wondering why I’ve asked you back.”
Apparently, this meeting was about to get down to business. At least the younger Larson was missing. Thank God .
She smiled. “I assumed you’d tell me when you were ready and am certain you wouldn’t waste my time by calling me back here without good reason.”
He grinned. “I’d like to ask you to help me with a short-term project.” He glanced past her shoulder to the door. “Ah, here you are. We were just getting started.”
She turned to find Kristoffer standing there in yet another three-piece suit, this one dark blue. She met his gaze, and last night crashed in on her like a rogue wave. To his credit, he didn’t undress her with his eyes, but why would he bother? He’d already seen her in the buff.
Pamela smiled at him, offering her hand for him to shake. Uptight to the extreme compared to his laid-back and casual cousin, he almost seemed reluctant to touch her, but no way would she pull away. At last, he accepted her hand. Firm grip, but not bone crushing the way some men tried to overpower women.
Well, why on earth would he want to intimidate me anyway?
Yet nothing had been more intimidating than having him see her naked last night in the classroom, though that was through no fault of his.
Feeling vulnerable for some reason, she retrieved the laptop from her case, took her seat, and busied herself with opening a Word document for her notes. Kristoffer took the seat directly across the table from her and pulled a white legal pad from his briefcase and a pen from his shirt pocket. She tried not to stare at how his shirt hugged his chest, but couldn’t miss the gold wedding band on his finger.
For the first time since last night, she relaxed. Off limits. Good .
Still unable to make eye contact again, though, she turned her gaze toward Gunnar. “You mentioned something about a short-term project.” The sooner it began, the sooner it could end.
Without preamble, Gunnar brought the meeting to order, his attention first on Kristoffer. “I was just about to tell Pamela why I’ve asked her to be here, but now I can enlighten you both.”
So she wasn’t the only one out of the loop here. She waited, studiously avoiding looking at Kristoffer.
Gunnar’s focus was on her now. “I’d like to commit a substantial amount of money to a project and need the two of you to spearhead it.”
Pamela’s heart raced at the prospect of seeing Kristoffer on a regular basis. Yes, he was off limits, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have some strange hold over her.
How to extricate herself from this without appearing rude? “I’m flattered but not sure how much time I’d be able to devote to anything right now. I intend to return to Afghanistan by mid-summer to finish my last three-month assignment.”
“That won’t interfere with what I have in mind. In fact, it’s perfect timing.” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the edge of the table. “This will be short-term in nature, because I know you’re a busy woman. Six to eight weeks should be plenty of time.”
She hazarded a glance across the table and noticed her counterpart seemed about as enthusiastic as she, although he expressed no reservations aloud. Instead, he asked Gunnar, “What did you have in mind?”
“After hearing Pamela talk about young Fakhira’s needs and prognosis, I had some preliminary conversations with the administrators at the hospital where you worked, Pamela, and would like to explore providing for their most pressing needs. As a physician who has been there and seen the hardships firsthand, you can help me determine the institution’s greatest priorities as far as medical equipment and whatever else can help doctors provide better treatment for children like Fakhira and other noncombatants.”
Pamela sat up straighter in her chair and stared him down. “I am grateful for the opportunity to point out some of the areas where your generosity will be appreciated, but can’t
Apparently, this meeting was about to get down to business. At least the younger Larson was missing. Thank God .
She smiled. “I assumed you’d tell me when you were ready and am certain you wouldn’t waste my time by calling me back here without good reason.”
He grinned. “I’d like to ask you to help me with a short-term project.” He glanced past her shoulder to the door. “Ah, here you are. We were just getting started.”
She turned to find Kristoffer standing there in yet another three-piece suit, this one dark blue. She met his gaze, and last night crashed in on her like a rogue wave. To his credit, he didn’t undress her with his eyes, but why would he bother? He’d already seen her in the buff.
Pamela smiled at him, offering her hand for him to shake. Uptight to the extreme compared to his laid-back and casual cousin, he almost seemed reluctant to touch her, but no way would she pull away. At last, he accepted her hand. Firm grip, but not bone crushing the way some men tried to overpower women.
Well, why on earth would he want to intimidate me anyway?
Yet nothing had been more intimidating than having him see her naked last night in the classroom, though that was through no fault of his.
Feeling vulnerable for some reason, she retrieved the laptop from her case, took her seat, and busied herself with opening a Word document for her notes. Kristoffer took the seat directly across the table from her and pulled a white legal pad from his briefcase and a pen from his shirt pocket. She tried not to stare at how his shirt hugged his chest, but couldn’t miss the gold wedding band on his finger.
For the first time since last night, she relaxed. Off limits. Good .
Still unable to make eye contact again, though, she turned her gaze toward Gunnar. “You mentioned something about a short-term project.” The sooner it began, the sooner it could end.
Without preamble, Gunnar brought the meeting to order, his attention first on Kristoffer. “I was just about to tell Pamela why I’ve asked her to be here, but now I can enlighten you both.”
So she wasn’t the only one out of the loop here. She waited, studiously avoiding looking at Kristoffer.
Gunnar’s focus was on her now. “I’d like to commit a substantial amount of money to a project and need the two of you to spearhead it.”
Pamela’s heart raced at the prospect of seeing Kristoffer on a regular basis. Yes, he was off limits, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have some strange hold over her.
How to extricate herself from this without appearing rude? “I’m flattered but not sure how much time I’d be able to devote to anything right now. I intend to return to Afghanistan by mid-summer to finish my last three-month assignment.”
“That won’t interfere with what I have in mind. In fact, it’s perfect timing.” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the edge of the table. “This will be short-term in nature, because I know you’re a busy woman. Six to eight weeks should be plenty of time.”
She hazarded a glance across the table and noticed her counterpart seemed about as enthusiastic as she, although he expressed no reservations aloud. Instead, he asked Gunnar, “What did you have in mind?”
“After hearing Pamela talk about young Fakhira’s needs and prognosis, I had some preliminary conversations with the administrators at the hospital where you worked, Pamela, and would like to explore providing for their most pressing needs. As a physician who has been there and seen the hardships firsthand, you can help me determine the institution’s greatest priorities as far as medical equipment and whatever else can help doctors provide better treatment for children like Fakhira and other noncombatants.”
Pamela sat up straighter in her chair and stared him down. “I am grateful for the opportunity to point out some of the areas where your generosity will be appreciated, but can’t
Similar Books
