Well, her budget was more a one-meal-a-day deal, but she wasn’t going to tell him all her sad little secrets.
‘So, you must have some kind of list,’ he said, sitting back as the waitress came and poured their coffees. ‘Got to have the usual things...Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Rockefeller Center...’
‘Yeah, I guess so.’ She picked up her cup and blew on the coffee before stealing a quick sip.
An insulted expression crossed his face. ‘Are you not fully excited about being in New York?’
She laughed and set down her cup. ‘I am. Oh, I absolutely am.’ But it hadn’t struck her before that she’d be here seeing it on her own. And that she’d hardly be able to afford a thing. All she’d been thinking about was escaping. She was going to need a second to get her head around it.
And just like that it came—the surge of happiness. She was free. She might even have some fun. She was in Man-freaking-Hattan.
His pancakes arrived and he began decimating the huge tower with a remarkable speed. He glanced up and caught her amused expression.
‘Brothers,’ he explained out of the corner of his mouth. ‘Eat it or lose it.’
‘I’m not going to steal your lunch.’
His eyebrows lowered as he eyed the lonely cup in front of her. ‘Maybe you should.’
‘I’m not a fan of pancakes.’
The look he shot her then was of such pure disbelief she couldn’t help chuckling. Then she went for distraction. ‘So aside from the Statue of Liberty, what do you recommend?’
He munched and thought about it for a bit. ‘Depends.’
‘On?’
‘What you’re into.’ He speared through three pancakes at once. ‘There’s something for everyone in this city. So what are you into?’
‘I don’t know.’
He paused and met her eyes. ‘You don’t know what you’re into? What you want?’
She felt that wretched heat bloom in her cheeks. Why must she read innuendo into everything the man said? ‘I just want to see some things.’
‘Not do some things?’
Oh, there was innuendo there. ‘Perhaps.’
‘You’re going to need more than coffee if you’re planning on doing things.’
‘Then perhaps today I’ll just stick with seeing.’
He inclined his head with a wry grin. ‘Fair enough.’
She stiffened as he opened his wallet. ‘You’re not paying.’
‘Yeah? Well, I don’t expect you to buy me breakfast.’ He sighed. ‘Though would it be so bad to let me buy you a coffee to make up for my rudeness of last night?’ He looked across at her for a moment, his eyebrows lifting higher as the seconds passed. ‘Clearly it would.’
Caitlin swallowed the last mouthful of her coffee. She was an idiot. Overreacting because she was oversensitive. The events of the last six weeks had made her paranoid. She wasn’t being fair. It was one thing not to trust, but to treat someone rudely? ‘I’m sorry, it was me being rude then. I really appreciate the way you’re helping me out.’
He met her gaze; a low smile spread across his face. An open, nothing-held-back smile that flooded her with warmth. ‘No problem.’
She stood, trying to escape the megawatt impact of that smile. ‘Thanks.’
* * *
Two minutes later James dug his mobile out and switched it on, keeping an eye on his new roommate as she walked off down the street ahead of him.
She’d finally smiled, finally relaxed and accepted the situation. And his apology. Good. Now all he had to do was get out of here as soon as possible. The condo was hers. The sooner he got back on a plane, the better.
With an effort he glanced at his phone. No messages. Most everyone thought he was in the back of beyond and wouldn’t expect to hear from him. Except for his boss. He touched her name in his contacts list. True to all-efficient form she answered on the second ring.
‘I need a project,’ he said as soon as she’d said hello.
‘You’re only just back.’
‘I know. And bored already,’ he lied.
‘Well, I do have something...’ Lisbet trailed off.
Despite his lingering tiredness, his skin prickled. He did like to stay busy. ‘Where?’
‘Here.’
‘Forget it.’ He heard Lisbet’s impatient mumble and hurried on. ‘You know I don’t want a desk job. Can’t think of anything worse.’
‘You have other skills we need. Not all our people can perform the way you do in a public environment. Communication, fundraising is necessary.’
‘I’m not your poster boy—you know this already.’ He watched as Caitlin disappeared into the throng walking downtown. Fleetingly he hoped she’d be okay on her own—that she’d not just ‘see’ but ‘do’.
‘And you know you already are. You could still go on overseas projects,’ said Lisbet. ‘Just fewer.’
Lisbet had been on at him about taking on more of a public role for a while now, but he wasn’t giving up the real work. He preferred to be an anonymous part of a team, not a figurehead. ‘Don’t lessen my load,’ he warned her. ‘I’d have to offer my services elsewhere.’
‘All right,’ she sighed. ‘But I’m not going to stop trying to change your mind.’
‘Try all you like, but keep the field assignments coming.’ He turned back towards the condo.
‘There’s no end to them,’ she snorted. ‘But you need at least a fortnight off.’
A fortnight? He halted in horror, earning a muffled curse from the pedestrian behind him who’d swerved to avoid smacking into him. James waved a vague apology and then frowned at the pavement.
No way could he share a bed with Caitlin for a fortnight. Not without asking for the improper. ‘I don’t need that long,’ he quickly said to Lisbet. ‘I’m ready to ship out again tomorrow.’
‘No. I’m not letting you burn out,’ she answered.
‘Never going to happen.’
‘That’s what they all say, right before they crash,’ she said briskly. ‘Go spend some time with your family. You’ve been overseas for months.’
‘I like being overseas.’ He liked his family too, but he liked being away and busy more.
He heard her sigh. ‘If you insist on doing something, you can come to the charity gala on Thursday night. I’ll put your name down now.’
Oh, hell, that was even worse. ‘Lisbet, I don’t—’
‘It’s only one night,’ she wheedled. ‘You can show me how refreshed you are so I’ll send you back into the fray sooner.’
‘Fine,’ he snapped, letting her manipulate him—mainly because he knew rolling up to the event was part of his duty. He turned his phone off and shoved it into his back pocket.
Two weeks? What was he supposed to do with all that time? He hadn’t had more than a few days off in years and that was the way he liked it. If he stayed in town more, his parents would put the pressure on about other—more personal—things. But they were going to have to save that for his brothers. James would never settle down. He’d seen how tragedy tore a family