Kane by Jennifer Blake Page B

satisfactorily.
    â€œToo bad,” Luke said, and heaved a deep sigh. Then he brightened. “But if you’re really here on business, I guess old Kane has no claim, right?”
    â€œCorrect,” she agreed in brittle accents, though she refused to look at Kane.
    â€œHow do you feel about fried seafood? There’s a great little catfish restaurant just outside Turn-Coupe where they serve shrimp and oysters in a batter so light that—”
    â€œHold on.” Kane put up a hand. “The meeting with Pops may run long. He’ll expect Miss Dalton to stay for dinner. I’ve already alerted Dora, just in case.”
    â€œI asked her first,” Luke protested.
    The man beside Regina barely glanced her way before he said, “I don’t think Miss Dalton wants to jeopardize a hefty commission for the sake of friedshrimp.” Without waiting for an answer, he put the truck in gear and began to pull away.
    Luke stepped back hastily. Raising his voice, he yelled, “You’d better come to my party anyway!”
    â€œDon’t I always!” Kane called, and stuck his hand out the window in a backward wave before he drove off.
    Regina crossed her arms over her chest and stared straight ahead of her through the windshield. In chill tones, she said, “You might have let me answer for myself.”
    â€œYou wanted to go to the catfish restaurant with Luke?”
    She was loath to give him the satisfaction of a direct answer. “I don’t need you to make my decisions for me.”
    â€œI guess you want to go back, then?” he countered, his smile tight. “You prefer to tell Luke yourself how you really don’t want to have dinner with him, but decided to turn him down in person just to show you can make up your own mind.”
    â€œDon’t be ridiculous,” she snapped.
    â€œShow a little appreciation, then. I did the dirty work for you, while you came out smelling like a rose.”
    He really was too much. “You actually think you were helping me?”
    He turned his head, watching her a moment, before he said abruptly, “Is it me you don’t like, or just men in general?”
    â€œI don’t dislike anybody,” she declared, shifting ground to meet this new challenge.
    â€œYou could have fooled me.”
    â€œI don’t know what you’re talking about.” Though the words came easily enough, she couldn’t hold his clear blue gaze.
    â€œYou object to my company, don’t care to be touched, and can’t stand being close. What else am I to think?”
    The direction he had taken was not a comfortable one. She needed to distract him. She should also start taking advantage of being alone with him to do her job, before he got to his house and she was forced to do something that might alienate him for good.
    â€œYou don’t have to think about me at all,” she said as calmly as she could manage. “I’m nothing to you. Actually, I’m surprised you’re wasting your time, unless this big lawsuit of yours is going so well it doesn’t matter.”
    He stared at her a long moment through narrowed eyes. “What makes you think it’s a big case?”
    â€œHow everyone speaks of it, for one thing. How angry you were when you thought I had something to do with it, for another. So what’s happening? Is it dull, legal stuff or something more dramatic?”
    â€œYou don’t really want to know.”
    The dismissive comment grated on her strained nerves. “It’s something to talk about.”
    â€œI prefer other things. For instance, how come you aren’t married?”
    This wasn’t what she had in mind, but some kind of answer was required. “Who says I’m not?”
    â€œYou aren’t wearing a ring.”
    He had mentioned that before. She should have remembered it. Hastily, she said, “Some women don’twear rings these days, just as some