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A woman of principles. Great. He was starting to wonder if there was anything to dislike about this woman. He took a deep breath, in and out, trying to decide what to do. He could either work with her, give her another project that would take all her time, or send her packing. He didn’t want to do that.
Shaking his head, he realized he wanted to work with her. And he knew that choice would cost him dearly.
“Is something wrong?” Rowan said, mimicking his earlier question.
He saw the worry in her face. No, not worry. Concern.
Fuck.
“Have dinner with me,” he blurted out.
“Wh-what?” She grasped the sides of the chair like a lifeline, her hands going white, she hung on so tight.
If he hadn’t been so shocked at the offer he’d made, he would’ve laughed. The surprise on her expressive face was priceless. Her eyes widened, and a blush reddened her cheeks. Even her mouth formed into a perfect “o”.
Did he mean what he’d offered? Gerard tipped his head, trying to decide. This was lunacy. He was tossing his iron into a raging fire that might burn that pledge he’d made to ash, not to mention upending his own peace of mind. But yes. He wanted this.
“You heard me.”
“I—Yes, I heard you. Not sure I believe it’s a sincere request.”
“I don’t renege on invitations.” He hated the coldness of his voice, but Rowan had a way of digging right in on what she obviously considered his flaws. Or was that his own fault? Was he applying emotions to her that she didn’t feel? He’d gotten to where he was by being willing to look at a problem from all angles, searching for the real reasons, and using that angle to propose changes. Exactly what she’d been discussing in their earlier meeting before things deteriorated.
Gerard took a long, slow breath in, then out. He watched her as she sat there, straight-backed and uncomfortable. Thinking. Deciding.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier. And dinner might help us find our new footing. We need to be done with this in under a week, so maybe this will kickstart a smoother process.”
“So… A working dinner.”
Not really what he’d been thinking about, but that made the best sense. “Of sorts. A getting to know each other and finding the best way to work together dinner.” Because he’d decided. He wanted to work with her on this project. He wanted to get to know the mind behind the body. Hell, being honest, he wanted to know that body too. He could only pray that the pledge and the idea of his sister’s glee when he lost would keep him from taking things to the places he wanted them to go.
Gerard sat still and quiet as Rowan took her turn to watch him while she thought through her decision. Funny, was it getting warm in here? He almost reached up to loosen his tie as he waited for her answer.
“All right.” She nodded, one quick shrug putting the exclamation point on her decision.
“Good. Where do you live? I’ll make reservations and pick you up at seven.”
“At seven p.m., I’m still here. I do have another aspect of my job—the managerial part—that I need to keep up with.”
“All right. Meet me in the lobby at seven.”
“Why don’t we meet at the restaurant?”
“No. I can drive. I’ll bring you back to your car afterward. I’ll be working into the night anyhow.”
Rowan chewed her lip as she mulled his offer over. “I have my car with me today. Taking it gives me some control over the situation.”
So control was important to her. Gerard knew that feeling. He gave her a clipped nod. “All right. Let’s meet at Aversano’s at 7:30.”
Her eyes widened again. “You can get reservations there that quickly?” She held up her hand. “Never mind. Of course you can. I’ll see you there.”
“Valet your car. That way you won’t have to search for a parking spot and walk a long distance.”
A touch of fire lit her eyes. “This isn’t a date, Mr. Barrett. It’s a working dinner, and I’ll do what’s best for me.”
Stubborn woman. He was doing this why? “All right then. I’ll see you there.”
Rowan stood and walked to the door. She turned before leaving, as if she wanted to say something, but she held her words inside and left. Not before he’d seen the confusion in her eyes. Confusion he felt, as well.
