Fight or Flight(35)
Understanding dawned. “Your family from Scotland.”
“Exactly. And I was telling Caleb why we couldn’t give him the privacy of the guesthouse during his stay, and got a little carried away on the topic of the redesign. But he was so impressed by your work, Ava, I thought I should introduce you. Caleb is the CFO of Koto’s UK division. Isn’t that impressive?”
I managed only to stare at him as my brain whirred with a million questions. Had Caleb really arranged this somehow? “Very impressive.”
There was a lull of silence that caused a crease between Patrice’s brows. She opened her mouth to speak but was stalled by the appearance of the waiter. Once he’d taken our orders, Patrice continued, “Caleb was staying at the Four Seasons and we were having dinner when he told us of this whole volcano fiasco disrupting his travel plans. Well, of course we couldn’t see him stuck at some hotel for a possible two weeks. The expense is ridiculous when you have friends nearby. Even though our house is outside the city, it’s not far—just a short drive to the Koto offices.”
I looked at Caleb and found him studying his water glass. Why did I get the impression he would have preferred to stay at his hotel? And if that was true, why was he humoring Patrice? That was something someone who cared about other people’s feelings would do. Hmm.
Silence fell over the table again and I saw Patrice frown in concern. Not wanting to upset her by being rude to her guest, I offered, “Do you have a rental car to get back and forth from Wellesley Farms? I can recommend somewhere.”
He gave me a slight shake of his head. “Danby kindly offered me the use of his Maserati while I’m here.”
I almost laughed. That sounded like Danby. He and Patrice were two of the most generous people I’d ever met. “He must really trust you to remember to drive on the right side of the road.”
Patrice chuckled while Caleb smirked at me. “I suppose he must.”
My eyes narrowed at his restrained answer. Where was the cutting, biting kind of insults from the man I’d slept with?
As the seconds ticked by, we got locked in a staring contest, his expression challenging, mine likely suspicious. It was only when Patrice cleared her throat that we broke eye contact. My client’s gaze moved from me to Caleb, that frown deepening between her brows. “Perhaps it’s just my imagination, but I’ve had the feeling from the moment Ava walked in here that you two already know each other.”
Did I also mention that Patrice wasn’t stupid? I flushed, hating to be caught in any sort of pretense, and worrying over whether I should continue to bury us in more lies, which I hated to do. But I didn’t know what would be worse—
“You’re not wrong, Patrice. Apologies.” Caleb threw me a taunting smile. “I met Miss Breevort in Phoenix. We were on the same flights tae Chicago and Boston. When you said her name, I couldn’t help but want tae surprise her. Sorry for the mischief.”
“Ahh.” Patrice’s whole face lit up. “How wonderful. And what a coincidence. I bet you thought you’d never see each other again.”
“You’re not wrong.” I laughed a little hysterically and saw Caleb’s grin widen. Alarm pierced me. “I didn’t mean to pretend otherwise, Patrice, but I was caught off guard and not really sure what Mr. Scott was up to over there. He’s full of mischief all right.” I said it cheerily but my teeth were gritted.
The bastard let out a huff of laughter.
“I think it’s fabulous. In fact, I really feel like I shouldn’t even be here.” Patrice reached for her purse, giving me a knowing smile. “You two should spend lunch together alone, get better acquainted. I have so much to do, I should really run.”
Panic flooded me. “But, Patrice, you’ve already ordered.”
“Oh, I can cancel that.” She placed a hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “I’ll see you back at the house when I see you. But please don’t feel like you have to put in too much of an appearance. I know you’re busy with work and”—she glanced at me—“you’ll have Ava to keep you company.”
“Thank you again, Patrice. Your hospitality is appreciated.”
My jaw dropped.
Did he just say thank you?
“Oh, no no. No thank yous. We like having company in that big house.” She rounded the table to me and bent down to kiss my cheek. “We’ll talk soon, darling. Have fun.”
“But Patr—”
She was already strutting away over to the hostess to cancel her order.
And then she was gone. Without her fabric samples, I might add.
Reluctantly, I turned back around in my seat and stared across the small table at Caleb. “What the hell?”
He cocked his head slightly, frowning. “Patrice was so sure you’d be accommodating. I dinnae think she knows her interior designer very well.”
“Stop messing around. Last time we spoke I got the sincere impression it would be the last time. What with all those other beautiful women in Boston just waiting for the chance to jump on board Caleb Scott.”
His lips twitched, drawing my attention to the thick stubble he was sporting, which immediately sparked the memory of it tickling and scratching my skin. Damn. My legs automatically squeezed together, trying to quell the insistent tingling sensation between them.