Just A Little Bit Married

“Hmm?” She blinked, suddenly realizing she’d been staring at his chest while her mind skipped down memory lane, very close to the point where she wondered how he looked without a shirt now. “Right. My call. Thanks for meeting me.”

“You wanted to discuss the job offer.”

“Yes.”

Before she could say more, the waitress came over to take their orders. Rose had been hungry until seeing Linc put knots in her stomach the size of a Toyota. But she figured a half-sandwich-and-salad combo would work. He asked for a burger and fries so obviously his appetite was totally unaffected by seeing her. That was irritating.

When they were alone again she asked, “Where is this condo again? The one you need decorated?”

“Blackwater Lake, Montana. It’s a picturesque town that’s being compared to Vail and Aspen in Colorado.”

“And what are we talking about? Paint? Furniture? A theme?”

He nodded. “Everything. Flooring, fixtures, carpet. Right now it’s just a shell and the builder left it that way at my request.”

“It’s my understanding that you can’t get a mortgage unless the flooring is installed.”

“I don’t have a mortgage.”

Of course he didn’t. His family had buckets of money. Whether or not he was a Hart by blood, clearly Linc was one of their own. Rose refused to wonder what it would have been like to be married to him and not have to worry about the money to pay her rent. It would be dishonest to say she hadn’t been dazzled by the glitz and glamour of the Hart name and all it represented, but that’s not why she’d fallen in love with him.

“So you’re talking about cupboards, sinks and everything?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re not living there yet.”

“No,” he replied.

Rose waited for him to fill in the blank of where he did stay but that didn’t happen. “Are there accommodations in this picturesque place?”

“I’ll handle that and pay all of your expenses.”

There was a question she just had to ask because it would be stupid not to. “What’s in this for you, Linc?”

His easygoing expression didn’t waver. “I get a beautifully decorated condo. What else would there be?”

“That’s what I’d like to know. You led me on once and even married me to get what you wanted, so I’d just like to know if I should be worried.”

“I can’t stop you. But I give you my word that I only want to take advantage of your decorating expertise to make my place a serene and comfortable space to live in.”

“So this time you’re not planning to get me into bed and have your way with me under false pretenses?”

His gaze narrowed, a sign that the barb drew a little blood. “There were no false pretenses the first time.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“There’s nothing I can say to change that.” His mouth pulled tight for a moment. “But let me add this—I researched your company and it’s in trouble. Decorating my place is more than a job. It’s an opportunity for the kind of publicity that you can’t afford. I feel badly about what happened and this is my way of making it up to you.”

So it was pity.

The words made her feel both better and worse. There was some satisfaction in calling him on the crap he’d pulled but he really had all the power. Her business needed help and no one else was offering. “Okay, then. I’ll put together a contract with a rough estimate of my time and a price. You can decide if it’s acceptable.”

“It will be.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet.”

“I don’t have to.” He took a sip of coffee and met her gaze over the rim of the mug.

She knew he was a successful executive and didn’t achieve his level of affluence by making bad deals. “What if the charges are inflated?”

“I have trust.”

“That makes one of us because I don’t trust you.”

“You’ve made that really clear. And I completely understand.” Again with the irritating reasonableness. “I’m happy to pay whatever you want to charge for your services.”

“You do realize I’m not a hooker.”

Even though it had been a quickie marriage in Vegas that’s the way he’d made her feel ten years ago. Her words produced barely a flicker of an eyelash but she knew they’d hit their target again. Well, too darn bad. And the exhilaration she felt right now was proof that she’d deliberately provoked him. Not smart to cut off her nose to spite her face but she just couldn’t help it. That’s not something she would have said to any other client and she had better try to rein in the sarcasm because there was no telling how far he could be pushed. “I’ll rephrase,” he said. “Whatever your interior-designer fee is I will pay it, along with travel and living expenses while we are in Blackwater Lake.”

“You’re going, too? It can all be done in email—”

“I have business there anyway.”

Of course she’d suspected he probably would be going but when he put the words out there the reality of it all really sank in. If she was going to back out it would have to be now.

Control was an illusion because she really had little choice. No way her business was going down without a fight. She met his gaze. “Agreed.”

“Excellent.” He looked decidedly pleased and that was irksome.

Which was why she added, “I’m glad you decided to have this meeting in person. I felt it necessary to emphasize how much I don’t trust you and wanted to see your reaction to my terms.”

“And?”

“You fooled me once, but this time I’m in the driver’s seat.” Although it was kind of a pathetic seat since she had very little bargaining room.

The waitress returned with a tray bearing food and she set plates in front of them. “Can I get you anything else?”

“Ketchup,” she and Linc said together.

“You know each other pretty well.” The woman smiled and pointed to the condiments next to the napkin dispenser. “It’s already on the table.”

Linc met her gaze when they were alone. “So, you haven’t forgotten that I like ketchup with fries.”

“If memory serves it was practically a religious experience,” she said.

“Yeah. Nice to know some things don’t change.”