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Dean’s arm slid from the back of her chair to her shoulders. The reassuring feeling that she wasn’t alone pumped air back into her lungs and restarted her breathing.
“She’s not much of an adventurer, but she’s got a heart of gold and I’m watching her grow more confident by the day. I have no doubt she can do this.”
His belief in her revived her confidence. But she also realized this was the second time he’d spoken as if he knew her. Or at least knew things about her. The first time had been the day they’d met, on the plane, when he’d told Jason about her economics degree. He could have looked that up. He could have also guessed she was growing in confidence from the changes in the way she dealt with him since she’d first approached him in Paris. But her heart of gold? How would he know that?
They spent three hours with the business people and their spouses. It had surprised Kristen to learn Mrs. Flannigan, not Arthur, was the owner of the brokerage firm that didn’t want to downgrade Dean’s stock. They wanted him to get his prototype to another round of beta testers and roll it out, which was why Winslow had invited him to this lunch.
The group had ideas for how Dean could jump-start his staff’s creativity. Winslow had even suggested that Dean should consider temporarily moving the team to Grennady, if only for the next six weeks or so, to get them away from the daily grind and hopefully motivate them. Especially since it would give him a chance to investigate a permanent move.
Kristen’s ears had perked up at that, but Dean had blown off the idea. By the time they got back into the limo for the drive home, her head spun. First, she knew Winslow’s idea was a good one. Why not send the Suminski Stuff team to Grennady to finish the project? Then she and Princess Eva would have tons of time to persuade him to move there permanently. Except Dean didn’t like Prince Alex. Or, as Dean had said, Prince Alex didn’t like him. Second, she hadn’t forgotten the way he knew things about her and dropped facts at the oddest times. And while part of her itched to ask him about that, her mission for her country was more important.
“You should move your people to Grennady for the next six weeks. Let them celebrate Christmas on our snow-covered ski slopes and get refreshed enough that they can finish your project.”
“It will take more than ski slopes to get my people moving. Winslow was being optimistic when he suggested that.”
“Or maybe he’s right.”
“You just want me in your country for six weeks so you can give me a hard sell.”
She should have realized he would see right through that and winced. “Would it be so bad?”
“I already told you Alex hates me.”
“Why?”
He caught her gaze and smiled. “Must be my sparkling personality.”
He’d made another joke? She struggled not to gape at him.
“You’re a nice guy.” Even as the words came out of her mouth she knew she meant them. He was a nice guy. A good guy. A very, very smart guy. But a guy who was deep down, very nice. “Something happened between you and Alex.”
When he didn’t answer, she sighed. “You have a best friend that you’ve kept the whole way since middle school. You must have looked me up on the internet because you know things about me, and you remember them enough to get them into the right places in the conversation. That’s not just smart, it’s considerate. I’m thinking your reputation for being mean is highly exaggerated.”
He peeked over at her again. “Or maybe you bring out the best in me.”
In the silence of the limo, their gazes locked. Her heart stumbled in her chest. The warmth of connection flowed through her. Even as it filled her with wonder, it scared her to death. They were using each other. He was buying her things she didn’t want. They were making friends under false pretenses. So why did they keep having these odd, intimate moments that felt honest?
Dean quietly said, “You did really well at that lunch. I sometimes see your confidence dip, but it shouldn’t.”
“And how would you know?”
“For starters, you have a natural poise. But I also talked to a few people. Everyone says you’re full of energy and dedication.” He frowned. “Though I have to admit I am curious about the cause you chose.”
