Page 15 of Brant
Sitting back down, she stared at the small gaily wrapped box he gave her and was tempted to rip into the package. Resisting the urge, she went to place it under the tree, her smile luminous.
"Uhm, your husband is here," Willow said a little stiffly as she stood there in the doorway of Indigo's office. The woman was still miffed at not being invited to the wedding, even though Indigo had explained that it had been a private ceremony.
"Here?" She looked up from the inventory she was perusing and felt the familiar leap of her heart. She was wearing the exquisite platinum necklace with the heart-shaped diamond pendant he had given her for Christmas, nestled between her breasts. "Where is he?"
"Out in the shop. He's walking around. Shall I-"
"No." Pushing away from the desk, Indigo walked past her and went to find him. He was standing by a display of lamps she had just acquired. It was almost closing time, and there weresome women milling around and shooting admiring glances at him, and who could blame them? she wondered wryly. The man looked powerful, handsome, and confident. He was wearing black: sweater, cashmere jacket, and trousers, and looked like the executive he was.
He turned to her as she came alongside him. "Very nice."
"I think so too. You're here."
"I was in the neighborhood." He flashed her his devastating smile that had her knees turning to jelly. "I know that's something people say all the time, but it's true. My meeting ended and I decided to drop by. Oh, and to tell you we have a thing later. A function put on by the 'wives' and we're required to attend. I had forgotten about it until I was reminded by my assistant."
He touched her arm briefly. "What time are you knocking off here?"
"In a few minutes. What time is the function and where?"
"The Plaza Hotel. Formal wear, which means I have to go home and deck myself out in a tux." His grimace had her smiling. "It'sat eight." He glanced at his watch. "It's after four. Want me to stick around and wait for you?"
"I have some things to finish up, and I'm sure you have things to do-"
"No." He gestured to the back where she had started renovations. "Do you have time to tell me what's going on there?"
"Oh. I did tell you that I'm extending the store and adding a spot for local artists." When she slipped her hand through his arm, he felt a jolt of awareness shooting through him at her nearness. Her perfume tickled his nostrils and heightened his senses.
"Did you?"
"Yes. So, we're starting with some costume jewelry." She led him to the half-finished section where there was a shelf stacked with brilliantly colored stones. "I found this artist while on one of my tours of New Orleans and was fascinated by her craft. She's not local, but I could not resist highlighting her talent. These-"
She pointed to the ones on the second shelf. "These are by a sixty-year-old woman who lost her husband and son in a carcrash five years ago and is now starting to come into her own. Aren't they lovely?"
"They are." He picked up a chunky necklace made of wood. The etchings were faint and artistic; the stones, which he surmised were garnet, glowed against the dull patina. "I want to purchase this one." He picked up matching earrings and held them against her lobes. "And this."
"Brant-"
"They suit you." He grinned at her startled look. "You're going to tell me that I don't have to." He turned to the hovering Willow. "Box them up and have them ready for me, will you? Thanks."
"You've given me so much already," she protested.
"Are you complaining?" he asked with lifted brows.
"No. I don't know. And you're right, what the hell am I thinking? You just made a purchase; I should be rejoicing."
"Precisely. Now go on about your work and I'll continue to browse."
She stood there for a few pulsing seconds, her heart dipping crazily as she continued to stare at him.
"All right. I won't be long."
"Take your time." He watched her leave, a frown touching his brow. He had promised her space and after Christmas Day where they had spent the day together, including having dinner at his mother's, he had given her exactly that, thinking that it wasn't appropriate for them to be spending so much time together. But he realized that he missed her. When he realized that his meeting was in the vicinity of her shop, he had decided to come and see her. He could have called from his car to tell her about the function, but chose to come here instead, because he wanted to see her.
"Here you go, sir."
He was so caught up in his thoughts, he had not noticed the woman standing behind him.
"I might be interested in buying something else." He handed her his card. "Hold onto that, will you? I think I will go and look at those lamps, and the desk in the window is lovely. Mother would love something like that."
