Hot Property by Carly Phillips Page A

waiting for her to change her mind. For some reason, the man only wants Cassandra Lee for the role and has been pursuing her relentlessly.”
    Amy nodded in understanding. “That’s because she’s good,” Amy said. “What will it take to convince her?”
    He shrugged. “She won’t change her mind. First, she thinks television is beneath her. But more important, my mother refuses to play the role of a grandmother, no matter how elegant, dignified or perfect the role may be. She thinks spending thousands in plastic surgery and Botox justify her desire to be cast as an ingenue.” He shook his head in disgust and frustration. “Sad thing is, she’s been saying it to herself for so long, she believes it.”
    He glanced at Amy, looking for a glimmer of understanding. Heaven only knew why he needed it from her when he’d never wanted it from anyone else. At least she was too busy jotting down notes to realize.
    “So tell me more about your brother.”
    The busboy had cleared their plates, and the waitress set their lunches in front of them. Talking about his family had killed his appetite. “Ben needs a job and a life.”
    “I’ve been there,” she said with more compassion than he’d afforded his brother lately. “I lived at home for so long it became too comfortable. Maybe that’s what’s going on with Ben. He just needs the right incentive to get him moving again.”
    Roper had thought the same thing.
    “Does he have any job options? I don’t mean investments, but legitimate employment opportunities that you know of?”
    Roper took a long sip of water. “His head is so far in the clouds, he wouldn’t know an opportunity if it was handed to him. I’ve offered to make some calls and see if there are any openings as a high school baseball coach in a decent community. He’s good enough to teach, he just wasn’t solid enough to play pro. Ben won’t even consider it.”
    “When he runs out of money, he’ll have no choice. Why don’t you give me some leads and I’ll see what I can come up with for him.”
    Roper raised an eyebrow.
    “It’s my job, remember. Come on.”
    He rattled off some old ball players he knew were into coaching who might be able to use a guy like Ben. Although he loved his brother, it rankled to have to call in favors knowing Ben wouldn’t appreciate the effort and would probably turn down any opportunity Roper uncovered because he felt he deserved better.
    “Just be prepared. Ben won’t make it easy. He’ll play the guilt card because I had the father with the talent, while his dad had none. He likes living on pipe dreams of what life owes him, instead of what he could actually do to make it on his own.”
    Amy jotted down a few more notes. “Delusions of grandeur,” she said without glancing up. Her brows were furrowed in concentration and her lips puckered as she wrote. Lips he still wanted to kiss more than he wanted to breathe. But she was working with him now. There would be time.

    Neither one of them had eaten much, but he sensed until she finished dissecting his family, she wouldn’t be interested in food.
    “Are you ready to talk about Sabrina?” she asked.
    He leaned back in his chair and stretched. “Sure am. She’s the easiest one. My little sister is marrying a great guy. A normal accountant. The wedding is planned for next fall, after my season ends.
    I’m paying for the big day, but that isn’t a problem. I want to pay. She deserves the best. Problem is, she isn’t in charge of her own wedding, our mother is. Or at least she wants to be.”
    “Long distance?”
    He nodded.
    “Sabrina calls me several times a day with another of Mom’s outlandish ideas, things Sabrina doesn’t want but Mom thinks are best.
    Sabrina wants me to mediate, but frankly, I don’t want to do any more than write the damn check.”
    Amy chuckled. “Typical man.”
    He grinned. “I tune them out when possible, but if I don’t answer the phone right away, they hunt me down.