The click of the front door makes her eyes light up. She looks over my shoulder. “You’re here!”
The hairs on the back of my neck prick up, like an electric current is passing through me. Energy thrums in my veins, heating my blood as I turn.
“Halliday. This is my brother, Sullivan. I called him too.”
I lock eyes with the suited man in front of me, the air stalling inside my lungs with confusion. His piercing blue eyes penetrate mine as he holds out his hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Halliday,” he says in a polite, clipped tone as I shake it. “Sinclair told me why she hired you. I looked up your company and your reputation is quite something. I’m sorry my father will affect your otherwise immaculate success rate.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” I answer, ignoring his not-so-subtle negativity. I’m too distracted by the tingling racing up my arm from our joined hands. Gold dances in my vision from his aura. A sign of someone who is highly talented in their field. Disciplined.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of your father. I find love for all my clients. It’s out there for everyone. I’m sure he’ll be no different,” I say, fighting off the odd feeling his contact created.
“If you say so.”
Sullivan’s jaw locks as he assesses me. He has no faith in me yet. But he will.
He turns to Sinclair. “Where’s Dad? I’ve got thirty minutes until I need to go.”
“He’s on his way,” Sinclair answers, fussing with Monty as he does a meticulous job of licking his plate clean.
Tension radiates through Sullivan’s designer suit, tinting the air around him. I felt a bolt of energy when he entered the room. One that made my body feel like it was about to burst. But it faded immediately. Now, it’s like a current running underneath the surface of the ocean. There’s something there, but I can’t work out what. Something about him has the cells inside my body fizzing with anticipation.
“Hello?” a deep voice calls. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Sweetheart.”
The bolt of energy returns like a flicked switch. It’s sudden and all-consuming, like lightning in an otherwise pitch-black sky.
I take in the man entering the room, who Sinclair rushes to greet with a hug. He carries the same energy that I felt from Sullivan moments ago.
Only now, it’s hitting me a billion times harder.
It wasn’t his son my body was reacting to. It was the link he shares with his father.
Sterling Beaufort’s eyes crinkle at the corners as he pats Sullivan on his upper arm.
Then his warm blue eyes find mine.
I swallow as a radiant glow blooms through my body like rays of sun bathing the forest floor through gaps in the trees.
“She’s your gift!” Sinclair gushes as Sterling walks over, his eyes holding mine. “I mean… Dad, this is Halliday Burton. I hired her as a gift for you.”
The warm blue twinkles in amusement, and he raises his brows at Sinclair’s words.
“A gift for me?” The deep baritone of his voice is like a soothing caress over tired muscles. “I’m not sure I understand.”
I reach out and take his offered hand, sliding my fingers into his large, strong palm. They’re instantly hugged in a way that makes my breath hitch.
“I own Cosmic Connections. Your daughter hired me to bring love into your life,” I say, gauging his reaction. Sinclair might insist her father is ready. But without a glimmer of belief from a client that they’re open to love, my job is much, much harder.
His lips curl into a regretful smile, but he keeps my hand wrapped inside his. “Ah. In that case, I’m sorry, Miss Burton, but I can’t accept you as my gift.”
“I think you should.” I frown, studying the sadness tinting his eyes and the way the laughter lines around them are tinged with pain.
I’ve seen more pain in eyes than I care to for a lifetime.
“I’m very good at what I do,” I breathe, my pulse racing beneath his thumb that’s gently resting against my wrist.
“She’s right. Halliday is the best. She even found love for that awful Prince from wherever it was,” Sinclair interjects.
