AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sorry I’m late,” a second female voice said as she nudged past the dark-haired woman waiting for me to answer.
I watched as a gorgeous redhead seated herself at my table like she belonged there.
“Sorry, my mistake.” The dark-haired woman’s voice was brittle, but she turned and walked away.
I turned my attention to the redhead now that the brunette had scurried away.
My new tablemate shrugged the bag off her shoulder and pulled out a laptop computer from it, and then she set it on the table and opened the screen.
She didn’t say a word as she started to work, the quick clicking of the keys telling me that she was furiously doing some kind of project.
Strangely, she didn’t appear to be interested in a conversation.
So why in the hell had she sat down at my table like I knew her?
I looked around the coffee shop. There were plenty of tables available, which made her actions even more perplexing.
But really, did it matter why she was sitting here? The woman had given me exactly what I wanted.
I had a female at my table, so nobody else was going to approach me.
And she obviously wasn’t interested in me personally.
Perfect.
I took a slug of my extra-large coffee and went back to working on my computer.
Problem was, my mind suddenly wasn’t on my work—which was way out of character for me.
Building my business was my priority.
I stewed for a moment before I got impatient.
Okay. I had to know. “Why did you decide to sit here at my table?”
She didn’t stop working, her head still buried in her computer, as she replied, “I was helping you. You’re welcome.”
My brows drew together. “How were you helping me?” I ignored her sarcastic jab.
“You obviously needed a decoy. I needed to sit and work.”
I closed my computer, and then reached out and lowered hers, too, so I could see her face.
She frowned at me, something I found vaguely amusing. “I have to work,” she said, sounding disgusted.
“Humor me,” I requested. “Why did you think I needed help?”
“You looked pretty desperate to escape the runway-model look-alike. I could see the panic on your face.”
“I don’t panic,” I drawled.
“Would you feel better if I said you looked . . . concerned?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Then you looked concerned. Can I get back to work now?”
I ignored her request. “So you just took it upon yourself to come rescue me?”
“Yes,” she answered sharply.
“Do you do that often?”
“Hardly ever. You were an exception. I have enough problems. I usually let people deal with their own issues. But you did look a little bit desperate.”
I leaned back in my chair. The female was attractive. Okay, maybe she was beautiful. Honestly, I’d say she was striking, too.
Her hazel eyes were inquisitive and bright, and even though her fiery hair was pulled up and secured to the back of her head, small tendrils framed a face with gorgeous features.
She was dressed for success in an A-line black skirt, a white blouse, and a matching dark jacket. I hadn’t seen her feet, but I was willing to bet she was wearing sensible heels.
Who knew that a woman in a suit could be such a turn-on?
And the female was smoking hot. I had a feeling it didn’t much matter what she was wearing.
Maybe the part I liked about her the best was her lack of interest in me.
“I have my own difficulties, too,” I mused. “And I generally don’t butt into anybody else’s business.”
“You should try it sometime,” she suggested. “It makes you forget your own drama for a while. It’s a stress reliever. So what are you struggling with today?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Do you really want to know?”
“Not really,” she answered. “But I am sitting at your table. So shoot.”
I had to force myself not to smile. The woman was brutally honest. But she intrigued me. And that was something I hadn’t experienced for a long time. “I’m a builder, and I have a pain-in-the-ass tree hugger who is keeping me from building on a site because it’s the nesting place for some endangered birds. It could cost me millions of dollars if the site can’t be built on.”
She shook her head. “Sounds horrible,” she commented. “So you’re a builder?”
I inclined my head. “I’m Seth Sinclair. I own Sinclair Properties.”
She didn’t look the least bit impressed.
“I’ve heard of you. Didn’t you inherit billions of dollars? The story was all over the local news. You’re connected to the Boston Sinclairs, right?”
She still looked unfazed, which I found confusing. Most women’s attitudes changed immediately once they knew who I was and how much money I had.
The woman was kind of an enigma. I couldn’t even sense what she was thinking.
“They’re half-siblings and cousins,” I explained.
“So why do you want to build on a site that houses a threatened species?” she asked.
“Because I own it,” I drawled.
“I kind of think the birds were probably there first,” she replied.
“I’ll lose millions if I don’t build. I’m not just going to donate expensive coastal land.”
“I doubt you’d really miss the money,” she contemplated. “And if you’re getting that much resistance, why don’t you just give it up? There’s a lot of other places to build. But you can’t bring back extinct animals.”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re starting to sound just like my sister Jade.”
“I don’t know her personally, but she seems like an amazing woman,” she answered. “She’s done some incredible work on conservation genetics. I admire your sister, actually. So I don’t mind sounding like her.”
I watched as the woman put her computer away.
“Don’t rush away on my account,” I said, unsettled that the female was going to leave as quickly as she’d arrived.
“I’ve done my good deed for the day.”
“I’m kind of enjoying the conversation.”
She shot me a puzzled look. “Why? I obviously don’t agree with you.”
I shrugged. “Maybe that’s why I like it.”
“You don’t have friends with different opinions?”
I shook my head. “Not really. I don’t actually have many real friends.”
My best friends were my brothers. I’d never had much time to socialize. My priority had always been my family, and working hard to make sure we weren’t separated.
“What a shocker,” she said sarcastically as she zipped up her computer bag. “A generous guy like you should be surrounded by friends.”
“You’re mocking me,” I said with surprise.
“Look, I don’t really know you. But it seems to me like you’re the kind of guy who places more value on money than on your environment. So it’s almost impossible for me to take you seriously.”
“It’s not that I don’t care about the birds,” I told her honestly. “I just think losing millions of dollars over it is kind of ridiculous.”
