another point to consider,” she continued. “When a cow is healthy and producing milk, it might be better to keep it.”
He pushed his plate aside and leaned forward in a movement that mirrored her earlier one. “What exactly are you saying?”
What was she saying? She wasn’t too sure herself, but the more she thought about this, the better it seemed. “I could make quick money by selling the cow, but in the long run I might be better off keeping the cow and selling the milk.”
“So you’d expect me to…milk your cow for you?”
Long, strong fingers squeezing warm flesh…Lizzie moistened her lips. “Well, you said my uncle didn’t involve himself in the business for a few years. It might have been inconvenient for you at times, but you said you managed to stay profitable, so what difference would it make if I did the same thing? If I hung on to my half, I could be a silent partner.”
He looked at her mouth, his jaw tightening. After a breathless minute, he raised his gaze to hers.
Lizzie felt another one of those crazy tickles whisper through her stomach. There was yet another option here. She didn’t have to be merely a silent partner. What if they both…milked the cow? “Alex?”
A muscle twitched in his cheek. “Yes, Lizzie?”
“What kind of qualifications did my uncle have?”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“To work in advertising. Did he go to the same college you did, or take a course or something?”
He remained silent for so long, she was about to repeat the question before he finally answered. “No.”
“Really?”
“Your uncle learned through experience. He relied on instinct and inspiration rather than formal education.”
The tickle turned into a tingle as the seed Jolene had planted began to take root. “Even though I enjoy my day care business, it can get along without me, so there’s nothing stopping me from staying in New York for a while.” She cleared her throat. “This is something you might not have thought of, Alex, but if I learn all I can about the company, I could help you out.”
“Help me out?”
“Sort of give the company another perspective.”
“Another perspective?” His voice was growing quieter with each phrase he repeated. Rather than sounding soft, though, he sounded as ominous as rumbling thunder.
She smiled. “You know, just like Uncle Roland.”
Alex didn’t return her smile. Silence stretched out between them as he continued to stare at her. Something gleamed in the mesmerizing brown depths of his eyes. Challenge. More than challenge. Awareness.
Lizzie shivered at the thrill that went through her body. She felt herself respond, and she wasn’t even sure what she was responding to. All those tickles and tingles that made her palms sweat…how much was due to her interest in her company…and how much was due to her interest in her partner?
Alex fought to keep his expression impassive. How could her mouth look so appealing when she was talking about exerting control of the company, his company?
This wasn’t progressing at all according to plan.
Then again, how could he expect any woman who used barnyard analogies to explain the concepts of a market economy to behave predictably?
Just like Uncle Roland.
He hadn’t believed that there could be two people like that in the world. And there weren’t. Despite her innocent charm, Elizabeth Hamill was far more dangerous than her uncle. Because she was threatening far more than his business. She was threatening his self-control.
He wasn’t a man who acted impulsively. He relied on logic to guide his actions. And there was nothing logical about the sudden urge he had to lean across the table and taste Lizzie’s lips.
First thing tomorrow, he’d tell Jeremy to increase the offer for her shares. And if that didn’t work—
The silence between them was broken abruptly by a purring ring from Alex’s jacket. He jerked, yanking his attention away from his new partner’s lips to reach into his pocket and pull out his phone.
“Mr. Whitmore? Are you there?”
At his housekeeper’s panic-stricken tone, he reflexively stiffened. Great. Now what?
It took less than a minute for Alex to find out what had put the panic in Mrs. Gray’s voice. All thoughts of his business and his partner were swept away by a wave of anxiety. Flipping the phone shut, he crammed it back inside his jacket and surged to his feet. “I’m sorry, Lizzie,” he said, already moving away. “I’ll have to meet you at the theater later. Something’s come up at home.”
She hesitated for less than a second before she wiped her palms on her skirt, grabbed her purse and rounded the table to follow him. “Hold on, partner. I’m coming with you.”
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