My jaw drops, then I wink. “Oh, we’ll be winning, sir.”
Just like with the doctor, the pressure is on. But I have a feeling the upcoming season is going to be record-breaking.
38
CONNOR
I’ll admit, there’s a little swagger in my step when I leave the interview with Monsieur Marais, the immigration official. I hope he gives us the green card stamp of approval, but before I get ahead of myself, I find Cateline sitting on a rock along the river’s edge.
“Hey there, Beauty,” I call.
“Are you suggesting you’re the Beast?”
“You tamed me.”
Her hand cups my cheek. “No, you’re not a beast. You’re a handsome man who surprised me with his depth, manners, and kissing abilities.”
I feign shock. “Those came as a surprise to you?”
“Well, no. I guess not. But can we leave the whole Wolf thing behind?”
“Wolf thing? What do you mean? I’m Connor Garrett Wolfe with anE.” I wink.
“And I look forward to being Madame Wolfe with anE.”
“Cateline Wolfe. I like it. We’ll no longer fight like cats and dogs. No fighting at all, not even battles waged within.” I brushmy thumb along her lower lip. “You brought the two separate pieces of me together, Kitty Cat.”
Her smile is demure and I make a note to get her accustomed to accepting compliments.
She says, “I liked your response to Mr. Marais about winning.”
“I’d tell you the same thing, but I have a question.”
The sunlight catches her eyes and she squints.
“Early on, you told me that you’re always honest, that dishonesty is for weak minds.”
She nods.
“But I think I caught you in a fib, Kitty Cat. A little white lie, if you will.”
Her eyebrows lift with surprise. “I stand by what I said, but what do you mean?”
“When we met, there was lots of room in my life for women, just not relationships. And there was no room in your life for men because you had to stay focused on your career.”
“At the time, yes...” she lengthens the word, waiting for me to drop the truth bomb.
“This is true, but you told me that I’m hateable and I think you were lying.”
She closes the space between us, leaning into me. Chin lifted and eyes soft, she says, “No, Mr. Wolfe, you are very, very lovable.”
“So we can get rid of the not-love list?”
“We can feed it to the fish.”
“So you like that I’m scruffy?” I ask, recalling her little heart bullet point items.
“You cleaned up nicely.”
