the stairs toward the waiting taxi. “Nice thought, but we both have to work, so no. Just overnight.”
They climbed into the taxi.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise.”
“Seriously? You’re not going to tell me?”
“We’ll be there before you know it. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
The ride ended up being to one of the smaller airports, where she was surprised to see the Preston jet.
They boarded, and buckled in.
“How did you arrange this?”
Drew settled in next to her. “I talked to Gray, who talked to your dad.”
“Good morning, Miss Preston. Mr. Hogan.”
Carolina smiled at Oren, the captain of the flight crew. “Good morning, Oren.”
“We’ll be taking off shortly. We’ll have you into Daytona Beach in no time. Enjoy the flight.”
After the captain went into the cockpit, Carolina turned to face Drew. “We’re spending New Year’s Eve with Gray and Evelyn?”
“Not exactly. They had a change in plans and decided to go to Virginia to be with Evelyn’s parents. With the baby news, they wanted to spend some time with her parents and talk wedding plans. So I talked to Gray, and he’s letting us use his house.”
“Oh. This is fantastic.” An overnight in Florida trumped a cold New Year’s Eve in Times Square every time.
“I knew you didn’t want to be in the city for New Year’s Eve. I thought you might like to go someplace warmer. I actually was going to get us a hotel room there and asked Gray about the plane, but then he told me they were heading to Virginia and offered up the house. I didn’t refuse.”
“It’s a great house on the beach. And someplace warmer is a wonderful idea. Thank you.”
They took off, and Carolina busied herself with working on her line. She had models in place, and had pretty much decided on which clothes each of them would wear. There might be a few switches, but other than completing production, she was mostly finished. Now she just had to get advertising going, and she had to get Drew on board for that, along with one of her female models for the women’s line. She’d already talked to the agency and had selected one of the female models to do the advertising shoot for the women’s line.
She leaned back and closed her eyes, needing to rest and gather her thoughts.
The next thing she knew, Drew was shaking her shoulder.
“We’re getting ready to land.”
She blinked and opened her eyes. “Already? I must have fallen asleep.”
He smiled at her. “Just how hard have you been working this week?”
“Oh, not too hard.”
He gave her a look. “I don’t think I believe you.”
They landed and she and Drew both thanked the crew, who insisted they were thrilled to spend New Year’s Eve hanging out on the beach. Her father was flying their families out to spend it with them, so they were all excited.