A one-eyed black and white cat is observing me. It lifts one paw and presses it against the window, sniffing the air. I walk closer with my plate. It’s thin, with bedraggled fur. I open the window, slowly, tearing off a piece of steak.
The cat withdraws to a safe distance, watching closely as I put the hunk of steak on the windowsill. I close the window and it jumps forward, grabbing the steak in its mouth and running off into the bushes. After it’s finished, it comes back and sits by the window. I open it slowly and hold my hand out. The cat sniffs my hand and then rubs against it. I feed it some more steak as it purrs.
The head of my security team comes in and the cat darts away. “I’m staying overnight to do the first shift. This is a sleepy little town, but I’d like to get the lay of the land.”
“Good. I’m going to leave this window slightly open. Will that be a problem?”
He shakes his head. “I can post one of our guys on night patrol outside the first floor.”
Heading up to bed, I search for Savannah’s business. Snowflake Botanicals has glowing reviews on her social media pages and the products look interesting. After scrolling through my emails, I turn off the light. As I’m dozing, a strange rumbling sound fills the air. A small, furry creature climbs up onto the bed.
The cat curls up by my feet and I close my eyes with one thing on my mind.
Savannah.
Chapter Three
SAVANNAH
My life doesn’t stop.
I’ve been up since five this morning. I’ve had a meeting with the bank manager about extending the loan repayments to pay for my college tuition. Then I pitched Snowflake Botanicals to a hotel in town, who said they needed to speak to their big boss before they made a decision. And before that, I cleaned two houses.
When I arrive at Weston’s place, I’m frazzled and my feet feel like rocks. Before I go inside, I pile up all the stray curls on top of my head and clip them in place, then add a slick of lip gloss.
I’m being ridiculous. I’m sure the big, gorgeous billionaire was just passing time by kissing his over-eager new cleaning lady while trapped in his state-of-the-art safe room. Still, I haven’t seen him for two days and I’ve found it hard to think of anything else. Yes, he’s gorgeous. But there was something else. The way he focused his attention on me was hypnotizing–like I was the center of the universe. I’m more used to being an afterthought, not the main attraction.
Leaning my bike against the wall, I key in the code at the back door. The scent of herbs and onions fills the air. I follow the sound of clanging pans into the kitchen.
Weston is wearing a frilly blue apron printed with photos of teddy bears. He raises his hand as he pours boiling water into a pan and adds salt.
“Hi. I like your apron.”
“Thank you. I think the previous owners left it behind. I don’t blame them. It’s horrible, isn’t it?”
“It’s kinda cute. Shall I start upstairs and leave you to it? Smells great, by the way.” I’m finding it hard to hold his gaze. As soon as I set eyes on him every nerve in my body started twanging.
“No. I’d like you to take a seat, Savannah.” He gestures to a chair at the high counter.
Darn.This is the part where he fires me.
“White or red?” He raises a thick, dark eyebrow.
“Excuse me?”
“Wine. Would you like white or red wine? Or there’s some champagne. I have a fully stocked bar, we have everything. Even that horrible chartreuse stuff.”
“Um. Red, please?” At least I can have a drink in my hand when he tells me I’m fired.
“Great choice. This is Chateau Margaux. I’m a French wine snob, I’m afraid.” He pours me a glass.
“Thank you.” I take a sip. “I don’t usually drink during the day. Especially when I’m working, but this is delicious.”
“You’re not on the clock.” He leans on the counter.
“You can cut to the chase. I get it.”
“Get what?”
