Bittersweet Love - Cathy Williams [24]
‘Now, now,’ he murmured soothingly, with a little half-smile, ‘there’s no need to be offended.’
She gritted her teeth and wondered how long she would get in prison for manslaughter. ‘Offended?’ she offered with heavy sarcasm. ‘Because the guru on love is offering me advice on my love life? Why on earth should I be offended?’ She gave a high little laugh. ‘I should be flattered.’
‘I’m glad you see it that way,’ Kane agreed lazily. ‘As I said, I’m not in the habit of giving advice, but you’re not terribly experienced, and I shouldn’t like you to become involved with a man when really you’re not suited to each other at all.’
‘And you’ve managed to deduce all this from a casual meeting?’ Natalie asked coldly. ‘How clever.’
Kane shrugged. ‘It’s quite obvious. The man’s as dull as dishwater. He’s probably after a woman who will marry him, give up her career, have two point two children and settle comfortably into mediocrity.’
‘And what makes you think that that’s not precisely what I would like to do?’
‘Because I know you.’ He shot her a crooked smile.
‘You don’t know me at all,’ Natalie informed him, wishing that there were some depths to which she could allude, some secret and highly exciting facet of her life which she could carelessly toss in his face to wipe that smug smile away. But there wasn’t.
‘Of course I know you,’ he refuted, in that same, implacably calm voice. ‘We’ve worked together for five years. I’ve seen all different sides of you. Do you re-member how nervous you were when your sister got married? You were convinced that you’d make a fool of yourself as chief bridesmaid.’
‘You try being chief bridesmaid at your sister’s wedding!’ Natalie defended hotly. ‘You’d understand how I felt!’ She wished now that she had been more circumspect in her dealings with the damn man. Trust him to drag up a detail like that and use it against her.
He drew a circle on the notepad in front of him then patterned it with vague, concentric doodles, his eyes not on her face.
‘What I’m trying to say here is that I know you better than you think. There was a time,’ he said accusingly, ‘when you would have confided in me, instead of treating me like the enemy.’
So that was it, Natalie thought suddenly. He was jealous of the fact that he could no longer feel in charge of my life. The thought hurt and thrilled her at the same time.
‘I’m not treating you like an enemy,’ she responded automatically.
‘You act as though I’m prying into your affairs.’
‘You care prying into my affairs!’
‘There you go again.’
Natalie sighed wryly. And they said that women were illogical? Right now she was finding it difficult to keep up with this man’s thread of reasoning.
He gave her a sly look. ‘I’m sure you like him, but I can’t imagine that you feel passionate about him.’
Natalie’s mouth dropped open. ‘Th-that’ s none of your business,’ she stuttered angrily. ‘Thank you so much for the advice, I’m sure you meant well, but I can handle my own love life, thank you very much. And for your information,’ she threw at him, ‘I happen to feel very passionate about Eric, as he does about me.’ So there, she wanted to add.
An expression of surprise crossed his features, and Natalie rushed on triumphantly, ‘We’re extremely passionate about each other. Now, is that all?’
‘It is,’ Kane said tautly. There was insolent disbelief in his eyes and Natalie turned away, feeling drained. Her hand was on the doorknob when he said as an after-thought, ‘What are you doing over the weekend?’
‘Why?’ she asked cautiously.
‘Business, actually,’ he said drily, looking up from his papers. ‘I’ll be entertaining a few clients on Saturday evening at my country house and I need you to be there. You can get there about six and make sure that every-thing’s all right in the kitchen. No need for caterers. Josie’s going to do the lot and O’Leary will be giving her a hand.’ He winced. ‘I have to say something about being on best behaviour. I can’t have prospective clients being