Merger to Marriage (Boardrooms and Billi - By Addison Fox Page 0,32
restaurant. “You sound like you speak from experience.”
“And I have the T-shirt to show for it.”
The glimpse into his past was an intriguing tease and she couldn’t resist probing for more information. “That’s awfully cryptic.”
“Not my intention. I’m enjoying an evening with a lovely and fascinating dinner companion. I’d much rather focus on the here and now than on something that happened so long ago as not to be important.”
She took in the deceptively innocent set of his features and knew he was bluffing his way through the issue. As someone who had done the same on more than one occasion, she opted to allow him his illusions.
Chapter Seven
Holt made sure he kept his comments light and easy, but he knew Andrew McBride’s unexpected visit to their table had upset Mayson more than she wanted to let on. The sexy camaraderie they’d shared from the moment he’d picked her up out in front of her building had vanished the moment her father had arrived. And he hadn’t seen hide nor hair of it since.
When a decadent chocolate mousse hadn’t shaken her out of her doldrums, he resigned himself to the fact that she needed a bit of time and space to deal with the side effects of the unexpected family visit. The light ding of the elevator pulled him from his thoughts and he gestured Mayson forward through the open doors.
They rode up in silence, and Holt wished he could take her sadness away. He also knew from personal experience she’d need a few days to find her equilibrium. The elevator doors slid open and he followed her the short distance to her door. “Why don’t you come in? I think we need to talk.”
He saw the insistence in her gaze and nodded, a sense of foreboding washing over him. “Sure.”
Mayson made quick work of the locks that ran up her door, then gestured him inside. The apartment was large and spacious, filled with vivid splashes of color. Just like her. “Do you want something to drink? Coffee? A nightcap?”
“Water’s fine.”
She disappeared down a long hallway, and Holt gave himself a moment to study the large living room framed by a wall of windows overlooking Central Park. Without warning, an image of her standing in this room, rocking a fussy baby in her arms, struck him with surprising force.
Mayson was having his child. In less than a year, there would be a little person here, who was a piece of both of them. A child who also carried the genes both of them came from.
She entered the room with two glasses of water and handed him one before gesturing him to take a seat. “Thanks again for a lovely evening. I’m sorry I allowed my father to ruin it.”
“You didn’t mention the baby to him.”
“That wasn’t a conversation for the restaurant.” She eyed him over the rim of her glass. “Sort of like you and your family?”
The urge to bluff his way out of the conversation struck hard, but he fought it. He owed her some measure of honesty, even as the words stuck in his throat like a helping of peanut butter. “You got that?”
“Telegraphed loud and clear.”
He knew she had a right to know about his mother. She deserved to know about his past and the parentage their child would potentially be exposed to. But damn it all, no matter how he thought to explain it, he couldn’t get past the ugliness of his mother and her greed.
“Come on. Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.”
“You know how badly I want this deal with Craddick Inc.?”
“Yes.” Mayson nodded, her expression hardening with obvious memories. “You were more than clear he’s only willing to do business with you if you get married.”
“There’s a reason I’ve pursued Craddick for so many years. A reason why his business matters to me.” He fought the swell of nausea that roiled in his stomach every time he thought of his childhood.
“Did something happen?”
“My mother stole over a million dollars of jewelry and antiques from Teddy and his wife.”
“Oh my God. When?”
“About twenty years ago. It was one of the first major scores she managed on her own.”
“How?”
He shook his head, that piece of the puzzle something he’d never been able to put together. “I don’t know the how of it, but likely through one of her contacts. There are only a small number of people who can pull off jobs like these.”
“And your mother’s one of them.”
“Yep.”
Mayson was quiet for a moment,