Page 29 of Boss of the Year

But it wasn’t Daniel’s deep voice that rumbled through the air thick with flowers, heat, and romance.

The door of the conservatory—which I hadn’t even realized was open—closed with a creak. In front of it stood Lucas Lyons, dressed in his classic black tuxedo, hand still on the iron doorknob, and his stormy blue eyes fixed on me.

7

EAU DE ROSE

*the petals are most fragrant right before they wilt.

Winnifred Lyons wasn’t the only one in the family who never seemed to age. Lucas had looked the same for ten years. While his brother had transformed from a lanky teenager into a bona fide hunk, Lucas seemed carved from stone.

Even now, dressed in the same black tux as the last time we’d spoken, before I’d left for Paris—one of theonlytimes we’d spoken—it was like no time had passed. He had the same short, neatly trimmed dark hair, the same broad body that was just a little too tall, the same deep-set eyes that, even in the dim light of the greenhouse, swirled like a thunderstorm lurking on the horizon.

Immediately, the temperature dropped. I honestly wondered if the bright pink camellias behind him were going to shrink.

Oddly, though, I didn’t think the goose bumps that had just broken out on my arms were from the sudden chill. Maybe it was the champagne, or because I’d already taken a verbal lashingfrom one of his family members, or maybe just that I was a Zola, but I felt braver than before. I stood taller under his imperious gaze. Unafraid to meet him head-on.

WhowasI tonight?

White pea gravel crunched under Lucas’s feet as he approached. His head tipped to the side.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you. I only meant that it would be a pity if this”—he nodded subtly over my dress and, I guessed, the other changes in my appearance—“happened just once every ten years. Though if tonight is the only night for it, I’m a lucky man.”

Our eyes met, and the force of the cloud banks hiding in that expression seemed strong enough to push me over.

“I—what?” I breathed.

Had Lucas Lyons just paid me a compliment? Other than the short, but strangely intimate conversation we’d shared before I left for Paris, the only other words I’d ever heard Lucas say were “now” and “coffee.”

Actually, that wasn’t fair. Lucas had the reputation of ruthlessness and a nonexistent heart, but when I thought about it, he’d never been anything but courteous with me and other staff members. Unlike his parents, who treated me as if I were invisible unless I was doing something wrong, Lucas had always greeted me by name. He’d always said thank you when I served his food or picked up his laundry. He was distant, but unfailingly polite.

It still didn’t explain whythathad just come out of his mouth, though.

He seemed to notice my bewilderment.

“Er,we,” he corrected himself as he turned toward the non-blooming orchid. “Daniel, in particular, is quite lucky.”

At the mention of Daniel, I looked around Lucas, expecting to see his brother enter. “Where is he? Is everything all right?”

“Something came up. There’s been an accident.”

My hand found my mouth. “Is everything okay?”

“Daniel’s fine. Senator Hubbard might be another story.” Lucas shrugged, an uncharacteristically boyish move. “He slipped on his toupee and ended up with a concussion.”

“He slipped on his what?”

“A wind came up and blew it straight off. The senator was walking too quickly across the dance floor, stepped on his hairpiece, and went flying into the punch. He took out four waiters. Everyone ended up in the pool.”

He was so serious that I almost felt bad for wanting to laugh. But then I saw it, subtle, but there. A dimple in Lucas’s left cheek.

Those eyes met mine again; a bit of his own dark starlight glimmered through the clouds.

“It’s not funny, Marie,” he chided, though the dimple deepened. “Errant hairpieces are a legitimate hazard.”

I folded my lips together, trying unsuccessfully to maintain my composure. “Clearly.”

“The senator might have a head injury, and if that happens, he’ll certainly take it out on the industry. Toupee sales across the country may suffer.” He couldn’t quite hide the way his mouth twitched. “Daniel’s taking him to the hospital.”