place to ask. Besides, she had no time right now to take on his problems as well as her own.
She put the kettle down and took her seat. Picking up her pen she started at the top of her list. ‘Now the first point I wanted to make, definitely the most important, is the booze-ups by the pool –’
‘Ms Templeton.’ He seemed to be back in full possession of his faculties. ‘I do not intend to stay long, so there’s no point in –’
She put a cupcake on a plate and pushed it towards him.
He pushed it back towards her.
‘You aren’t even going to try one?’ she asked sweetly, pushing it back towards him.
‘No.’ He slid the plate back towards her.
‘Why not?’ she demanded crossly and pushed the plate a little too forcefully back towards him. The cupcake, now charged with momentum, slid off the plate and straight into his lap, icing face down.
‘Oh no.’ She cringed. ‘I’m so sorry.’
He gingerly removed the cupcake from his thigh but it left all its icing behind.
She grabbed a serviette off the counter and quickly reached down to scoop it all off when his hand closed on her wrist like a vice.
‘Ms Templeton, I am quite capable of cleaning myself up, thank you very much.’
She looked down at their joined hands and her eyes widened in alarm.
Idiot! I’ve practically got my hand in his groin.
Just at that precise moment the door chime rang and in walked her plumber, brandishing a bouquet of pink gerberas.
When it rains, it pours.
He took in the scene with all the hurt and devastation of a jilted lover. ‘So that’s why you didn’t want to see me tonight.’
Charlotte immediately snatched her hand away, feeling her face colour to match the bunch of flowers. ‘Jared, what are you doing here?’
‘I came to have a look at your hot-water system.’
‘But I wasn’t expecting you today.’
He sighed sheepishly. ‘I was going to do it for free.’
She glanced at the flowers and he sighed once more as he followed her gaze. ‘Guess I shouldn’t have bothered with these either.’
‘Jared, it’s not that I –’
She looked down in annoyance at Mark, who had started drumming his fingers loudly on the counter. ‘Do you mind?’ she indicated his hand. ‘I’m trying to have a conversation here.’
Her words also drew Jared’s attention to Mark’s drumming hand and the light winked off a thick gold band around Caesar’s fourth finger.
Jared’s gaze swung to hers crossly. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were married?’
Charlotte quickly shook her head and waved both palms in a horizontal slicing motion. ‘We’re not married.’
‘You’re having an affair?’
‘No, no, no.’ Charlotte took a step forwards. ‘You don’t understand.’
‘No, it’s all right.’ Jared’s face was flooding with colour. ‘I really don’t need to hear your explanation.’
‘I wasn’t going to give you an explanation.’ Charlotte put her hands on her hips. ‘There isn’t one to make.’
‘I think I’ll be going now.’ Jared jerked his thumb over his shoulder before backing out the door, taking his flowers with him.
As the door swung shut a dry voice beside her said, ‘Well, that’s five minutes of my life I’ll never get back.’
Heat flooded her face, stinging her skin, as she looked down at his derisive expression. In all fairness, she supposed she did owe him an apology. ‘I’m sorry about that. I didn’t realise he was going to stop by. Or that he was going to mistake you for my husband.’
‘What a relief. I should be extremely worried if you did.’ He stood up and walked around the desk with the clear intention of leaving even though they hadn’t discussed anything yet.
Do something.
‘Mr Crawford, please don’t go. We haven’t finished our business meeting.’
He was now looking across the counter at her. ‘Ms Templeton, I was just attacked by a cupcake and accused of being your lover. It’s hardly a business meeting.’
Now I’ve botched it.
She
She put the kettle down and took her seat. Picking up her pen she started at the top of her list. ‘Now the first point I wanted to make, definitely the most important, is the booze-ups by the pool –’
‘Ms Templeton.’ He seemed to be back in full possession of his faculties. ‘I do not intend to stay long, so there’s no point in –’
She put a cupcake on a plate and pushed it towards him.
He pushed it back towards her.
‘You aren’t even going to try one?’ she asked sweetly, pushing it back towards him.
‘No.’ He slid the plate back towards her.
‘Why not?’ she demanded crossly and pushed the plate a little too forcefully back towards him. The cupcake, now charged with momentum, slid off the plate and straight into his lap, icing face down.
‘Oh no.’ She cringed. ‘I’m so sorry.’
He gingerly removed the cupcake from his thigh but it left all its icing behind.
She grabbed a serviette off the counter and quickly reached down to scoop it all off when his hand closed on her wrist like a vice.
‘Ms Templeton, I am quite capable of cleaning myself up, thank you very much.’
She looked down at their joined hands and her eyes widened in alarm.
Idiot! I’ve practically got my hand in his groin.
Just at that precise moment the door chime rang and in walked her plumber, brandishing a bouquet of pink gerberas.
When it rains, it pours.
He took in the scene with all the hurt and devastation of a jilted lover. ‘So that’s why you didn’t want to see me tonight.’
Charlotte immediately snatched her hand away, feeling her face colour to match the bunch of flowers. ‘Jared, what are you doing here?’
‘I came to have a look at your hot-water system.’
‘But I wasn’t expecting you today.’
He sighed sheepishly. ‘I was going to do it for free.’
She glanced at the flowers and he sighed once more as he followed her gaze. ‘Guess I shouldn’t have bothered with these either.’
‘Jared, it’s not that I –’
She looked down in annoyance at Mark, who had started drumming his fingers loudly on the counter. ‘Do you mind?’ she indicated his hand. ‘I’m trying to have a conversation here.’
Her words also drew Jared’s attention to Mark’s drumming hand and the light winked off a thick gold band around Caesar’s fourth finger.
Jared’s gaze swung to hers crossly. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were married?’
Charlotte quickly shook her head and waved both palms in a horizontal slicing motion. ‘We’re not married.’
‘You’re having an affair?’
‘No, no, no.’ Charlotte took a step forwards. ‘You don’t understand.’
‘No, it’s all right.’ Jared’s face was flooding with colour. ‘I really don’t need to hear your explanation.’
‘I wasn’t going to give you an explanation.’ Charlotte put her hands on her hips. ‘There isn’t one to make.’
‘I think I’ll be going now.’ Jared jerked his thumb over his shoulder before backing out the door, taking his flowers with him.
As the door swung shut a dry voice beside her said, ‘Well, that’s five minutes of my life I’ll never get back.’
Heat flooded her face, stinging her skin, as she looked down at his derisive expression. In all fairness, she supposed she did owe him an apology. ‘I’m sorry about that. I didn’t realise he was going to stop by. Or that he was going to mistake you for my husband.’
‘What a relief. I should be extremely worried if you did.’ He stood up and walked around the desk with the clear intention of leaving even though they hadn’t discussed anything yet.
Do something.
‘Mr Crawford, please don’t go. We haven’t finished our business meeting.’
He was now looking across the counter at her. ‘Ms Templeton, I was just attacked by a cupcake and accused of being your lover. It’s hardly a business meeting.’
Now I’ve botched it.
She
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