“That’s sweet.” She thought about what he’d said. “All of you? Do you have other siblings?”
“A brother, Augustus.”
“Good to know. Will I meet him soon?”
“Uh, probably not. He’s not around the office much these days.” He leaned closer and smirked. “He’s sort of the black sheep of the family.”
“I see.”
“But we don’t need to talk about him. I’d like to hear all your ideas for the regatta. It sounds amazing.”
A little blush colored her cheeks. “Thank you. When I was thinking about this event, I tried to come up with something different. Regattas are fun to watch, and I think having all the events during the day rather than only a dinner and silent auction will make it a huge success.”
“You had me at different.”
She laughed and continued to share more detailed ideas for some of the contests and events throughout the day. Sebastian seemed to hang on her every word, listening intently, never interrupting. She noticed, though, that he went through several glasses of wine. When she was finished, he raised his hand to the waiter, who came to clear away their plates. She felt bad that most of hers had gone untouched, but he didn’t seem bothered.
“It all sounds perfect. And I have no doubt you’ll make this a year to remember.” He reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
She smiled nervously. “Thank you, Mr. Schultz.”
He took his hand away and shook his head. “Call me Gu—bastian.”
She made a face. “Gubastian?”
“Pardon my misspeak.”
She almost laughed, but considering how much he’d had to drink, she decided against it. “You’re pardoned … Sebastian.”
He had an indecipherable expression on his face as he stood and walked around behind her to push her chair in when she stood.
As they walked to the door, he laid a hand on her lower back to guide her out. He sure did seem touchy. She definitely found Sebastian attractive, and he seemed to like her well enough, but she got the impression that he’d taken a lot of the female employees to lunch. Not that she would ever consider dating her boss.
She wondered if the company had policies about dating a coworker, and she thought about Kurtis and smiled to herself. Those warm hazel eyes of his, his hair as deep brown as the dark chocolate truffle she’d eaten that morning, that neatly trimmed facial hair that had her fingers twitching to touch it. He’d changed out of his workout clothes and into a suit by the time he’d come to her office to invite her to lunch, and he looked more handsome than any man should be allowed to look. How could she be expected to get any work done with Kurtis around?
She wondered, though, if he was already involved with someone at the company. She’d wandered over to the door when Kurtis and Skylar had walked down the hallway outside her office earlier, and she’d seen them hug. It had disappointed her, but she didn’t let on that she’d seen.
The same dark car that had driven them to lunch pulled up out front and Sebastian opened the door for her. She climbed in and greeted the driver. “Hello again.”
“Hello, miss.” The man looked over his shoulder at her and smiled.
Sebastian climbed in next to her, and the car sped off in the direction of Schultz Chocolate.
“Thank you for lunch,” she told him.
He leaned in a little closer, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. “If you had to choose between spending your life with a rich man or a poor man, which would you choose?”
She was amused, but also wondering if this was the drink talking. “Is this a proposal?”
He laughed a little too loudly. “I’m just getting to know you, Genevieve.”
“It wouldn’t matter to me … if I was in love with him.”
“Did you know lack of money is one of the top reasons for divorce?” he asked.
“Makes sense. Money can be a stressful topic. It’s hard enough dealing with finances when you’re single.”
“And you’d still choose a poor man for love?”