His gaze narrowed suspiciously.
“I may have slightly exaggerated my plans with that someone special.”
One dark eyebrow lifted questioningly. “And yet you were still annoyed.”
“Besides the whining, how do you figure?”
He held up the plain-wrapped package. “No dangling candy canes. Or snowmen. No cute little santas or reindeer.” He shook it gently as he studied the wrapping. “And the paper isn’t shiny.”
Yet another Jack Valentine revealed. He noticed and remembered how she wrapped Christmas packages. That was endearing and she’d never figured him for the endearing type. It was information that wouldn’t help to snuff out her emerging and disturbing feelings. But he had apologized for spoiling her plans so the least she could do was be gracious.
“I was annoyed at your timing, Jack. And the fact that you think you can say jump and I’ll ask how high. But I’m over it now. I sincerely mean that. Now open your present.”
He ripped off the paper and nudged up the lid on the box, then lifted out the eight and a half by eleven butter-soft leather portfolio with his initials embossed in the bottom right corner. His gaze jumped to hers. “This is beautiful, Maddie.”
“And it’s personalized so you can’t take it back,” she pointed out. She finished her fruit.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He looked sheepish and darned if it wasn’t charming. “This makes me feel even worse about not giving you a gift. I’ll make it up to you.”
“Not necessary. You promised me London.”
“Thank you for this,” he said, then set it on the table beside the laptop. “So, let’s get to work. Old business first.”
“Okay.” She set her empty plate aside, then took a sip of lukewarm coffee before handing him the file on a software company they’d been nurturing. “They just signed a deal for shelf space in one of the country’s largest office supply stores.”
He scanned the notes, then looked through the spreadsheet. “Excellent. The internet sales are good, too.”
“Yes. The company is performing better than we expected.”
“I see that.” He looked through every file. The results were all positive.
“Good work, Maddie.” He put the folders on the table. “What else have you got?”
“We had twenty proposals submitted and I whittled them down to five for market evaluation. I have the top three for you to look at.”
He took the first file she handed him and read carefully. “Mothers of Invention.”
“I’d like to start a company to market the creations of problem-solving mothers.”
His gaze captured her own but she couldn’t read the expression in his eyes. “Mothers who solve problems?”
“You sound surprised by the concept.”
He just shrugged in reply. The brooding look was now back and Maddie decided not to ask any further questions. If anything, it was silly to be disappointed that he didn’t elaborate. Knowing more had made her hug him. And he’d kissed her. It would be better not to know more. She needed to concentrate on business and forget the dangerous man she’d glimpsed last night.
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