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His grandmother had told him more than a few times that he and Isabella would like each other.He'd told her he didn't need her to set him up on a date, but she'd insisted that he make sure the granddaughter of her oldest friend was doing all right.He'd asked her to dinner.It had been a disaster and one of the worst dates he'd ever been on.He was sure Isabella felt the same.
"Hello, Nick," Isabella said, not a hint of warmth in her brown eyes.
"Isabella," he said shortly.
A tense silence followed their very brief exchange."Who wants something to drink?"his grandmother asked with forced cheerfulness.
"We all do, I think," Gloria said quickly."I'll help you with the drinks, Anna.You two…talk."
As the two older women disappeared, he really hoped that this whole scenario wasn't part of some elaborate scheme to get him and Isabella together again.But there was no way his grandmother and Gloria would go that far.
"When did you get here?"he asked.
"About five minutes before you."She folded her arms across her chest as she gave him a wintry look.
"Do you know what's going on?"
"Only the basics.They were in the museum last night when it was robbed.The security guard, who is a dear friend of theirs, was shot and is apparently in critical condition.There were several paintings taken, two of which belonged to our families.What do you know?"
He wished he could say he knew more than she did, but he didn't."That's the story I got.I'm surprised you arrived before me.I took the first flight out of LA.I didn't see you on it."
"I was in New York when my grandmother called."
"You're not living in LA anymore?"
"I am.I was supposed to be at a bachelorette party this weekend, but I came here when I heard what happened."She cleared her throat."This is awkward."
He shrugged."I can deal."
"So can I," she said quickly."We don't have to like each other, Nick, but we both care about our grandmothers, so let's focus on how we can help them."
"What else would we focus on?"
Her lips tightened."You're going to make this hard, aren't you?"
"There's nothing to make hard or easy.Our one and only date was out of respect for our grandmothers.That's it.The end."
She stared back at him, and he felt a little more heated than he should with her dark eyes clinging to his.
"I wish it was the end," she muttered.Then she turned on her heel and walked back into the living room.
ChapterTwo
Isabella took several deep breaths as she walked into the salon, a grand room furnished with antiques and a massive stone fireplace that she really wished wasn't generating a blazing fire, because she'd started sweating the minute Nick had walked into the house.She did not like that feeling at all.It was just anger, she told herself.
The man was a cocky know-it-all who had far too high an opinion of himself.She'd met his type more than a few times.She knew exactly who he was.She just wished he wasn't so attractive.Or that her body seemed to have a different response to him than her brain did.But she wasn't going to let him get into her head.She would concentrate on her grandmother and Anna and try to ignore Nick as much as possible.Although she doubted that would be easy since the man seemed to take up a lot of space.
Hearing voices, she turned and forced a tight smile onto her face as her grandmother, Anna, and Nick entered the room.Her grandmother was carrying a plate of pastries and cookies, while Nick carried a heavier tray containing a pitcher of lemonade and four glasses.
They settled in on the two long sofas that faced each other across an ornate coffee table.Nick poured the lemonade while her grandmother handed her the plate of treats.She took a cookie because it had been a long trip for her, too.Maybe not as long as Nick's trek from Los Angeles, but she'd gotten little sleep, and she needed sugar to keep her going.
Nick seemed as ravenous as she was, downing a chocolate croissant in three quick bites."This is even better than I remember," he told Anna.
She gave him a loving smile."You always loved your pastries, Nick."
Isabella wondered why his love of pastry didn't show on his very fit frame.But then again, he lived in LA, the land of healthy choices and toned bodies.She'd been living in Los Angeles for six months, and while she worked out, she still didn't feel in as good of shape as she should.In her defense, she worked a lot.Although Nick seemed to work a lot, too.But he was a man.Men could drop pounds just by skipping a meal.It was so unfair.
"Okay, tell us what happened," Nick said as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.
