Marrying the Billionaire - Macie St. James Page 0,53

sure she felt the same.

“Do they cut fresh fruit for this every day?” she asked as she walked over to pour a cup of water for herself. At least he thought it was for herself. Instead, she set it aside and reached for another cup, filled it as well, then brought both over to hand him one.

“Thanks.”

He wasn’t really thirsty, but he was so touched by the gesture, he took a drink anyway. The fruit definitely made a difference in the taste. He wouldn’t exactly get excited about fruit-flavored water, but he couldn’t help but feel a lift in his mood due to Charlie’s reaction.

“Thanks for arranging all this.” She took another sip and looked around. “I think the team will really love this place.”

Nicholas took a deep breath. Was this the time? They had a while before the caterer was scheduled to arrive. They’d be alone until then. But as he thought about it, he also considered that she might reject him. If that happened, not only would he be devastated, but he’d be stuck hanging out around her for the rest of the weekend.

No. He should wait until later.

Shaking that off, he decided to go in a different direction entirely. “Tell me about your presentation.”

He headed over to the seating area, hoping she’d follow. She did. She didn’t quite follow him as far as he’d wanted, though, choosing the chair on the far side of the sofa rather than the chair next to him or, even better, the empty cushion beside him on the sofa.

“My presentation is on retirement,” Charlie said once she’d settled in her chair. “Boring, I know, but I did my best to make it fun. I’m focusing on all the things employees can do to retire as early as possible.”

Nicholas laughed. “If they all leave, you guys will be in a pinch.”

“When I say ‘early,’ I don’t mean this year. I’m talking about fifty or sixty instead of seventy or eighty.”

“I can see that.” Nicholas set the drink on the table next to him before turning back to face her. “I hope to retire pretty early myself. That’s why I’m focusing more on property investments rather than buying businesses. Real estate appreciates.”

Although Charlie nodded along with what he was saying, Nicholas worried that he was boring her. Nobody wanted to talk about investment property.

“I’ve been thinking about that myself.” Charlie shifted in her seat, repositioning the cup of water, which was clutched in her hands in the center of her lap. “Not at your level, of course. Maybe a small vacation rental like the ones here. I could enjoy it when it’s not occupied and make some money on it the rest of the time.”

Interesting. Just when Nicholas thought he knew her, he learned something new.

“I can help you with that. I pursued it for a while, but decided it was too much work compared to buying up land and owning properties that I just resale later.”

Now she looked at him with an interested expression. Was it possible she was developing a new appreciation for him? Or was she just interested in learning about buying property?

“I assume you already have a retirement plan set up,” he said after a long silence.

Her eyes narrowed and he immediately realized he’d made a mistake. “What makes you say that?”

The defensiveness in her tone had him skipping back, reviewing what he might have said to offend her. Could he redirect it somehow? The problem was, the longer he hesitated, the more time she’d have to start working up some anger.

“You just seem very organized, like the type of person who would make sure she was taken care of in the future.” He wasn’t sure if those words would help. Chances were they’d only make matters worse. “It’s one of the things I admire most about you.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m a planner. I’m organized. I lack all spontaneity. I seem to be reminded of that at every turn these days.”

Nicholas’s eyes narrowed. “You say that as though it’s a bad thing. All of those qualities are positive.”

“All of those qualities make me sound like a total bore.”

She was anything but boring, but how did he tell her that? He wasn’t yet ready to bare his soul here, so it was tricky. There had to be a way he could make her realize how fascinating she was without confessing he was in love with her.

“Being interesting isn’t about being spontaneous. It’s about being able to hold a conversation and enjoy what’s