With a jaundiced sigh he got to his feet. The promised rain began to splatter the pavement. He was done with waiting. He was going into the shop to present Rose with a more persuasive offer. If she really cared so much about helping her boss then she ought to be relieved he was giving her a second bite of the cherry...
* * *
Rose was finishing up her bookwork when she heard the doorbell chime. Hurriedly toeing on her maroon leather flats, she tucked her cream silk blouse more securely into the waistband of her smart black skirt and left the office to deal with what she assumed was a late customer.
She should have closed up shop half an hour ago, but she’d been so immersed in cataloguing the dwindling monthly sales and wishing they were better that she hadn’t noticed the time.
Her lips automatically curved into a smile, but the gesture immediately melted away when she saw that her late caller wasn’t the customer she’d envisaged but Gene Bonnaire. She stared. What was he doing here? Forgoing a suit, he was dressed casually today, in jeans and a dove-grey T-shirt beneath a tailored black jacket. But he was no less formidable. It was raining outside, she saw, and the shoulders of his jacket glistened with moisture—as did his hair.
‘Do you usually stay open this late?’ he asked, clearly opting to dispense with any social niceties.
Tensing, Rose found herself caught in the crystalline spotlight of his disquieting blue gaze. ‘Not usually no. But I was busy doing some bookwork and didn’t notice the time. What can I do for you, Mr Bonnaire? If you were hoping to persuade me to change my mind about your offer then I’m sorry. I wouldn’t want you to waste your time.’
‘Don’t be sorry. Just let me have a few minutes with you to talk things over.’
‘To what end?’
‘Why don’t we sit down and I’ll tell you?’
Rose arched an eyebrow. ‘Like I said, I gave you my decision and I see no reason in discussing it any further.’ When Gene scowled she got the distinct impression that he was having considerable trouble remaining calm. His next words confirmed it.
‘You really have no idea about business, do you, Rose? I’d like to know why your boss, Philip Houghton, has such faith in you... Perhaps you’d enlighten me?’
Now Rose had trouble holding on to her own temper, and she had no hesitation in replying passionately, ‘Because I care about him—that’s why! I have no ulterior motive other than that I want what’s best for him. And what’s best for him is to sell the antiques business as a going concern, to someone who will love it as much as he does.’
‘That’s a nice thought...but hardly a realistic one.’
‘Did you come here just to tell me how inept you think I am, Mr Bonnaire?’ Incensed, she folded her arms. ‘Because if it makes you feel any better, then you should know that I’ve had sleepless nights about the whole thing. It would be very easy to take your offer to my boss and tell him that he’d be lucky to get another one half as good—remind him that the antiques trade isn’t what it used to be and he should just take what he can while the going’s good. But I couldn’t be so cruel. Not when I know how much the business means to him. If he was just interested in selling a beautiful period building in a very desirable area then he would have done so. But he wants the business to continue... What do you think he’d say if I accepted your offer and then told him you weren’t remotely interested in antiques?’
Gene looked thoughtful. Then he smiled. ‘I think he’d probably feel that he can’t be sentimental about it. At the end of the day, if he believes that his poor health will prohibit his return to work, no doubt he will need the money to help pay for his care. Surely that’s the priority here?’
What he said made perfect sense and, suddenly unsure, Rose felt tears of frustration surge into her eyes.
Gene all but covered the distance between them in less than a couple of strides, and as before the air stirred hypnotically with the exotic scent of his expensive cologne.
‘You’re upset. Is there anything I can do? Why don’t we go into the office and I’ll get you a cup of tea?’
‘I don’t want tea. All I want is... All I want is for you to go away!’ Her outburst sounded embarrassingly childish even to her own ears... So much for keeping her composure. Rose wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.
But the man in front of her didn’t go away. He didn’t even look remotely put out. The dazzling blue eyes that she knew could turn forbiddingly cold when he was angry were now inexplicably warm...tender, even. He lifted his hand to touch her arm gently. Her heart thudded quietly as she felt his smooth skin brush against her own.
‘Your boss gave you a tough job when he asked you to sell the business for him, Rose—perhaps too tough. I don’t mean this as a criticism, but I can see that it’s not where your skills lie... I’ve already learned that it’s the job you love—being with the artefacts and learning about their history. More than that, you like discovering the personal stories behind them. You’re a people person, Rose...not a businesswoman.’
She realised the man had an almost uncanny knack of knowing what a person was about. But she didn’t want to let him see even for a second that his astute insight perturbed her. Surely Gene Bonnaire had enough advantages without her giving him any more...namely the fact that she could so easily warm to him, when everything in her told her it would be a mistake that would undoubtedly cost her dear...
‘That might be the case, and I know my forte isn’t in the world of business—I told you that before. But my love of antiques and understanding what they mean to people also makes me understand why my boss, Philip, wants to sell the business as a going concern. I think it means even more to him since he’s become ill. He’s taught me so much about the trade, and that’s why I want to get the best deal for him.’
‘That’s also why you should give me a little bit more of your time and listen to what I have to say, Rose.’
‘Why? Are you going to tell me that you’ve decided to take on the business after all?’
Gene was already shaking his head. ‘No. I’m sorry I have to disappoint you, but I won’t be getting involved in that side of things. I haven’t changed my mind about that.’
‘Then how can I possibly be interested in listening any more to what you have to say, Mr Bonnaire?’
‘If you’d do me the courtesy of having dinner with me tonight, I’ll explain.’
Even as she guessed that most women would be surprised and pleased by such an invitation—not to mention immensely flattered—Rose defiantly lifted her chin to indicate that she wasn’t one of them. ‘Thank you, but I’m going to have to decline.’
‘You have a previous engagement?’
‘No, but—’
‘You don’t want to hear what I have to say, even though it might be to your boss’s advantage?’
‘How can it possibly be to his advantage? You’ve already said that you’re not interested in the business...that you only want the building.’
Gene Bonnaire’s steely-eyed gaze didn’t waver for so much as a second as he examined her, and it was easy to guess he’d hoped to have the upper hand.
‘Like I said, Rose... Have dinner with me tonight and all will be explained.’
Prickling with unease, she sensed herself flush heatedly. ‘You’re just playing games—and I don’t trust men who play games. If you have something to say that you know for a fact my boss will be interested in, then why don’t you just come right out and say it?’
‘Very well, then, although I’m