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She nods, smiling as she chews. “Definitely. I want five kids.”
I meet her gaze. “Why five?”
“Why not?” She shrugs. “I like five. That’s plenty. They’ll always have someone to play with. Never feel alone or left out. I think that’s important for kids, you know? Being by yourself is pretty much the worst when you’re a kid.”
“Were you by yourself a lot?” I ask.
“Yeah, I guess that’s part of the reason.” She presses her lips together for a moment. “I shouldn’t be telling you any of this. I know you’re only here because of the deal for my father’s company.”
“I can’t be here for you?”
“You could be, but you’re not.” She takes a big drink of her coffee and sits back, her gaze wary. “You want some inside information or something like that.”
“I would like inside information, sure. But that isn’t why I’m here.”
Her eyes narrow. “That may be true, but it isn’t theentiretruth.”
“How can a man ever speak his entire truth?” I take a bite of my French toast. “Mm. You’re right. This is delicious.”
Her lips twitch up at the sides, as if she’s fighting the smile that eventually wins out. “I know. There’s something about the French toast. I don’t know what, but I could just sit here and eat it without syrup or anything.” She takes a big mouthful, as if proving her point.
I swallow my bite and take another as her cat swipes at the pile of cream I’ve pushed to the side of my plate for her. “I like your cat.”
“I noticed.” She rolls her eyes. “She’s such a little slut for whipped cream.” She leans down and whispers against the cat’s fur, “Don’t go trusting him too much, you furry hussy. He’s after something. Definitely nefarious.”
I laugh, taken off guard by her charm. She’s quite a bit more than I expected. When I realized she would play a part in this business deal, I thought it would be as nothing more than an observer. But that’s not the case at all. If I couldn’t already tell there was a sharp mind behind her beautiful face, the interesting tapping language at the meeting would’ve clued me in.
“You think I’m nefarious?”
“Iknowyou are. My dad only does business with ruthless people just like him. It’s how he manages to stay on top, keeping the competition in check.” She pins me with a sober look. “And you’re part of the competition now.”
“I may be working with your father–or against him, depending on how you look at it–but I’ve no bad intentions when it comes to you.” I’m surprised I say it, but it’s the truth. For some reason, the last thing I want to do is hurt this interesting slip of a woman, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to get to the bottom of her involvement in her father’s dealings. All I’ve managed to discover is that she attends all his high-level meetings and has for the past few years or so and spottily before then. But now I have a keen interest in the precise reason why.
Her cat looks up, cream all over her whiskers. Cadence sighs and pats her on the side. “A total mess, little lady. You’re incorrigible.”
“Do you have plans today?”
Her gaze meets mine again. “You mean like, business plan stuff?”
“No, just plans.” I wipe my mouth and place my napkin on the table. “I’m heading to my family’s gallery to oversee some new acquisitions. Would you like to accompany me? I can’t promise any excitement, but I do have a Klimt coming in, one that I negotiated for years to acquire.”
Her eyes widen. “Klimt? As inThe KissKlimt?”
I smile. “Yes, but I couldn’t get my hands on that masterpiece. This is a lesser-known work, not as–”
“Yes!” she yelps, then clears her throat and looks away. “I mean, um, sure. I could do that, I guess.”
I don’t even know what I’m doing. I didn’t plan on inviting her to spend the day with me, but I can’t seem to help myself.
“Come on, Sassy.” She looks up. “Oh, is it all right if we take her home first?”
“Of course.” I grab the pink backpack with the clear bubble, and Cadence loads the feline into it. The little minx doesn’t even complain, just stares at me through the plexiglass. “I can carry her.”
“Oh, no.” Cadence eases the pack onto her back. “I wouldn’t want to freak her out. You’re new to her and–”
Sassy meows and paws at the clear bubble, her eyes on me.
“What is it?” Cadence pulls the pack away and looks at Sassy. “Are you okay?”
