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I nod and smile. “It is.” I hesitate, eating another few bites, hating that I must even worry about being honest with her. Aria is Jackson’s assistant, and I know right now her loyalty lies with him. It’s rare I talk business outside of my team but I want Aria to be in my personal circle, not out of it. Besides, Jackson doesn’t represent any of the clients fighting for the merger. “Bakker is a good man. Solid.”
“How so?”
I wipe my mouth with my napkin. “He’s not after money.”
“How did you find that out?”
“I went to see what his company was all about myself. After a few minutes of being there, it became obvious that his employees are family to him. So, that’s what we’re planning on using as a bargaining chip.”
“What are you offering?”
“Giving employees Christmas bonus from the parent company, and the company will continue to support cancer research in honor of Bakker’s wife.”
Aria smiles. “I see now why Jackson calls you a real threat.”
My back wants to stiffen that Jackson would even dare talk to Aria about me but all I care about is her being mine by Monday. “A threat to Jackson, possibly,” I clarify. “To others, I lead with a powerful, wise hand, not a forceful one.”
Her smile widens. “In all aspects of your life, I’ve come to discover.”
“Indeed.” I chuckle.
We finish our meal in silence. And as I place my napkin onto my plate, I shift the conversation where it belongs. “Tell me more about Aria.”
She drops a couple sugar cubes into her coffee and uses the small spoon to stir. “What exactly do you want to know?”
Everything, I want to say. I’m desperate to get inside this woman’s head. “What excites you?”
“I think you’ve already figured that out, don’t you?” She laughs, raising the mug to her lips.
“Yes, I’m well aware of which buttons of yours to push.” Desire flickers in her eyes, and I like the way she lights up.“What I mean is, what makes you happy? What is something that excites you in your life?”
“Passion excites me.”
“Explain.” I reach for my black coffee.
She sips her coffee then lowers her mug to the table. “It can be about anything really, but I love when people get passionate. I like being around the energy of that. Whether it be at work, or an art show, or even sitting around talking to someone who is making something. When people get passionate, that gets me excited.”
Her answer surprises me. “Do you mean that even if you hated art, if someone else was passionate about it, then you’d enjoy it because they were passionate about it?”
“Exactly.” She smiles and sips her coffee before addressing me again. “It’s infectious, and I like being around people who love the life they are living. It reminds me to live the same.”
“An easy woman to please,” I note.
She grins. “Maybe.” Her gaze lifts overhead as another seagull soars by us before she’s addressing me again. “I like seeing the world through other people’s eyes, and what they find beautiful. There’s not much I wouldn’t do or wouldn’t see. But I need that person to be present while doing it with me, enjoying it as much as I am. Something real ... authentic, you know?”
I nod. “In a world of fakeness and materialism, a little realness goes a long way with me, too.” That’s to the heart of what makes this woman stand out; she’s so damn real it’s breathtaking. “Do you know a lot of these passionate people?”
“Oh, you’d be surprise how few there are out there. I’ve only met a handful of people who truly know who they are and are true to themselves. Mallory is one of them. Jackson—” She cringes.
I chuckle softly. “You can speak about him. Jackson is in your life. I can handle that.”
“Can you?” she whispers.
I nod. “I can.”
She shrugs a little, brushing off the awkwardness surrounding Jackson. Awkwardness that Jackson put there and that I must clean up. “It took a while for me to get a good group of people in my circle and get rid of all the negativity,” she explains, “but my group of friends now ... they don’t come any better.”
I consider what she’s said. Hearing all this only makes me appreciate her more. “The way you live is really quite amazing.”
