Page 59 of Charm

“You are, too.” She smiles. “Your friends matter a lot to you.”

“I consider them family.”

Her chin dips down. “You’re lucky to have friends like that.”

I ask a question that will tell me a hell of a lot. It’s something I’ve been curious about since she walked into the conference room at Carden. “Do you consider Krista family, Greer?”

Her gaze drifts up to my face. She studies it carefully. “I do, yes.”

I decide to go out on a limb because I sense I’m right about something. “That’s why this is so hard for you. You love her and you love Sweet Indulgence. Choosing between the two is really fucking hard.”

“It’s torture,” she whispers. “For a lot of reasons.”

I’m desperate to know all of those reasons, and it’s not because I want to buy out her company. I want to help her. I want to comfort her.

“Are you hungry?” I ask.

“Why?”

“I’m in the mood for another one of those charcuterie boards I put together in East Hampton.” I glance at my watch. “I haven’t eaten anything other than that lollipop since last night.”

“Are you asking me to join you?” She eyes me skeptically. “Why do I sense that an invitation to go to your place is coming next?”

“Because it is.” I glance toward a woman pushing a stroller headed in our direction. “We can stop on our way to grab everything for our snack, and then we’ll pick up a bottle of champagne to toast to baby Gilbert Wells.”

Greer looks at the woman with the stroller as she passes us. Scratching the back of her head, she exhales. “I’ll come for the food and the champagne, but don’t try and make a move on me.”

“Maybe you’ll feel the urge to make a move on me.”

“You wish,” she scoffs. “By the way, the best chocolate cigars in the city are at Wolf Candy.”

I already know that, but we both know the real reason I went to Sweet Indulgence earlier was to see her.

“Thanks for the tip.” I motion toward the path. “Are you ready to head to my place?”

She looks to the right before her gaze darts to the left. She laughs softly when she spots a woman in a suit walking down the path holding the handle of a black umbrella.

“You won’t need one of those,” I say, knowing exactly why she laughed. She remembers when we first met. “You already know you’re safe with me.”

She looks back at me with a wide smile on her face. “I know I’m safe with you. The jury is still out on whether my business will be if I do decide to sell it to you.”

That’s progress but I’m not going to pounce on the opportunity to discuss what she means.

This afternoon all shop talk is off the table. Good food and champagne are the only things I’m planning on focusing on besides her.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Greer

“Welcome to my home.”Holden drops his keys on a small desk in the foyer of what looks to be a lovely apartment.

From where I’m standing, it’s impeccably decorated in rich, dark tones. The chocolate brown leather furniture looks incredibly comfortable. A massive couch faces a gas fireplace surrounded by gray tiles.

The entire space speaks not only to good taste, but also to a keen understanding of how to utilize each square foot to its maximum potential.

“Why do you look confused?” he asks. “Were you expecting something else?”

I take another step forward so he can shut the door behind me. “Your house in East Hampton looks nothing like this inside.”