Page 47

“Then I’m damn well going to fork it over every chance I get.” She slung an arm around Jamie’s neck. “This is going to be a good year for us. I can just sense it with my rosé afflicted sensibilities.”

“Well, if the rosé says so, it might just be true.”

And maybe it would be. Jamie had always been a risk taker, but a conservative one. She measured her chances at success and leapt when they seemed tipped in her favor. This felt beyond that scope, however. On the other hand, maybe she needed a little excitement in her life. Clarissa was getting married, her mother was about to enter retirement and adopt a new friend, and there was Jamie, in the exact same spot as always.

Time to hold her breath, say a prayer, and take a precarious leap with a very beautiful liar.

Chapter Twelve

I own part of a small business.

Leighton blinked at the fresh ink on the paperwork in front of her. After Jamie had accepted her offer to move forward with a partnership, Leighton could hardly believe it. She woke up the next morning energized about the news, imagining the new Bordeauxnuts, this cozy oasis from the hustle and bustle of the city. Somethingshehelped establish.

They’d worked out the details with their attorneys, giving Jamie creative control and controlling ownership. Leighton would finance the lion’s share of the project and serve as a consultant on an as-needed basis. They were in this together but, at the same time, not, which was why they had decided to meet the week before the signing.

“I just want to make sure we’re both on the same page,” Jamie had said at their meeting, looking entirely professional. They’d chosen a hotel restaurant halfway between Leighton’s office and Bordeauxnuts to have a serious conversation and go over Jamie’s estimates. She’d done her homework and presented her business plan with a few adjustments for the retail space she had her eye on in Hell’s Kitchen. Her smile was gone, and her eyebrows were drawn down, making her look like a more serious version of the Jamie she’d known previously.

“We are. You’re in charge. I take a back seat.”

“I understand that you want to protect your investment. Who wouldn’t?” Jamie offered a hint of a smile. “I need to know that you trust me in the grand scheme.”

Jamie wasn’t taking the meeting or the investment lightly, to hercredit. Out of respect, Leighton tried not to notice how pretty she looked or the way she smelled of cotton candy. Yet she’d taken in both details. Jamie had changed out of her work clothes and wore gray slacks and a white dress shirt, looking crisp and sophisticated. That was the thing about Jamie. Just when Leighton thought she had her figured out, Jamie would show off another side of herself, another look, another brand of smile, and completely hook Leighton all over again. And the most surprising part? Jamie didn’t even seem to know she was doing it.

“I know you’re good at what you do,” Leighton said. “That’s why I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity when I saw it. I have money to invest, and I’d like to see it go to work on something…that makes life a little brighter.” She shrugged, feeling a tad self-conscious. “That’s what Bordeauxnuts did for me once upon a time.”

That seemed to give Jamie pause. She opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again as if she couldn’t resist. “Did it really? To this day, I don’t know how much from back then was real and how much was part of the act.” She looked down at the table. The flash of vulnerability slashed Leighton like a cool blade.

She sighed because she’d been the one to inspire doubt, and it was up to her to undo the damage one section of debris at a time. “Any affection I showed for the bar was one hundred percent genuine. In fact, the research I did for Carrington’s made me love it all the more.” She added a shaky laugh. “I liked it so much, I’m buying a slice.”

Jamie raised her gaze along with a soft smile. “Good point. So, you must like the place.” A beat. “Or me.” They stared at each other, and Jamie’s cheeks slowly shaded red. “I meant as a manager. Of the store.” She cleared her throat. “And wine selection. We haven’t talked about that. I’ve always gone where the water is warm. I have a distributor who visits, and we taste. You could always swing by on those days.”

“I never turn down a wine tasting.”

“Smart woman.”

“I like your business plan. I actually spent a lot of time with it last night. You know what you’re doing.”

“I very much do.” Okay, the rock-solid business confidence and the way Jamie eased a strand of hair behind her ear shortly after the statement were both sexy.

She ignored the thought. “Shall I have my attorneys draw up an agreement?”

“Yours are probably better equipped,” Jamie said. “But I’d like Hank, my guy, to look it over when they’re finished.”

“That can be arranged.” They’d ordered coffees on arrival, but this felt like an important moment. “Shall we have a drink and celebrate?”

Jamie held up a finger. “No. Drinking with you isn’t the best idea.”

Oh, now that was a stone Leighton could not leave unturned. “Because…”

“Nothing’s changed between us personally.”

“Oh.” A pause. “Understood.”

“And I need to make it clear that just because we have found a way to work well together doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you.” She placed a hand over her heart and the implication was clear.

“Your heart hasn’t.” She searched Jamie’s face. “Do you think it might someday?” It was a bold question, and the state of her own heart hung in the balance.

“No. Leighton, not in the way you’re asking. You lied to my face moments after we…”