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“Last point before I move on. Your bed linen design is stunning.”

He stared at her for long moments, the expression on his face impossible to read.

“Is this changeover time? When you stop the ginger tea thing and switch to the hard stuff?” he asked.

Okaaay, moving right along.

“About ten o’clock. I sometimes have coffee in the café downstairs in our office building with a colleague. It’s an informal meeting place.”

“Have coffee with me on Monday at ten?”

“Why?”

Casildo turned heads. He’d turn heads in Bea’s direction.Do I want that?

“A chance for you to unload after Smithers sidles up to you on arrival pretending to be friendly and gloats like the barbarian he is.”

“I’ve never heard him called a barbarian before.” Bea batted her eyelashes at Casildo over her cup.

“I spent a lot of time with my jaddatee as a kid. Even after I met Hunt and he broadened my vocabulary, I try to keep most of the cusses silent. Barbarian works—brutal, with an undercurrent of cruel.”

“You’ve captured him perfectly. You’d be entering enemy territory.”

“I’m modelling rebellion for you.” His grin was pure mischief. Nothing remotely sexual about it, but her body missed that bit of the message. She’d never got over her crush.

CHAPTER FOUR

Walking to the café, Cas mulled over Saturday’s conversation. Making a fuss over the boxes had been stupid. There’d been no way to hide the fact he was trying to understand business—when books were tumbled across the pavement. The saving grace, if there was one, was that the book she’d seen was on property development. Understanding the pros and cons of leasing property wasn’t his major goal; he just needed enough info to operate. Maybe he should have listened to his father or Hunt more?

This way he could blindside them with an informed question next time they shared a meal.

As if?

Beatriz had leapt to the conclusion he was giving up his hobby like any sane person would. Although she’d seemed genuinely distressed on his behalf. He’d been tempted to tell her the truth, and it had been a long time since he’d shared his dreams with a girlfriend.

Separate those two words, Cas. She’s a woman, and she’s a friend.