There was a lot there.I didn’t know where to start.
So I started with the easiest part.
“Kelly?”I asked, then shoved the pasta into my mouth.
“My PA,” he answered, reaching to the bottle of sauvignonblanc that was in a silver bucket filled with ice on the table (yes, Marcus hada silver wine bucket, making me think that perhaps hehad it alland Iwasn’t talking about shit you could buy, justit all).
He refilled my wine while I asked my next.
“You have a place in Aspen?”
He put the bottle back and his eyes came to me as hereplied, “Yes.”
I twirled linguine.“What else you got?”
“A beach house on Coronado.And a set of six lots that Ibought in Englewood four years ago that had houses on them that were in a greatneighborhood, but not in great shape.I had them razed and then had a number oftrees planted so when the time came for me to build there I’d be in the city,close to work, but I’d have nature around me, peace, quiet, and privacy.”
A beach house in Coronado.
Nice.
And peace, quiet, and privacy.
That soundedrealgood.
“Mm-hmm,” I muttered to my linguine before I put it into mymouth.
“Does that trouble you?”
I chewed, swallowed, and answered, “Why would it troubleme?”
“You seem troubled,” he remarked.
I put my fork on my plate and gave him my full attention.
“I’m not troubled that evidence is suggesting you’re a lotmore loaded than I thought you were, and I thought you were pretty loaded,sugar.”I said my next watching him carefully, which was the same way I wasspeaking, “I’m troubled because youwannatake me toAspen next week when I’mgonnabe back at work.”
His head tipped a bit to the side, but other than that hedidn’t look ticked.
However, he did ask, “You’re going back to work?”
“Yes.”
“So soon?”
“It’s not soon, honey bunch,” I told him cautiously.“By thetime I go back, I’ll have been on vacation for a month.”
That got me a scary look as his eyes went hard.
“You weren’t on vacation, Daisy.”
“I’ve been away,” I said quietly.“And I’m a draw.I’m noton that stage, they don’t need the rope outside and the only person who doesn’thurt because of that is me,seein’ as Smithie has meon paid leave and he pays me a whack.But you know that, I’m sure.”
He inclined his head and kept his gaze on me.“I do.”
“So I need to get back to work.”I shot him a smile.“Andanyway, I’mrunnin’ out of Southern movies to watch.TheDivine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhoodis a kickass book, but the moviesucks.”
Marcus reached for his bread, murmuring, “I’ll talk toSmithie.He can wait a week while we’re in Aspen, and when we come back, if youstill want to dance, you can go back then.”
