The Perfect Match. Debbie Macomber

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      Janine suspected Zach had characterized her as flamboyant, if not downright flashy. She, in turn, would describe him as austere and disciplined, perhaps solitary. Her grandfather saw all that, she knew, and a good deal more.

      “Mr. Hartman is waiting for you,” the maître d’ informed them when they entered the plush waterfront restaurant. He led them across the thick carpet to a high semicircular booth upholstered in blue velvet.

      “Janine, Zach.” Anton Hartman smiled broadly as they approached. The years had been kind to her grandfather. His bearing was still straight and confident, although his hair had grown completely white. His deep blue eyes, only a little faded, were filled with warmth and wisdom. “I apologize for the inconvenience.”

      “It wasn’t any problem,” Zach answered for both of them before Janine could respond—as if he’d expected her to complain!

      Ignoring him, Janine removed her coat and kissed her grandfather’s leathery cheek.

      “Janine,” he began, then gasped. “Where did you get that…dress?”

      “Do you like it?” She threw out her arms and whirled around once to give him the full effect. “I know it’s a bit unconventional, but I didn’t think you’d mind.”

      Gramps’s gaze flickered to Zach, then back to her. “On anyone else it would be scandalous, but on you, my dear, it’s a work of art.”

      “Honestly, Gramps,” she said, laughing softly. “You never could lie very well.” She slid into the booth next to her grandfather, forcing him into the center, between her and Zach. Gramps looked a bit disgruntled, but after her turbulent first encounter with Zach, she preferred to keep her distance. For that matter, he didn’t seem all that eager to be close to her, either.

      She glanced at him and noted, almost smugly, that he was already studying the menu. No doubt he found ordinary conversation a waste of time. Janine picked up her own menu. She was famished. At breakfast she’d only had time for coffee and a single piece of toast, and she had every intention of making up for it now.

      When the waiter came to take their order, Janine asked for the seafood entrée and soup and salad. She’d decide about dessert later, she said. Once he’d left, Gramps leaned toward Zach. “Janine never has to worry about her weight.” He made this sound as if it was a subject of profound and personal interest to them both. “Her grandmother was the same way. How my Anna could eat, and she never gained an ounce. Janine’s just like her.”

      “Gramps,” Janine whispered under her breath. “I’m sure Zach couldn’t care less how much I weigh.”

      “Nonsense,” Gramps said, gently patting her hand. “I hope you two had the chance to introduce yourselves.”

      “Oh, yes,” Janine returned automatically.

      “Your granddaughter is everything you claimed,” Zachary said, but the inflection in his voice implied something completely different to Janine than it did to her grandfather. She guessed that to Anton, he seemed courteous and complimentary. But he was telling Janine he’d found her to be the spoiled darling he’d long suspected. He didn’t openly dislike her, but he wasn’t too impressed with her, either.

      Unfortunately, that was probably due to more than just the dress and the lightbulb necklace.

      Janine watched for her grandfather’s reaction to Zach’s words and she knew she was right when his gaze warmed and he nodded, obviously pleased by his partner’s assessment. Zachary Thomas was clever, Janine had to grant him that much.

      “How did the meeting with Anderson go?” Zach asked.

      For a moment her grandfather stared at him blankly. “Oh, Anderson…Fine, fine. Everything went just as I’d hoped.” Then he cleared his throat and carefully spread the linen napkin across his lap. “As you both know,” he said, “I’ve been wanting the two of you to meet for some time now. Janine is the joy of my life. She’s kept me young and brought me much happiness over the years. I fear that, without her, I would have turned into a bitter old man.”

      His look was so full of tenderness that Janine had to lower her eyes and swallow back a rush of tears. Gramps had been her salvation, too. He’d taken her in after the sudden deaths of her parents, raised her with a gentle hand and loved her enough to allow her to be herself. It must’ve been difficult for him to have a six-year-old girl unexpectedly thrust into his life, but he’d never complained.

      “My only son died far too young,” Anton said slowly, painfully.

      “I’m sorry,” Zachary murmured.

      The genuine compassion Janine heard in his voice surprised her. And it definitely pleased her. Zach’s respect and affection for her grandfather won her immediate approval—even if the man didn’t seem likely to ever feel anything so positive toward her.

      “For many years I mourned the loss of my son and his wife,” Anton continued, his voice gaining strength. “I’ve worked all my life, built an empire that stretches across these fifty states, and in the process have become a wealthy man.”

      Janine studied her grandfather closely. He was rarely this serious. He wasn’t one to list his accomplishments, and she wondered at his strange mood.

      “When Zach brought his business into the area, I saw in him a rare gift, one that comes along seldom in this life. It’s said that there are men who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened. Zachary is a man who makes things happen. In many ways, the two of us are alike. That’s one of the primary reasons I decided to approach him with a proposal to merge our companies.”

      “I’m honored that you should think so, sir.”

      “Sir,” Anton repeated softly and chuckled. He raised his hand, motioning for the waiter. “You haven’t called me that in six months, and there’s no reason to start again now.”

      The waiter returned with a bottle of expensive champagne. Soon glasses were poured and set before them.

      “Now,” Anton continued, “as I said earlier, I have the two people I love most in this world together with me for the first time, and I don’t mind telling you, it feels good.” He raised his glass. “To happiness.”

      “Happiness,” Janine echoed, sipping her champagne.

      Her eyes met Zach’s above the crystal flute and she saw a glint of admiration. If she were dining on it, she’d starve—to quote a favorite expression of her grandfather’s—but it was just enough for her to know that he’d think more kindly of her because of her love for Anton.

      Her grandfather chuckled and whispered something in his native tongue, a German dialect from the old country. Over the years she’d picked up a smattering of the language, but when she’d repeated a few phrases to a college German professor, he’d barely recognized the words. Gramps paused and his smile lingered on Janine, then went to Zach. Whatever Gramps was muttering appeared to please him. His blue eyes fairly twinkled with delight.

      “And now,” he said, setting his glass aside, “I have an important announcement to make.”

      He turned to Janine and his face softened with affection. “I feel as though I’ve been СКАЧАТЬ