The Perfect Christmas - Debbie Macomber [12]
“Family plans?”
“Not really.” She hadn’t talked to her brother yet. Her mother and stepfather lived in Hawaii and it was unlikely that they’d fly in for the holidays. Her father…well, she hadn’t spent Christmas with him since she was five or six. “There’s just Shawn and me.”
“And Shawn is?”
“My brother. It’s on the questionnaire. He’s—”
“Ah, yes,” Simon broke in. “What did you do last Christmas?”
“Well, let me see…” She tried to remember where she’d been and with whom. Was it last year that Angie—
“This shouldn’t be so difficult,” he said.
“It was eleven months ago,” she snapped. His attitude irritated her. “As I recall, Shawn and I went out to eat. Angie, a friend of mine, was supposed to join us but at the last minute she couldn’t and we—”
“Yes, yes,” he said, interrupting her again.
“And what exactly were you doing?” she demanded.
His eyes widened. “I beg your pardon?”
“Where were you last Christmas?”
“As I indicated during our previous session, I’m the one asking the questions.”
Cassie made an effort to hold her temper. “I guess that slipped my mind. But I was allowed one question then, so I assume that’s the case today, and I’m asking it now.” She took a deep—and necessary—breath. “Where were you last Christmas?”
He exhaled slowly. “Right here in Seattle.”
“With friends and loved ones?”
“That’s more than one question.” He looked pointedly in her direction. “Shall we continue or not? The choice is yours.”
Knowing she was fighting a losing battle, Cassie tried to regain her equilibrium. “Yes, let’s continue, although I don’t understand what last Christmas has to do with anything.”
“That’s not your concern.”
“Are you always this dictatorial?” She realized she was asking yet another question, but she couldn’t stop herself.
“I am when I feel I can find the right match for a client. An exasperating one, I might add.”
“Really?” That was worth all the insults he could issue, Cassie decided. She slid so far to the edge of the chair that she was in danger of falling onto the carpet. “You actually have someone in mind?”
“I do.” This was said in a clipped, businesslike way.
She waited, but he wasn’t any more forthcoming than that.
“Before I introduce you, there are a few matters we need to attend to.”
“Fine.” Her heart felt as if it had moved into her throat.
“My fee is thirty thousand dollars.”
“Yes, I know… That’s a lot of money.”
Simon glanced up. “I thought you were aware of my fee. If you can’t afford me, then I suggest you leave now and save us both a lot of time and trouble.”
The money was safely tucked in Cassie’s savings account. “I put it aside for a wedding, but obviously there won’t be one without a groom. I’m willing to make the investment.”
“Good. Then I’ll introduce you to John.”
“His name is John?” John was a solid name, implying that he was a solid man; she liked him already.
“Before I introduce you—”
“There’s a money-back guarantee, right?”
“I’ll explain that in a moment.”
“Okay, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” She wanted to capture every single detail of this meeting so she could repeat it all to Angie.
“I have three tasks I want you to complete first.”
“Excuse me?” She wondered if she’d misheard him. Cassie was waiting to hear about her perfect mate, and he was talking about tasks? What was this, homework?
“These are qualifying tasks,” he was saying. “I need to be sure you’re the woman for John.”
“But…no one said anything about needing to qualify.”
He ignored her outburst. “Once you’ve fulfilled these three simple tasks, I will introduce you to John. The choice is easy—do what I ask and meet the man of your dreams or keep your money and walk away now.” He sat back in his chair and clasped his hands, clearly regarding this as a take-it-or-leave-it proposition.
Cassie’s head reeled. “Do you ask this of all your clients?” she cried, almost positive he didn’t. Her nerves were quickly fraying.
“How often do I need to tell you? I’m not in the habit of answering questions.” He paused and