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Once again, he led the way. At the bottom of the stairs, she asked, “How do you want your house to be perceived?”
“What do you mean?”
“Pretend I’m a first time visitor and I’ve never met you.” She wandered into his home gym, but turned to face him. “Rounding the corner of your driveway, my first impression is, wow, this guy’s loaded. I see an enormous log house, extensive landscaping that I’m sure you’ll have done later this spring, and while I’m standing by the entrance waiting for a servant to answer the door, I wonder…what is he going to be like?”
Dean wondered if she was describing her first impression. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the stairway railing, curious to see where she was going with her little story.
“Let’s say you open the door and I think…oh, I don’t know…” The corners of her mouth curved up in a little smile. “Self-serving, arrogant jer—”
“Whoa,” he protested. He didn’t like the probability that that was her opinion of him. “Did I even say hello yet?”
She waved her hand at his raised eyebrows. “This is after a minute of conversation.”
“Only a minute? What about later, after we’ve talked longer?” He gave a hopeful smile. “Say, after I’ve given you a job?”
“This is purely hypothetical.”
Yeah, right.
“My point is, do you want your house to be a home, or simply a house?”
The question brought his mother’s words back to him. Something about a pile of logs and empty rooms.
When he didn’t answer the question, Gina prompted, “Do you want me—your guests—to feel welcome in your home, or do you want your house to assert a position of power?”
Dean frowned at the explanation. “Of course I want you to feel welcome.” The instant he said it, he was surprised that despite everything, he meant it. For regular guests, but more specifically, he wouldn’t mind her feeling at home.
“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Next question…do you want to show off as you welcome, or understate your already obvious wealth?”
“Already obvious?” he echoed.
“Yes, the size of the structure alone makes that statement. I was awestruck the first time I drove in here. And even if I didn’t know anything about architecture, a closer look at the design would’ve been enough to clue me in on what you’ve invested here.”
He pushed away from the rail and walked to the center of the windows to look outside. The house and land had cost just shy of two million. He hadn’t purposely set out to build a place that screamed he was rich, but the plans had taken on a life of their own. Now that she’d stated how obvious it was, maybe subconsciously that had been his intent all along.
He’d grown up with next to nothing, had never known what having money was like until his mother married Wesley when Dean was ten. But even then, he hadn’t felt like he was entitled to anything.
His stepdad had taught him to work hard, and he was proud of the fact he’d put himself through college without any help. He and Jack Brady had started their software company while in school, and once they graduated, released their first product that put them in the game. Their next major success put them in the national spotlight and won awards, and that’s when the bastard maneuvered a takeover so expertly, Dean was left with no legal recourse.
Once he’d started over and made Daley Solutions a success, he’d built the house. He couldn’t deny the look on Jack’s face when he saw it had crossed his mind a time or two, but now it wouldn’t be half as sweet if the sonofabitch bankrupted him.
Behind him, Gina asked, “So, show off or understated?”
“Understated,” he quietly replied.
He saw her reflection nod, and then she turned her attention to the state of the art work-out facility and indoor pool he’d installed—his favorite place to work off excess energy after long hours at the computer. He wasn’t looking for much in those rooms, so after only a few minutes, they moved on to a game room. After that was the area he intended for a home theater, complete with tiered seating.
For the most part, he kept his attention on the house and focused on her questions. But when she took a moment here or there to sketch and add notes to the paper, he couldn’t help but study her slim form.
She looked very young today, but based on her online bio, he was pretty sure she was at least twenty-six. After the allure of her sexy dress last night, he was surprised to find her equally tempting in a snug pair of low-rise jeans and a loose sweatshirt.
Her shiny, auburn hair was pulled back in a ponytail, drawing attention to the graceful line of her neck and giving him full view of her face whenever she glanced up. Either she wasn’t wearing much make-up, or the freckles he’d noticed last night stood out a bit more in the natural light of day. With the casual clothes, they gave her a girl-next-door air that appealed more than he’d anticipated.
“Now that this is all getting done, it would be nice to have the company party here for the release of the new program,” he mused. “How long do you expect it will take to get everything completed?”
“A month. Longer if anything you want is backordered. When is your release scheduled?”
“End of April.”
