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“Well...” Another unpleasant reality she had blanked out of her mind. Being jilted was complicated. Her heart sank, and she felt a blush warm her cheeks. “There’s not much, mostly books and winter clothes. I had already brought a lot of my stuff to Mom and Dad’s a month ago because Jason and I decided I should stay with them until the wedding.”
“Because?” His gaze narrowed.
She was pretty sure he understood what she was saying, but she spelled out for him. “Because we wanted our wedding night to be special,” she said defiantly, daring him to make fun of her.
Harry’s mood suddenly seemed volatile, so much so that she backed up half a step without meaning to.
His jaw firmed, and his eyes flashed heat. “That’s the stupidest dumbass thing I’ve ever heard.”
Six
Cate stood frozen, afraid to move. Her innocent comment had provoked a reaction she never expected. “What do you mean?”
He glowered. “If I had a prospective bride living with me, I’d sure as hell keep her close until the ink was dry on the marriage license, and I had my ring on her finger.” He scraped his hands over his face. His shoulders slumped. “Sorry,” he muttered. “It was a crap day at the office.”
“Oh? How so?” She wasn’t entirely sure the storm had passed, so she stayed where she was.
He sighed. “We have a new hire, a brilliant architect. But he’s been on staff a total of twenty-nine days, and he’s already asking for time off—two weeks—to go to Cozumel with his girlfriend.”
“Is it the destination you object to or the woman?” Cate dared to tease him. The more she learned of Harry, the more she realized she needed to stand up to him or risk letting him bulldoze her intohisway of doing things.
“Very funny.” He shook his head, staring at her with an intensity that was mildly disturbing. “Whatever happened to having a work ethic?”
“People are different. Some employees are motivated by a paycheck, others not so much. What happened in the end?”
“HR granted his request. So he’ll be in the hole regarding vacation time. It’s not how I would have handled the situation, but I’ve learned not to micromanage...mostly.”
“Why do I find that hard to believe?” His discomfiture entertained her. To see the unflappable Prescott Harrington disgruntled had the effect of diverting her attentions from her own woes.
Harry lifted his chin. Shoved his hands in his pockets. Gave her a look that made her shiver. “You’re not at all scared of me, are you?”
“Should I be?”
“Most people tread softly in my presence.”
Cate shrugged. “You seem like a cuddly old teddy bear to me.” It was the biggest lie she had ever told. But she was trying her best to get, or keep, the upper hand.
His lips twitched. “I’m grumpy when I’m calorie deprived.”
“Hangry?”She grinned at him. “In that case, let’s eat.”
“By all means.”
Harry insisted on carrying her suitcase to the bedroom. In the short time he was missing, Cate saw that they were going to eat by one of the tall plate glass windows with a view of the city. Two places had been set. Not at either end, not side by side, but adjacent to a corner. Very cozy.
Harry’s pale maple dining table was large enough to seat a dozen. The matching chairs looked handmade. His dinnerware was thin china, white-on-white with a Greek design around the rim. The silver was sleek and modern.
When he walked back into the room, she smiled at him. “This is beautiful. You have very good taste.”
“Thank you,” he said. He held up the bottle of wine. “Does this suit you? I have others if you’d prefer.”
“I’m not picky. That will be perfect.”
He poured her glass, then his. “Have a seat,” he said.
They opened the cartons of food together. Cate’s stomach growled audibly as the wonderful spicy aromas filled the air. In addition to the main course, Harry had ordered appetizers—lettuce wraps, spring rolls with peanut sauce and coconut shrimp with lemongrass guacamole.
She raised an eyebrow. “We’re supposed to eat all this?”
