Not that they’d had much opportunity. He had spent pretty much all of his time at her side.
Still, she’d traveled the world, knew four languages, and owned and operated her own business. People who knew her described her as steady, solid, and insightful. And boy, didn’t that sound boring as all hell. No wonder she didn’t have a man in her life. Not that she was looking for one…
Oh, for heaven’s sake, she was only twenty-eight. Still plenty of time for her to find the man of her dreams and live happily ever after. And Jared was not happily-ever-after material. He was happily-right-now material. A playboy.
And she refused to fall for another playboy, even one as gorgeous as Jared.
She plopped onto the stool behind her and picked up her coffee. “Who made you king of the world this morning?”
The man must be made to stop smiling, she decided.
“Just in a good mood, I guess. What about you? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”
Yeah, the one without you in it. She took a sip. “No, just trying to figure you out.”
He shook his head. “Nothing to figure out. We’ll be spending a lot of time together for the next month. Since you’re helping me with the spa, I just thought I’d give you a few observations. You want to hear what I have to say or not?”
Of course, she wanted to hear what he had to say. Jared and his brother owned and operated a successful hotel in a major metropolitan city. The man had brains as well as good looks and didn’t that just make him too yummy for words?
However, Gary had seemed like a decent guy at first and look how that turned out.
But Gary was on a whole different plane of existence from Jared. Gary lived on the plane for assholes.
Jared, on the other hand…
“Hey, Belle. You still with me?”
Oh, yeah. She was still here. Held in place by blue eyes that reminded her of sunny days.
This man was nothing like Gary. He was so far from being like Gary they should have come from different planets.
She took a deep breath and nodded. “Alright, let me have it straight.”
After he’d left her bed last night, Jared had spent the rest of the night lying in the surprisingly comfortable bed at the inn, staring at the ceiling.
Thinking about this woman.
She’d fallen asleep on him, literally. He’d picked her up after that last round on the couch and she’d fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder.
After settling her into bed, he’d almost climbed in with her before he remembered what she’d said about gossip in a small town.
He knew how devastating gossip could be in a city like Philadelphia, but the city was big so you could always find a bolt-hole away from the snide comments and dirty looks. Or you could go to Europe to escape. His mother loved Europe.
In a small town, there weren’t that many places to hide.
And if he’d stayed the night, the owner of the bed and breakfast would have told the owner of the café that he hadn’t returned last night. And the owner of the café would have told the first twenty or thirty people who came through for their morning coffee. By noon, everyone in town would have known, or thought they’d known, that he’d slept in Annabelle’s bed.
Not that he cared about his reputation. He didn’t live here. But Annabelle did.
Even if he did find a property for the spa in the area, he wouldn’t be dealing with the locals on a regular basis. He’d hire someone to do that.
So he’d forced himself to go back to the inn. And thought about her all night.
That didn’t happen often. The women he dated were far from stupid, but their end goal usually involved a wedding ring and unlimited access to the Golden bank accounts. Which didn’t rank high on Jared’s list of things he admired in a woman.
The woman now staring at him with bright green eyes had neither of those goals in mind. If she’d had her way originally, he’d have been out of here yesterday.
Was that the appeal? Her seeming indifference to his social standing and his money? Or was she a better actress than he gave her credit for?
“Jared?”
He heard a question in her tone, saw it in the lift of her brows. And in the arms crossed over her beautiful breasts.
He smiled at her but she only lifted her eyebrows higher. “Why don’t you show me around, tell me a little about this place and your goods. We can talk as we walk.”
She didn’t immediately snap to attention, and he had to admit he really liked that. After a few seconds she sighed but didn’t come out from behind the counter. “What do you want to know?”
He wanted to know everything about her, but he’d take what he could get for now. “Tell me about the shop. How long have you been here? Give me a little background.”
“Well, Granddad bought the building about ten years ago. He decided to settle down while I was in college and this area seemed like a good one. Small town but it attracts a huge clientele in exactly what we sell. Granddad’s specialty was furniture, French and English and a little Italian. I have a broader base in American furniture and art. I double majored in art history and business administration with a minor in American history at Gettysburg College.”
Setting his coffee on the counter next to hers, he leaned closer to her. “Sounds like you were busy.”
She shrugged but didn’t move away. “I loved college, though I was pretty much an outcast. Both Kate and I were. I guess it’s why we’re such good friends now. But all I really wanted to do was get out and get back here.”
“I know how that goes. I hated college, all that studying.” He mock shuddered and was rewarded with one of her smiles. “But a college degree was included in the terms of my inheritance and we needed the inheritance to build Haven.” She opened her mouth to ask another question, but he didn’t want to talk about himself. “So you’ve been running the shop since your grandfather died?”
She nodded. “About a year ago.”
He saw grief etched in the downturn of her lips and in the shadows of her eyes. He wanted to walk around the counter and take her in his arms, comfort her. But that was completely out of character for him so he stayed exactly where he was.
“And your parents?” he asked instead.
She shook her head, no hesitation in her answer. “I don’t really remember them. They were killed in a boating accident when I was five. They were crewing a yacht in the Atlantic when a storm blew up. Witnesses say my father was blown overboard and my mother jumped in after him. Neither of them were seen again and their bodies were never recovered.”
Jared heard something in her tone, something he couldn’t put his finger on. He’d known about her parents because of Dane’s investigation but it almost sounded rehearsed.
Or maybe he was just reading too much into something she must find painful.
“My grandfather raised me. He hired a tutor to educate me while we traveled around Europe. At that time, Granddad was an independent appraiser who worked for most of the major auction houses in Britain. Luckily for me, Granddad and my tutor, Isadore, fell in love and stayed together until Isadore died about four years ago.”
“Her loss must have been tough for both of you.”
“It was. And when Granddad died, I floundered for a little while. He was well known in the business and I was always riding his coattails.”
“But you have the credentials?”
Her gaze snapped back to his, bright and determined. “Yes, and not just in years of experience. Granddad always said I had the eye.”
“What does that mean?”
“I can tell quality, whether it’s a piece of furniture or artwork. I learned from an early age how to tell a fake from an original. Granddad was a master. It would have been impossible not to pick up some of his wisdom.”