hours and always, always he would find a treasure when others wouldn’t.
She tried to explain it. “My father was patient. Acup is worth far more with the saucer and that same cup is worth far, far more if it completes a set. My father would wait years— years!— just to find the missing piece, whereas with my mother and brothers it’s all about a fast profit. The catalogues they presented for auctions were less and less impressive and they priced things ridiculously high in our store.” Kate shook her head. “They wouldn’t listen to me.”
“And so you walked away.”
“Not at first,” Kate said. “For a couple of years we had enough of a name and stock that things bumped along. I went to university and I guess around then it all started to unravel. A few bad purchases, too many rushed sales, that sort of thing. I tried to explain things but they wouldn’t really listen. My brothers came to a couple of antique fairs with me, but it’s not something you can just pick up over a few afternoons. I knew my stuff to a certain extent but not as much as my father and anyway, they simply refused to listen to me.”
“So you left?”
“I didn’t just walk away. It took years to come to the decision and I would still give advice if they asked but they don’t. It’s just falling apart around them.”
“Hence the guilt.”
“Yep,” Kate said. “It’s just gone from bad to worse. They owe money everywhere and keep insisting they’re just a day away from finding that one piece…” Kate looked over to him. “One piece isn’t going to support all of them. My father left my mother very wealthy but it’s gone to dust now.”
“Did your mother love your father?” Isaak asked.
“I don’t think so,” Kate admitted. “I’m quite sure she married him for his money and then spent the rest of their lives together making him miserable for her foolish choice.”
“You married me for my money.” Isaak winked and Kate actually laughed.
“I did.” They lay back on the grass and just stared up at the sky in amicable silence for a while, and then Isaak turned his face to her.
“Let’s try and not make each other miserable,” Isaak said. “Life’s too short.”
She looked at him smiling across at her, and he was really nothing like the man who had walked angry and accusing into her office that day.
“You’re nothing like I expected you to be.”
“Nor you.” Isaak’s smile was wry and then he looked back to the sky and decided that there was no way he was having a year off sex.
In fact, he’d rather not wait a week and given they’d already touched on the fact that no way would he ever force her, perhaps it was time for some seduction.
No, Isaak decided as he gazed at the woman dozing in the late afternoon sun, more relaxed with him than with her own family, more beautiful than she knew. Kate would not be leaving Paris a virgin.
“We have been spotted,” Isaak said and Kate opened her eyes to his face over hers. “There is a photographer trying to get a shot of us.”
“Where?”
“Don’t look,” Isaak said and he smiled down at her. “One kiss, for the camera…”
Kate nodded.
“One good kiss, then we go back to the hotel and you can read your book.”
“Okay.”
She waited but still his face hovered over hers.
“When?” Kate asked because she just wanted it over with, or rather she was starting to burn under his gaze.
“Soon,” Isaak said and he dropped a kiss on her nose.
“Isaak?”
“Very soon,” he said as Kate screwed her eyes closed, but feather light he kissed her eyelids.
“Isaak, can you just…”
“You’re doing good…” he said and then moved his mouth to her ear. “I’ll tell you a secret now…”
“Tell me.”
“Not really,” Isaak breathed to her ear. “This is for their shot.” He placed a soft kiss on her lobe, too soft because she was starting to ache for pressure and she had wanted to hear his secret.
She wanted his mouth
She tried to explain it. “My father was patient. Acup is worth far more with the saucer and that same cup is worth far, far more if it completes a set. My father would wait years— years!— just to find the missing piece, whereas with my mother and brothers it’s all about a fast profit. The catalogues they presented for auctions were less and less impressive and they priced things ridiculously high in our store.” Kate shook her head. “They wouldn’t listen to me.”
“And so you walked away.”
“Not at first,” Kate said. “For a couple of years we had enough of a name and stock that things bumped along. I went to university and I guess around then it all started to unravel. A few bad purchases, too many rushed sales, that sort of thing. I tried to explain things but they wouldn’t really listen. My brothers came to a couple of antique fairs with me, but it’s not something you can just pick up over a few afternoons. I knew my stuff to a certain extent but not as much as my father and anyway, they simply refused to listen to me.”
“So you left?”
“I didn’t just walk away. It took years to come to the decision and I would still give advice if they asked but they don’t. It’s just falling apart around them.”
“Hence the guilt.”
“Yep,” Kate said. “It’s just gone from bad to worse. They owe money everywhere and keep insisting they’re just a day away from finding that one piece…” Kate looked over to him. “One piece isn’t going to support all of them. My father left my mother very wealthy but it’s gone to dust now.”
“Did your mother love your father?” Isaak asked.
“I don’t think so,” Kate admitted. “I’m quite sure she married him for his money and then spent the rest of their lives together making him miserable for her foolish choice.”
“You married me for my money.” Isaak winked and Kate actually laughed.
“I did.” They lay back on the grass and just stared up at the sky in amicable silence for a while, and then Isaak turned his face to her.
“Let’s try and not make each other miserable,” Isaak said. “Life’s too short.”
She looked at him smiling across at her, and he was really nothing like the man who had walked angry and accusing into her office that day.
“You’re nothing like I expected you to be.”
“Nor you.” Isaak’s smile was wry and then he looked back to the sky and decided that there was no way he was having a year off sex.
In fact, he’d rather not wait a week and given they’d already touched on the fact that no way would he ever force her, perhaps it was time for some seduction.
No, Isaak decided as he gazed at the woman dozing in the late afternoon sun, more relaxed with him than with her own family, more beautiful than she knew. Kate would not be leaving Paris a virgin.
“We have been spotted,” Isaak said and Kate opened her eyes to his face over hers. “There is a photographer trying to get a shot of us.”
“Where?”
“Don’t look,” Isaak said and he smiled down at her. “One kiss, for the camera…”
Kate nodded.
“One good kiss, then we go back to the hotel and you can read your book.”
“Okay.”
She waited but still his face hovered over hers.
“When?” Kate asked because she just wanted it over with, or rather she was starting to burn under his gaze.
“Soon,” Isaak said and he dropped a kiss on her nose.
“Isaak?”
“Very soon,” he said as Kate screwed her eyes closed, but feather light he kissed her eyelids.
“Isaak, can you just…”
“You’re doing good…” he said and then moved his mouth to her ear. “I’ll tell you a secret now…”
“Tell me.”
“Not really,” Isaak breathed to her ear. “This is for their shot.” He placed a soft kiss on her lobe, too soft because she was starting to ache for pressure and she had wanted to hear his secret.
She wanted his mouth
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