to know about their “business partnership.”
When he didn’t respond, she lifted an eyebrow and smiled. “Interested at all?”
He wasn’t sure what to say.
“Hmm,” she said. “Pete didn’t think you would be, but I told him it was worth a try.”
He was having trouble following her. All he knew for sure was he didn’t like where this was going. “What are you doing here, Lisa?”
She faced him. “Well, as it turns out, I really don’t have a place in my tiny apartment for the Furies. And it seems like a waste to let them sit in an attic collecting dust, so Pete and I made a deal. He wants to open another branch of Odyssey where Annalise’s ancestors can view all three Furies together. Apparently there’s some heavy tourism on this island, big bucks coming in, which translates to money in his pocket. None of that really matters to me, so I pushed for a museum. In the end, we compromised. An eclectic combination of archaeologically significant pieces displayed for the public to view, along with unique antiquities in certain special collections available for purchase.”
He could hardly believe what he was hearing. “You sold the Furies to Pete, and now you’re opening a gallery together, here in San Juan?”
She smiled. “I didn’t sell him all the Furies. Just a small percentage, to get the project up and running. And San Juan seemed like the perfect place. There’s a lot of rich culture here. I think it’ll be a hit.”
Now he was the one who was speechless. When he’d seen her standing in his doorway, he’d been sure she was here because she’d realized she couldn’t live without him. Not because she was embarking on a business endeavor with his ex–best friend.
“Thing is,” she said, “I don’t know a whole lot about running a gallery, and I travel a lot with my job. I don’t want to give that up. I don’t think I’ll be teaching so much anymore, but I still want to work in the field. And Pete can’t really handle the day-to-day operations because he’s needed back in Miami. So…”
Holy hell. Now it made sense. “Are you offering me a job?”
“Well,” she said, “yeah. What do you think?”
He thought she was insane. No way he was going to work for her so she could run off with Pete and play Indiana Jones, because he knew that’s exactly what Pete would want to do. He let out a smug laugh and turned away before he said something he’d regret later. “I think you made a trip down here for nothing.”
His chest hurt. All those plans he’d been making over the last few weeks lay shattered at his feet.
“What if I sweeten the deal?” she asked.
She’d have to sweeten it a helluva lot to make him even turn around. Right now, he’d settle for her leaving. He grabbed a shirt lying on the bed and stepped to the closet to find a hanger to keep his hands busy. Carajo. He was gonna kill Pete.
“Okay,” she said. “I can see being stuck in the gallery isn’t your first choice. You like being out and about. I guess I could let you tag along on a few of my trips.”
“You guess?” He could hardly believe what he was hearing. “I don’t think so.”
“What if I throw in a few perks?”
It was all he could do not to turn around and tell her what she could do with her little perks.
“What if…” She hesitated. “What if I’m part of the deal?”
His hand paused in the act of hanging up his shirt. A tingling slid down his chest. When he finally forced his body to turn, there was tenderness in her eyes, and warmth, and…love.
“You made me a deal back in Key West,” she said softly. “The Furies belong to both of us. The way I see it, as long as they do, you’re not getting rid of me quite so fast. I figure a year is a good start at seeing how well this partnership works out.”
That pressure eased around his heart. “Was that your lame-ass attempt at a declaration of love?”
Her mouth dropped open, then closed. “It wasn’t that lame.”
He tried not to smile. “Pretty lame if you ask me.”
She perched her hands on her hips in annoyance. “I suppose you think you could do better?”
“I know I could. If it were me, I’d just come right out and say it. No beating around the bush. You came all the way down here,