Flirting With the Boss by Teresa Southwick

Author:Teresa Southwick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2004-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Ashley put her briefcase on the dining room table Max had just cleared. She’d invited him out to dinner, but somehow he’d turned the tables on her. They’d ended up at the guest house on the Caine family estate. Under normal circumstances, she would have declined his alternative dinner suggestion and told him where he could stick it. But her life hadn’t been normal since Max Caine had returned. And she didn’t need a conference with her mother and Cherry Addison to tell her what she needed to do next.

After Max had confirmed the rumors, her focus instantly changed from counting the days until his departure to a strategy for convincing him to stay and take over the company permanently. Funny how a worse alternative could make you appreciate the bad you knew.

As she glanced around the guest house, Ashley oohed and aahed to herself. An overstuffed chair and love seat covered in beige plaid were arranged in front of a rock fireplace and gave the area a feeling of intimacy and warmth. The ceiling, comprised of planks, and the wood floor continued the comfortable, country feel. In the dining room, an oak hutch rested against the wall. The matching ball-and-claw foot table was large enough to accommodate six chairs.

As she pulled some files from her briefcase and set them on the table, Max walked in from the kitchen with their refilled wineglasses. He stared at the paperwork. “So you weren’t kidding about a public relations blitz?”

“Not a chance. Were you hoping?”

“Of course.”

“Sorry. There are things you need to know about because they require your approval for the release of funds.” When she met his gaze, there was an intensity in his eyes she’d never noticed before. “Is it all right if I put these things on the table?”

She looked at the heavy oak and resisted the urge to run her hand over the beautiful wood. He’d made a phone call to Chip the butler and when they’d arrived, placemats had been laid out with china, silver and crystal for two. A warming tray in the kitchen held a fabulous chicken casserole. Warm bread and a salad had completed the dinner. Her third with Max, but this one by far the most intimate. Meals with only a man and a woman tended to be that way. Part of her was thrilled at the prospect of being alone with him. The other part missed her mother and sister with every fiber of her being.

“Sure,” he said. “It won’t hurt the wood.”

“I never knew this guest house was here. You can’t see it from the road. And I drove by a lot.” She hoped he didn’t think she’d been a lovesick moron. Or worse—a stalker. But by the time she’d gotten her driver’s license, he’d been gone almost two years. “The estate is on the way to town,” she clarified.

“I know.” He put her glass beside the stack of files.

She glanced around. “You said there are three bedrooms?”

“And three baths. An exercise room and an office.

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