Escape for Valentine's: Beauty and the Billionaire / Her One and Only Valentine / The Girl Next Door. Caroline Anderson

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       “What happened?”

      “Looks like we may be buying ourselves some spas.”

      Richard would have to review the contract, but Hunter was satisfied with the price. And, the combination of Lush Beauty and Castlebay Spas was going to be dynamite. His grandfather insisted Hunter run Lush Beauty Products? He was damn well going to run Lush Beauty Products.

      “Just like that?” asked Sinclair, with a snap of her fingers.

      “Just like that,” echoed Hunter.

      “I can’t believe it.” She skipped a step to keep pace with him. “So we can use Luscious Lavender in the spas?”

      “That would be the point.”

      “How much—” She stopped. “Never mind.” She shook her head. “None of my business.”

      “Lots,” said Hunter. He’d drained the available cash in the Osland investment account, and put up a manufacturing plant as collateral to secure low ratio interest.

      “How many spas?” she asked.

      “Twelve. I have a list if you want it.”

      They started down the steps.

      “You bet.” Her face nearly burst with a grin. “So, what do we do now?”

      “Who is Richard sending to the hotel?”

      “Miles something …”

      “We drop the papers off with Miles something for review. Then we carry on with your makeover.”

      “Do we celebrate?”

      “As soon as the deal is approved,” Hunter answered as they turned onto the sidewalk. “The financing has to be put in place first. And we need to get the signatures on the contracts.”

      She nodded eagerly.

      “And, until then, we carry on as normal.” He hesitated over the wording of the next part. “And we don’t tell anyone about it.”

      She squinted up at him. “Anyone being?”

      “Anyone. Including Kristy and Jack.”

      “But, why—”

      “Convention.” Hunter shrugged with feigned unconcern. “We investigate things like this all the time. No point in cluttering up everyone’s desk over it until there’s something concrete.”

      It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth, either. The deal was somewhat larger than Hunter would normally undertake on his own. And he hadn’t yet figured out exactly how to tell Jack and his grandfather. He knew they’d be worried, and they’d definitely come at him with accusations that he was being reckless and impulsive. But he didn’t have time for his grandfather’s plodding approach to due diligence, which had taken weeks, even when he’d “rushed” the Lush deal.

      Still, Hunter was fully confident in his decision. And he was fully confident time would prove it to be an excellent investment. But, for the short term, he needed a few days to work up to an explanation.

      In the meantime, all the reasons for Sinclair’s makeover remained.

      “Jewelry store?” he asked her.

      She laughed and unexpectedly captured his hand. “You are in a spending mood.”

      “I am,” he agreed, kissing her knuckles and pointing to a five-story, stone-arched jewelry store across the street.

      They dashed across the traffic and entered to discover the building decorated for Valentine’s Day. Golden hearts, red ribbons and bows hung from the ceiling. Massive bouquets of red roses covered every surface. And tiny, heart-shaped boxes of truffles were being handed out to the ladies as they exited.

      Hunter scanned the glass cases and the stairway leading to the second floor. Then he looked down at their clasped hands.

      “You with me on this?” he asked.

      She nodded.

      He rubbed a finger across her nose. “No complaints now.”

      She took in the festive scene. “I’m not complaining.”

      “I may buy you something expensive.”

      “Just so long as you take it back when we’re finished.”

      He frowned. “Take it back?”

      “Save the box,” she said. “Or you can give it to a girlfriend in the future.”

      Hunter had no intention of taking anything back, or giving it to some future girlfriend. But he didn’t see any point in sharing that with Sinclair.

      “Sure,” he agreed.

      Sinclair smiled and turned her attention to the display cases.

      Convinced she was buying for some other mythical girlfriend—who Hunter could not remotely picture at the moment—Sinclair plunged right into the game.

      She selected a sapphire-and-diamond choker, a pair of emerald-and-gold hooped earrings, teardrop diamonds, delicate sapphire studs, a ruby pendant that Hunter was positive she thought was an imitation stone, and a whimsical little bracelet with one ruby- and one diamond-encrusted goldfish dangling from the platinum chain.

      Hunter bought them all, clipping the bracelet on her wrist so she could wear it back to the hotel.

      Then they walked to a nice restaurant, taking seats overlooking the river. The maître d’ brought them a bottle of merlot and some warm French rolls.

      Sinclair jangled her bracelet. “You’re very good at this.”

      “I have a mom and a sister.”

      “Nice answer,” she nodded approvingly, lifting her long-stemmed glass. “Never buy for girlfriends?”

      “Why do you keep setting me up?” He didn’t want to talk to Sinclair about his former girlfriends. “Tossing out questions I can’t answer without being a jerk?”

      “I know you’ve had girlfriends.”

      “But I don’t want to tell you about them.”

      “Why not? Wouldn’t I like them?”

      “You’re really going to push this?”

      “No reason not to.”

      “Is that what you’re telling yourself?” He didn’t know what was going on between them, but he sure as hell didn’t want to hear about any of her old boyfriends.

      Then again, maybe her feelings were different than his. There was one way to find out.

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