Down With Cupid Shorts Bundle (16 page)

“Who is the suit?” his gestured his head at Nathan.

“The devil in Armani.” She sighed, the fight leaving her stance. “He’s here to buy the Boutique.”

Jeremy frowned. “But you just bought it. Isn’t today like the official opening under new management?”

“Exactly, and if anyone could buy this place from me it would be him.”

He crossed his arms. “I could take him.”

“You’re what? Two hundred pounds soaking wet. 5’7”. You’d need months of steroids first. Sadly, I would take you up on the offer if it would help this situation. What I need is a strategy or a mob connection.”

“I’ve got an Uncle Joey.”

Lynne tore her gaze from Nathan’s retreating back, and concentrated on Jeremy’s face. The wide ridge of his nose flared whenever he smiled. His brown eyes always had a dreamy quality, and if she didn’t think of him as a brother, she would have taken their relationship to another level.

But he did feel like a brother, the family she’d never had being an only child, so she didn’t. Right now, however, she wanted to curl into his embrace. She needed to let him convince her everything would be all right. It wouldn’t fix the situation, but it would ease the knotting in her stomach.

Instead Lynne fell back on what she knew how to do best. “You’re not even Italian.”

He grinned. “Okay, okay. I’ll call my cousins Roscoe and Pookie.”

“Whatever.” The laugh loosened the tension in her shoulders. “We should start getting the store ready. I think I want to have a sale today.”

The smile faded. “You’re really worried about this guy?”

Nathan reminded Lynne of her father. If he wanted it, Preston wouldn’t stop until he had her store. He was calculating and didn’t care who he hurt. Emotional attachments didn’t matter; business was business.

“Yes.”

Jeremy nodded and then grinned, putting on his best-friend face. Lynne sighed. Okay, maybe things would work out.

“Since you’re all gloom and doom this morning, I won’t tell you I met someone.”

Yes, everything would be fine. “Okay, then don’t tell me.”

“This woman had the most beautiful eyes.”

Just fine.

*****

Sylvia placed the large container of coffee in front of Nathan. Ebony strands were pulled back into a taut bun. Like him, she wore a business suit tailored to fit her body perfectly, but, unlike most of their meetings, she wasn’t wearing a business expression.

Her stride lacked its usual purposeful rhythm. Her step had a spring to it. A pep? Sylvia’s walk had a…pep. Nate closed his mouth when his assistant of eight years smiled brightly at him.

“Morning,” she said in a sing-song tone.

She pulled out the wooden kitchen chair across from him, looking comfortable in his rental apartment as she glanced around. “I passed by some shops this morning. Saw some curtains that would work in here. These local shops are pretty amazing.”

Why was she talking about curtains? He cleared his throat. “I’m only going to be here a month at the most. Buyouts never take longer than that.”

Sylvia shrugged. Flexing a tighter grip on the cup, he ignored the nonchalant gesture.

“The current decor will do,” he continued.

She waved her hand at his comment. “I know you aren’t the type to roll out the welcome mat. You make the deal and you go on to the next, but don’t you think that even a month with more than passable decorations will lighten up your life?”

What had someone done to his right-hand woman? This woman had a full-wattage smile. He mentally pulled himself out of shock.

“We don’t have time for enlightenment or curtains.” He sat straighter in the chair, hoping his stance would put her back on track. “I went by the Boutique this morning.”

The declaration didn’t dim the smile or make her eyes focus. He ignored it. She’d get into the game. Sylvia had been on vacation for the past weekend, which just meant he hadn’t called her in to work for one reason or another.

“Sounds nice.”

He had to replay her response in his head to make sure he had heard her right. He had.

“The owner is pretty…” He paused, looking for the right word.

Suddenly, he was struck with the fact that Lynne was pretty. Underneath the hair gel and red streaks, her oval-shaped face had an angelic quality.
Angelic
. He snorted.

“What?” Sylvia asked.

“Um, the owner is pretty unstable when it comes to her business. She doesn’t make decisions based on what’s cost-effective, but on emotions.”

Sylvia sighed and finally the smile dimmed. “From what I hear, the Boutique is one of the most successful businesses in Valley City. Women go there for special occasions. High school girls flock when it’s time for prom. The previous owner handed over a solid business. She can do very well for herself.”

“She can do better.”

“According to you, Bill Gates can do better.”

He leaned back. They never argued. At least never about the actual buyout. She wanted him to ask pointless questions today of all days? But if it would get them back to the matter at hand, he would.

“How was your vacation?”

The smile came back and along with it a whimsical quality to her eyes. This was not good.

“I met someone.”

He put the hot coffee to his lips, trying to come up with something appropriate. Another moment passed. Sylvia waited with her arms crossed. He had nothing.

“Ms. Kelley only purchases local retail.”

She rolled her eyes. “What else is she doing that is slowly draining her store of profits?”

Sylvia had rolled her eyes. Sylvia. “Who is this new person?” Nate had to know so he could strangle the man.

His assistant picked up her notepad. “The Boutique has an established demographic. The age group ranges widely from women in their teens to those in the mid-thirties. It’s in a small town, but is near a gold mine. This one being the untouched beachfront property that sooner or later the rich and famous will discover.”

“The person you met,” he insisted, knowing she’d continue to ignore him.

“The owner is relatively young. A woman without any attachments who will likely say yes to an obscene amount of money.” Sylvia finished scribbling on her pad, her face devoid of emotion.

“She didn’t take the offer, and I know how much she paid for the Boutique. Ms. Kelley plans to fight.”

That finally gave Sylvia pause. “She refused your offer?”

“Ms. Kelley intends to make this deal much harder than it needs to be.”

For a moment he allowed himself to smile again. It had been awhile since someone had said no to him. In the scheme of things it didn’t matter. The Boutique would be his.

It had to be.

“She’s ballsy,” he added.

She smiled. “You like her.”

Forcing a mask of indifference into his features, he said, “I respect her fight, though it’s misplaced.”

She tilted her head. “You don’t think she’ll win?”

“She will give up,” he said with certainty. “Everyone does.”

Sylvia put her notepad on the table. “Are you sure about that this time?”

“It won’t be a problem,” he said with more force than necessary.

He loosened his hold on the coffee cup. This meeting and the one with Lynne had him on edge. He had mentally drooled over her delicate feet, her creamy skin, and that pink, pouty mouth. Who in their right business mind walked around barefoot? He must have momentarily lost his mind right along with Sylvia. He had to close the deal and finish what his father had started.

“She has you shook.” Surprise dripped over each word. “That’s the second time you’ve stared off into space.” Sylvia leaned forward. “You’ve got to tell me what she said to you.”

He wanted to squirm under her gaze. The impulse further irritated him. Nate didn’t squirm. “I want you to go into the Boutique and ask for something she’ll need to order. Be difficult, adamant. Report back to me tonight.”

Sylvia mock saluted him and began putting away her things, but he knew she’d won this round. Nate should have just asked about the new person in her life immediately.

“You still haven’t told me what she said to you.”

He shifted to a more comfortable position. “It’s nothing she said.” It was when she flashed her bare feet that he’d been caught off guard. “It’s how she looks and carries herself. I’m trying to figure out how she gets people with serious money to burn to shop there.”

She stopped stuffing her notepad into her purse. “Her charm?”

He snorted again. “Like a snake.”

The full-wattage smile came back. “You like her.”

“I respect her.” He stood to cease the incessant twitching.

“I bet she’s a ten.”

“On the insane scale.”

Sylvia picked up her purse. “I’m heading over there now.”

“What?” The second the words were out of his mouth, he shook his head. He’d just asked Sylvia to go over there. He cleared his throat. “See yourself out. I need to go for my run.”

“This is going to be too good.” She sounded downright pleasant about it.

Dreamy expression, full-wattage and now giddiness? His unflappable assistant was losing her edge before a big game day. A first in years.

Not a good sign at all.

End of Excerpt