the way he’d intended. He’d expected a laugh, a smile, some show of amusement. Alonso touched her arm and his skin prickled. What the...? Suddenly, the temperature in the restaurant rose about ten degrees. If he started to sweat, he would sizzle and steam. How embarrassing would that be? He couldn’t remember the last time—or if ever—his body had reacted this way.
“Ms. Wr—Moore.” Shit. Why did he keep giving her his last name? “I was only kidding. I don’t want your money. We have a lunch appointment.” He shrugged. “Why not have lunch?”
Vivian mimicked his stance. “Instead of lunch, perhaps you should go home and get some rest. You keep confusing me with your sister. I’m certainly not old enough to be confused for your mother.”
Ah. She did have a sense of humor. “I’m an only child, and my mother is deceased.”
Panic spread across her face. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t—”
“You can make it up to me.” He pulled out her chair. “And as an incentive, I’ll tell you how I thought you were an eighty-year-old woman.” The revelation seemed to pique her curiosity.
“An eighty-year-old woman?” She eased into the chair. “This should be good.”
Score.
After placing their orders, they feasted on chips and salsa while Alonso told her how he’d chatted with the elderly woman from her old neighborhood—before he’d purchased her house. She’d told him stories about a Vivian Moore who’d lived across the street.
“You must have talked to Ms. Marla. She’s a bit senile. I think she had me confused with my great-grandmother. I’m named after her.” Her brow arched. “Did I sound eighty over the phone?”
“You never really said a whole lot. An mmm-hmm here and an uh-huh there. Now that I think about it, you kinda reminded me of an old lady.”
Vivian tossed a crumpled napkin at him, then laughed. If he had to guess, she was warming up to him. “See, I’m not so bad after all, right?”
The look she flashed him suggested she wasn’t wholly convinced of the claim. Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Their food arrived. The chips and salsa were good, but hadn’t been enough. The cheesy beef-tip burrito would do the trick. He tried to ignore how tempting it was to watch Vivian take a forkful of the grilled-chicken taco salad into her mouth. Yeah, he envied the utensil.
Breaking the silence, he said, “I get it, Ms. Moore. You have a sentimental attachment to your childhood home. It’s understandable. But you don’t need me to tell you that three hundred thousand is a very generous offer.”
She eyed him a moment. Was she mulling it over?
“What do you intend to construct on the site, Mr. Wright?”
“Excuse me?”
“I asked what you intend on constructing on the site. You’ve purchased all of the homes, with the exception of mine, of course. I doubt you plan on renovating. So...what’s your plan?”
Her eyes narrowed on him as if she were attempting to read his mind. And for a moment, he experienced a hint of unease. Was he allowing this no-more-than one-hundred-forty-pound nurse to rattle him?
“Let me guess. Condos? Fancy restaurants? Stores no one in that community could even afford to shop in?”
“Jobs.”
By the slight softening of her features, it was the last answer she’d expected. He placed his fork down and dabbed at the corners of his mouth. “You have me all wrong, Vivian. May I call you Vivian?”
She nodded.
“There are many things you don’t see when you look at me. Just as I’m sure there are many layers to you.” And he’d like to peel them all away.
“Maybe. What forms will these jobs—”
In a bold move, he reached across and brushed a crumb from her cheek. When his finger grazed her warm skin, she stilled. Yeah, they had something going on, sparks. By her bewildered expression, she realized it, too.
She jerked away from his reach, then placed her napkin on the table. “Well—” She cleared her throat. “Well, Alonso. May I call you Alonso?”
He nodded.
“Thank you for lunch. I should really be going.” She scooted her chair away from the table, stood, and started to walk away.
Alonso stood. “Would you like your purse?”
Vivian stopped. When she turned, a sheepish expression lingered on her beautiful face. If he didn’t know better, he’d rattled her. The notion caused an inward smile. He passed her the black patent-leather bag. “You’ll think about my offer?” And me? Of course, he didn’t say the latter aloud.
“No.”
No. “No?”
“Your attempt at softening me, then swooping in for the kill failed.” She shrugged. “Sorry. Better luck next time. And by next time, I do mean with someone else, because my answer is final.” She smiled and made a hasty escape from the building.
Alonso massaged the side of his face as if he’d been slapped. In a way, he had. Seemed he’d met his match in Vivian Moore. In more ways than one. But he was Alonso Wright. He wouldn’t allow this minor roadblock to trouble him. Everyone had a price. He just needed to discover hers.
He smirked. Doing so could be fun.
Alonso stood at the 3-D table model of his newest development venture: a luxury hotel, condos, eateries and, most important, an event center named after his late grandfather. This was truly the one thing that made the project worthwhile.
He moved away from the table and stood at the floor-to-ceiling window, homing in on one area in particular. “No other location will do,” he whispered to himself. To be able to stand in this very spot and glance out to see his grandfather’s name featured prominently on the event center... “No, no other spot will do,” he repeated to himself. A wave of emotion crashed over him when he thought about how much he missed the man.
Phalonius Wright had been a good man—a great man—and the fact that Alonso was able to honor his grandfather in such a manner swelled him with pride. He’d come a long way and had the man who’d raised him to thank. And this was his way of doing so.
He folded his arms across his chest, his thoughts shifting to Vivian. Why in the hell was the woman being so stubborn? The damn house was falling down. And it wasn’t like anyone had occupied the dilapidated dwelling for years. Plus, he was offering her far more than the hovel was worth.
“What’s up, bro?”
He turned to see Roth Lexington, his best friend since kindergarten, stroll through his office door. When the tall man stood within arm’s reach, Alonso exchanged a manly hug with him. “What’s
