“Favorite things, huh?” Kale smiled over the phrase while running the back of his hand along one lever of the elliptical machine he stood closest to.
Davia proffered a knowing smile. “Necessary.”
Kale had to bite his tongue before he found himself telling her she must spend a great deal of time on that which she found “necessary.” Her body, though willowy, appeared toned with subtle yet tempting curves. His palms heated with the desire to see if his eyes were in any way deceiving him. Upon first glance, he wagered she’d break if he held her firmly enough.
Aside from the exercise equipment, the office boasted a cozy entertainment area. The spot was complete with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled to capacity with books and an array of DVDs and CDs. The overstuffed recliner in the far corner held a pillow and a fleece blanket and looked to be the perfect nook for a lengthy snooze.
Davia Sands’s work digs were almost an exact replica of his own. Somehow, though, he didn’t think she would appreciate knowing they had anything more in common.
“So...Mullins, Iowa,” he said.
“Mullins, Iowa,” Davia repeated. “Have you ever been there?” she asked.
“Not yet. I decided to drop in and meet you first.”
“Why’s that?” Davia asked while heading to her desk where she set down the headset she’d used.
“A few reasons.” Kale followed her across the room.
Davia took a seat along the front edge of her white oak desk. Raising her hands, she silently encouraged him to continue.
“I’ve been told that Mullins isn’t the sort of place that’d be suitable for one of my properties.” Kale eased a hand beneath his suit coat to slide it into a trouser pocket.
Davia gave a cool smile. “Lavish, expansive, expensive,” she said.
“My reputation precedes me, I see.” Kale steeled himself from grimacing. He’d immediately regretted his choice of words. He had hoped to save the discussion of his reputation—or rather, her perception of his reputation—for later.
Davia didn’t appear on edge. Moreover, she seemed amused, as though enjoying a joke she wasn’t quite ready to share the punch line for.
“Yes, Mr. Asante, your reputation has definitely preceded you.”
Kale acknowledged her thinly veiled insinuation with a faint nod. “I came to see you, hoping we could’ve discussed plans for you to buy me out.”
“Could have?”
Kale nodded once more. That time he shared with Davia an approving smile. “You’re a thoughtful listener,” he commended.
Davia tilted her head to acknowledge his accuracy. “It pays to hear what the other person is really trying to say. If people did more of that, maybe a lot of misunderstandings could be avoided.”
“I’ll have to remember that.” Kale watched Davia as if he’d discovered some additional facet to her appearance that had him newly intrigued.
Davia looked as though her interest had risen a notch, as well. “So you were coming to discuss plans to sell your part of the property but you’ve...changed your mind?”
“I have.”
“Something I said?”
Davia’s thinly veiled insinuation was met with a grin that broadened as he spoke.
“It is, actually.” Kale could see the wave of shock freeze her exquisite features.
There was no going back now. The conversation he’d just as soon put off until...well, never, would soon be under way. Before that, he thought a little clarification of his earlier comment was in order.
“It’s about what I overheard you say when you walked in earlier.”
Davia drew into herself, attempting to rewind her thoughts.
“You said you’d planned to be out of town for the next few days, maybe longer,” Kale supplied.
“Yeah. That...that’s right.” Davia silently admitted she was stumped, having no clue where the conversation was headed.
“May I assume you meant out of town in Mullins?”
“You may.” Davia folded her arms over her chest. Her curiosity was through the roof.
Kale lowered his head as if deeply focused on the unraveling of a mystery. “Is it also safe to assume that you’re not thinking about selling your part of the property?”
“Well, I... No.” Davia blinked, once again stumped. “No, I don’t think I could sell it, Mr. Asante.”
He shook his head. “Just Kale. Kale’s fine.” Actually, most everyone who knew him referred to him by his first initial but—and he would only admit it to himself—he very much wanted to hear her say his name.
Davia obliged. “Kale. I just don’t think I could sell it.”
The hint of a frown began to darken his dreamily crafted face. “Why? Did your lawyer say something that turned you against it?”
Davia remained cool. “Well, no, it...it’s a gift. Or it was. A gift from my aunt—something she would’ve wanted me to have.” She left her perch on the desk and moved to the floor-to-ceiling windows that provided a spectacular late-evening view of the Bay area.
“I have my aunt to thank for my career.” Davia’s voice held a soft, faraway tone that hinted of some nostalgic air. “She could’ve done anything with that property had she known about it. That it’s come to me...that it belonged to her...that means something to me.”
Kale had moved to the windows. He stroked his jaw, a contemplative look taking over his features. “Yeah... I see what you mean,” he murmured while he looked out over the evening skies, as well.
Davia turned, resting her shoulder against one of the tall windows. She watched him, trying to decipher the path of his thoughts.
Kale didn’t keep her in the dark for long. “Why do you think your aunt and my uncle left it to us? Why are we just finding out about it now?”
Davia let a quiet sigh escape. The question was nothing new to her. “I asked my lawyer the same thing. She doesn’t think it was so much left to us as it was an asset that was somehow overlooked when the estates were settled after their deaths.” She stood back to fix him with a kind smile.
“I don’t know how it went with your uncle, but my aunt never married, never had kids. Everything she had went to me. We, um, we were close like that.”
“Same with me and my uncle.” Kale turned, putting his back against the window. “My mom’s got four brothers, but she and Uncle Bry—Bryant Leak was his name—were closest in age and he was the one I bonded the closest with.” He smiled, the nostalgic air having claimed him then, as well.
“I got my love of the movies from my uncle.” Kale grinned, resting his head back on the window. His grin took on a heightened definition when he heard Davia laugh.
“I’ve got my aunt to thank for that,” she said. “That’s why all my projects are theaters.”
“Same here,” Kale concurred. “So what do you think caught their eye in Mullins, Iowa, that made them buy it?”
Davia shrugged. “Did your uncle ever mention the place?” She strolled back to her desk, resting against the edge once more.
“Not a peep.” Kale pushed off from the window. “I never heard of it before talking to my lawyer yesterday.”
“Yeah, me, either.” Davia