Ask about their work, their family, their interests.
Not everything is about you, Charlotte.
“Grams tells us you’re doing a lot for the company.”
He seemed to hesitate, carefully pouring himself a hefty glass of red wine. “I’m trying, yes.”
“Signet’s bread and butter are government contracts,” Charlotte said, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms, knowing she was baiting him, challenging him. But she couldn’t help herself. She needed to see if this man was good enough for her grandmother. “Grams says you want to change things, but business is good just the way it is.”
He met her stare. “I think it could be better. Your grandmother and I are working together to make the most of various opportunities. The world is always changing, markets shifting, creating need where it didn’t exist before. I’m making sure Signet is positioned to thrive well into the future. You have nothing to fear from me, Charlotte. I assure you, my intentions are good.”
Grams leaned forward. “What about you, Cowboy?” she asked, clearly trying to stear the conversation away from the obvious tension between Charlotte and Tom. “What do you do for a living?”
Cowboy was more than happy to oblige. “I run a security firm called HERO Force, which stands for Hand-on Engagement and Reconnaissance Operations. I work with your grandson, Logan.”
Grams’s eyes sparkled. “Is that how you two know each other? Through Logan?”
Cowboy and Charlotte shared a look. He was grinning. She was not. He turned his smile to Grams. “It is.”
“Well, isn’t that serendipitous,” said the old woman. She looked at her plate and pushed a bit of food around with a sigh.
Charlotte’s grumpy gaze followed the animated motions of the other woman’s fork, and she realize how little Grams had served herself and was eating. Her concern mingled with irritation at Grams’s use of the wordserendipitous.
“You know,” said Grams, “the heating system doesn’t work without electricity. We’re all going to depend on the fireplaces for heat until the power is restored. The largest of the guest rooms has a fireplace, but the other two do not.”
Charlotte blanched, instantly seeing where this wasgoing. The very thought of sharing a room with Leo after everything they’d just been through was nerve-wracking. She needed a forty-foot buffer zone between them, not to share a room with the man, for fuck’s sake.
The expression took her aback. When was the last time she’d used that particular gem? Once it had been in her shortlist of useful phrases, but now it sounded like an echo of her old self had settled in her mind, and she didn’t care for the feeling.
“It’s all right, I can sleep down here,” said Cowboy, his obvious concern for Charlotte’s wishes only frustrating her even more. She was vaguely aware that nothing he could do would please her, and she silently cursed him for being here at all. Why the hell had she agreed to it in the first place? And when the hell had she gotten so damn angry?
Grams shook her head. “The living room fireplace flue has been sticking. I certainly wouldn’t trust it overnight. You might die of smoke inhalation or carbon monoxide poisoning. Only the one in the kitchen is trouble-free. It will take the chill off down here, but not much more than that.”
He shook his head. “I’ll be fine, really.”
The idea of him freezing his ass off while she was snug upstairs made Charlotte feel terrible, but the idea of him sleeping in the same room with her made her feel something else entirely.
“Plus, the sofa is terribly uncomfortable,” said Grams. “I really can’t recommend it.”
Cowboy smirked. “I’m sure I’ve slept in worse places.”
Charlotte knew that was probably true—he’d been a Navy SEAL, for God’s sake—but he’d come all this way to help her.
You told him separate everything, and he agreed.
You have nothing to feel bad about.
But she did feel bad, and she was also beginning to feel like a major bitch. They had lived together for more than a year. She could handle sleeping in the same room with him if it meant he would stay warm. Taking a deep breath, she put on her best disaffected look. “We can share the room, Leo. It’s not a big deal.”
“Good, then that’s settled,” Grams said quickly. “Cowboy, would you clear the dishes, please? It’s time for the main course.” She stepped out of the room to get it while Cowboy stood and did as she asked.
Charlotte homed in on Tom. “So, you’re a professor.”
“That’s right.”
“How long have you been teaching?”
“Eleven years, though I enjoy working for your grandmother so much, I may not go back to it. I was a man of business before moving into education.”
