Golden Lies - Barbara Freethy [87]
"Yes, he does. I stopped in early this morning and caught him having his first real meal in a while. Of course, he complained about the eggs and the toast and the fact that there was no bacon. But he seemed in good spirits."
She got to her feet as Martin walked around the desk to offer her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. His touch did absolutely nothing to raise her blood pressure, and she couldn't help thinking about the night before when she'd had a meltdown in Riley's arms. At least one truth had come out of this past week. She didn't feel enough passion for Martin to even consider marrying him. It wouldn't be fair to either one of them.
"How are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm fine. Catching up."
"I'm happy to see you concentrating on work instead of pursuing that dragon."
"It needs to be pursued. We still don't know what happened to it. My father's short-term memory is apparently absent at the moment"
"That's what I hear."
She didn't like the doubt in his voice. "You don't believe him?" She paused, tilting her head to one side. "You don't really like my father, do you?"
"Don't be ridiculous. I have a great deal of respect for him."
The words were right, but the lack of emotion in his voice told Paige that Martin wasn't being completely honest with her. "You already suggested to me that my father might have been looking into commissioning a fake. There's no point in backtracking now."
"That was a mistake on my part. I realize your father would never do such a thing. As for the dragon, our security people are investigating it, Paige. You don't need to do it personally. In fact, your mother and I both agree that it would be better if you stayed out of it. Your father has already been hurt. We certainly don't want you in the line of fire. Your mother tells me that the Delaney woman's house was broken into as well. Another sign that you should leave this to the experts. This is not the job for you."
She couldn't stand his patronizing tone, never mind the fact that he glossed over the words with a smile. "I don't think it's up to you, Martin, to decide what job is right for me."
"I didn't mean to offend."
"But you did."
"Paige, you're misreading me."
"I don't think I am. I realize you have an important job here at the store, that Mother considers you her right-hand man. But I'm the Hathaway heir, not you."
He looked shocked by her words, and she had to admit she had surprised herself by speaking so bluntly. Maybe Riley had rubbed off on her.
"I didn't mean to overstep—" he said.
"You did overstep. It is obvious that as far as you're concerned, I'm pretty much good for planning parties and nothing else, but you're wrong. And so are my mother and my father and my grandfather and whoever else thinks that way. I intend to do more for this store than party planning."
"That's great," he said soothingly. "My point and concern were only for your safety. I wasn't criticizing your judgment."
"I appreciate that. Thank you."
He looked at her for a long moment. She refused to glance away, knowing that they had to get something else straight between them.
"You're not interested, are you?" he asked.
"I like you as a friend and a coworker."
He offered her a wry smile. "Not exactly what I was hoping to hear."
"I'm sorry, Martin. I realize I may have given you the wrong idea in the past, but I don't want to lead you on any further."
"We could be good together. We have so much in common. I feel as if you and I are a perfect match."
"Maybe on paper, but a marriage is real life. Quite frankly, I don't think you have any idea who I really am. I suspect I haven't seen the real you, either."
"I am what you see."
"I doubt that," she said with a softening smile. "You're going to make someone a great husband."
"But not you."
"Not me."
He tilted his head to one side, studying her thoughtfully. "You've been different this past week. Your father's brush with death sparked something in you."
"That was part of it," she conceded, not wanting