Test Drive (The Bachelor #1) Read Free

one day this week to discuss flight options for your company." I waited and listened as the old man hummed his way through his calendar. I scheduled the meeting for lunchtime on Thursday at the Maribel Country Club. When we hung up, I repeated the call to different executives, and when I was finished—a whole fifteen minutes later—I turned my attention back to my inbox.
    To my surprise there was a response. I was even more surprised when I saw that it was from Sicily. I remembered her as the fragile broken girl in the picture, and her response left me questioning what she might be like away from the computer.
     
    "Hi Drew! I got your message, and I wanted to maybe chat sometime. I don’t usually like going out with people I haven’t spent some time getting to know. I read through your profile and saw that we have quite a bit in common. Can I ask you why you picked me to respond to? Anyway, I hope to hear back from you, if you are still interested.
    -Sicily"
     
    I immediately wanted to respond, but would it make me look desperate? Did I even have an answer to her questions? I wasn’t used to a woman who lacked so much confidence in themselves, and I had to admit I already felt pressured to be some savior that could fix probably years of decay. I took a chance though. Maybe being the support for someone was the change I needed?
     
    "Sicily, I am very glad that you wrote me back. I would love to chat with you when you are available. I picked you because of your picture actually. You have that Mona Lisa stare, and I couldn’t look away. I am interested in meeting with you. You can reach me at 828–555–4213 if you want to talk.
    -Drew"
     
    I hit the send button and turned my chair around to face the window. The sun was beginning to set behind the mountains, and the other staff started to leave. I packed up my stuff and headed back down the long hallway to my father’s office.
    "Sir? Do you have a minute?"
    He nodded and motioned for me to come in but did not look away from his computer. "I finished setting up the meetings for you."
    "Good. Thank you." His gruff voice showed his distraction. "Is there something else?" His ice cold blue eyes darted over to me.
    "I wondered if you would allow me to sit in on the meetings with you. Maybe then I could get a feel for what needs to happen."
    "You would be interested in that?" He lifted his eyebrows in surprise.
    "Yes, father. I have noticed that my duties here are more like busy work, and I would prefer to take on a more important role if I need to be here every day."
    "Well yeah, son, you can add the meetings to your calendar, and I expect you to be there." He turned his attention back to the computer, and I showed myself out.
    I couldn’t remember my dad ever being this disconnected when I was a child. Of course his company had not exploded into what it is now until I was a teenager, and I spent most of my time away for college. I knew that I had disappointed him when my path didn’t lead directly to the pilot industry, but to be honest, heights scared the hell out of me. My dad couldn’t understand that I much preferred business and marketing to weather patterns and flight schedules. Not that he would ever let me handle that stuff anyway. My mother understood, at least. She had begged my father to retire and travel the world with her, but he couldn’t let it go.
    I had just sat down in the driver’s seat of my old, but fully restored, Nova when the phone rang. I checked the number, but it came up blocked. Normally that call would go to voicemail, but since it could be Sicily I answered.
    "Hi, this is Drew!" I tried to sound perky, but it came out as a yell over the roaring engine.
    "Hello, this is Sicily. Umm, you gave me your number so I thought I would call, but if you are busy, just forget it." I could barely understand her whispered words so I cut the engine off and apologized.
    "I’m sorry, my car is loud, and the echo in the parking garage would about deafen