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"Yeah?" I say, looking over at her.

"Just remember that you're quality, and you deserve someone who sees that, not some jackass who feels like he's the king of the world and plays with people's feelings."

“You think that's what he's like?" I ask her.

"I don't know," she says, "but he doesn’t seem like he's the nicest man in the world, does he?"

Chapter Fourteen

Liam

I absolutely cannot believe what Lucinda told me, and as I make my way to the office, I realize that I'm not sure if I can look Elisabetta in the eye. There are some things that are more precious than life itself, and that's family. And I know that Elisabetta is someone who would want to be close to her family. I don’t know how I know; it is just an inherent feeling I have based on conversations and spending time with her.

I'm surprised when I see her sitting at her desk as I arrive.

"Good morning, Mr. Gallagher," she says with a polite smile.

"Morning. What are you doing here so early?"

"I decided to get here ten minutes early so that I could do as much work as possible for you."

"What have you been doing?” I ask her.

“Drinking coffee and waiting for you.” She shrugs. “So, what do you want me to do today?"

"Today, we are going to look at logos for a resort I'm thinking about purchasing."

"Okay, not the The Watermelon Hole again."

“The Watermelon Hole is done and dead," I say.

"You wanna come into the office with me?"

"Okay." She stands up, and I am pleasantly surprised to see that she's wearing a navy pinstriped suit. She looks professional and beautiful, and I just want to rip each clothing item off her.

She follows me into my office and closes the door, and I take a seat in my leather chair. She stands there hovering for a couple of seconds.

"Have a seat." I nod towards the chair in front of my desk.

"Okay." She sits down and leans back. "So, what's the first plan of action?"

"You're very businesslike this morning," I say, wondering if she's thought about the previous day and regrets it.

"I figure I work for you, so I should be professional, right?"

"So does that mean all flirtation is off the table?" I stare at her for a couple of seconds.

"I think it means flirtation is off the table when we're at work."

"And when we're not at work?"

"If we happen to see each other when we're not at work, then we can flirt." She beams. "So, what is it we're going to discuss?"

"I have a question for you real quick," I say. Offhand, I wonder if I look or sound suspicious.

"And what's that?"

"Tell me about your parents. You were talking about your father, and I was curious why your mother thought it would be okay to have an engagement party for you."