Investigating Christmas. Debra & Regan Webb & Black

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СКАЧАТЬ can skip the full tour if you’re tired from the trip.” He wasn’t sure why he was pressing her, only that he wasn’t ready to let her out of his sight. She was everything he remembered and more, but he got the feeling she was hiding something about her time with Kathrein. He didn’t stand a chance of figuring it out if he left her alone.

      “I feel fine, Rush,” she said, her smile tight. “We’ve agreed to terms. You don’t have to entertain me.”

      “Ouch.” He laid a hand over his heart, feigning pain. “I’m going to play tour guide anyway. There’s no one better than me to bring you back up to speed, on Gray Box specifically and the Bay Area in general.”

      She shook her head, but not before he noticed the little lift at the corner of her mouth. His arrogance had often amused her. He switched off the privacy glass and caught sight of Trisha at Melva’s reception desk. An even better reason to leave the office behind for the afternoon, he decided. While he’d been honest about searching for a better post for Trisha, he hadn’t focused on the issue. Now he had an excellent reason to move forward on that adjustment immediately.

      “You know,” he said, turning his back on the rest of the executive floor, “I should start the tour right here.” He gestured toward the door in the opposite wall, tucked behind a floor-to-ceiling display case filled with books and myriad industry awards. “My indispensable PA should know my secret escape route.” He led her out of the office and into a narrow service hallway. “Private bathroom,” he said, pointing out another door. “There’s a bedroom as well.”

      “A bedroom? Good grief, Rush. It’s a wonder you haven’t been sued for harassment.”

      Well, that stung. The gossip rags and paparazzi greatly exaggerated his personal exploits whenever he chose to spend time around town with models or actresses. “It’s not a space I share,” he replied through clenched teeth. When and why had her opinion of him plummeted so drastically? “You know how things go during research or a product launch, or—”

      “When you’re closing a major deal,” she finished for him. “I remember.”

      He swallowed the urge to point out if he wasn’t constantly focused on building up the business, Gray Box wouldn’t be such a convenient fallback option for her. Except a woman with Lucy’s skills and credentials could name her salary and benefits, and choose from numerous offers. Knowing that, knowing how talented she was, it was tough to accept she’d returned to him without any intent to rekindle their personal relationship. He couldn’t decide if his decision to hire her made him an easy mark, sentimental or selfish. Time would tell.

      “This is my private elevator.” He reached out and punched the button. “Most of the time I use the public one or the express, but occasionally this is necessary.”

      One side of her mouth curled in a half smile. “You pulled out all the stops here,” she said.

      If she’d seen his heart on his sleeve as he eagerly shared this with her, she didn’t give him any reaction. “The office isn’t just about the show of power, though it helps.” The doors parted and he ushered her inside. Her fragrance, the dark sensual notes smoothed with a whisper of vanilla, filled the small space. He hoped the scent lingered a while so he could breathe her in at will. He punched the button for three floors down, pulling himself together. That spark they’d once shared seemed to be missing now and it wasn’t her problem that he hadn’t been able to get over her.

      “This must make it easier to avoid distractions,” she murmured.

      “Exactly.” So she remembered how people cornered him in elevators, pitching ideas and résumés.

      “As your PA, is it my job to fend them off now?” Her gaze narrowed and she pretended to glare at potential intruders lurking in the corners.

      “No.” He laughed a little and then reconsidered. Though she stood several inches shorter, even in the heels, she could be formidable. “Well, maybe.”

      The doors parted and he escorted her to the human resources department. After making introductions, the department manager sat down with both of them, drawing up the details they’d agreed upon for Lucy’s employment. Once the legalities were out of the way, Rush insisted on taking her down to the waterfront for a late lunch.

      “You don’t have to convince me to stay,” she repeated when they were seated at a table with a stunning view. “I’ve signed the contract.”

      “This is my new favorite place,” he said. He’d wanted to bring her here since it opened. “The food is better than the view.”

      She tilted her head, clearly surprised by his gushing endorsement. When her gaze followed his to the bay, he heard her sigh a little. “I didn’t expect to miss it so much.”

      He was determined to bridge the gap, to earn the trust of the one woman he’d always been able to confide in. “What really brings you back here?”

      Her eyes went wide and her chin dropped a little. “I was homesick.”

      He wasn’t accepting that anymore. “A year ago it appeared Chicago was home,” he countered. He paused while they gave the waitress their drink order. “Then you moved the family to France.” What had happened over there?

      She studied him a long moment. “Are you having second thoughts already?”

      “No way.” He shrugged. “I’m the luckiest CEO in the city. You could write your own ticket anywhere.” In the back of his mind, he couldn’t make it all add up. Better just to ask. “I’d like to know why me and why now?” He couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed him to leap out in front of her and fight off an invisible enemy.

      He’d be an idiot if he hadn’t already considered and discarded the idea of corporate espionage. Lucy didn’t play unethical games. While following her career meant he had a basic knowledge of Kathrein’s business interests, the older man hadn’t shown any intention of seriously competing with Gray Box.

      “Kathrein didn’t send me here to spy on you.” Her words proved how well they knew each other. “If he had made such a suggestion, I would have refused.”

      “I know.” He recognized the steel in her gaze, respected it. He could take her “homesick” answer at face value or ruin lunch with an argument. Taking the high road, he turned the conversation to other topics. He would wait her out. They were too alike, had been too close, for her to keep any secrets from him for long.

      The waitress came by with drinks and he ordered the lunch special for both of them, with Lucy’s approval. “When we’re done here, we can go on to the suite. It should be big enough for you and your family in the short term.”

      “Don’t worry about that,” she interjected. “Gwen and Jackson are staying in France through the holidays. That gives me time to find a place.”

      “Really?” That set off alarm bells. Unlike him, Lucy had been raised in a close-knit family. She and Gwen had only grown more inseparable when they lost their parents. “Will you go back to be with them over Christmas?”

      “I’m not sure yet.” She gazed out over the water, apparently captivated by the traffic on the bridge.

      “Talk to me, Lucy.” Something was way off. He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. “What happened in France?”

      She СКАЧАТЬ