Page 202 of Tormented Billionaire Romance Series

Iset down the fork I’d been using to shred the appetizer, swallowing hard. He couldn’t have known how touchy of a subject this was. I hid my uncertainty as best as I could, though I was sure he noticed anyway, despite my efforts.

“What about them?”

“Just… what are they like? Do they live nearby?”

“No. My dad and step-mother live in California.”

“Interesting.” Carter stroked his graying beard. “What is that? Did they move or did you?”

“They did.”

“And your mother?”

“She died when I was only a few months old.”

Carter winced. “I’m so sorry to hear that. I had no idea.”

“It’s okay,” I said, even though it really wasn’t. I felt like he would be one of the rare people who would understand if I told him the crazy truth, that I didn’t like what I had, that I missed a person I had never had a chance to know, a person I couldn’t even remember. But all of that seemed way too personal for what was only the second real time we’d met. I just said, “It’s okay,” for a second time.

Carter looked unconvinced. I didn’t blame him. I was a terrible liar. “So, then, do you live on your own? Is Maggie your roommate?”

“I live in the house my dad left me when he moved away with Crystal. Maggie’s offered for me to move in but… I like having space to myself,” I gave another ineffectual lie. Maybe if I built more layers to the story, he wouldn’t be able to see through all of them to the unfortunate truth.

“What else do you do besides work at the coffee shop?”

Our server arrived just then to take our meal orders, saving me from having to think up an excuse. I ordered seafood pasta and then wracked my brains while Carter made his decision. As soon as the server moved on, he focused his attention on me again.

I said, “I sew. I craft. Lately, I’ve been doing some deep cleaning and reorganizing the house.”

Carter smiled. “A bit late for spring cleaning.”

“I prefer to think of it as a bit early.”

He laughed. “Good way to think of it.”

“Is it my turn to ask some questions?” I asked. I didn’t want him learning too much about me and seeing how generally useless I was.

Carter seemed to notice the tactic, narrowing his eyes a little. “Sure.”

“What’s the meaning of life?” I teased.

Carter scratched his head and looked around, pretending to search for answers. He lit up and turned back to me. “Fish!” he declared.

I laughed and looked past him at the aquarium tower, the fish drifting and swirling in patterns the likes of which no human could ever understand. “Sitting here, I can almost believe it.”

“Ask me another.”

“So, really, what doyoudo?”

“I own galleries all across the city,” Carter said. “That means I host the works of artists and receive a share of profits whenever a sale is made. That is a very large part of what I do, though I also throw parties and have showcases. I collect and trade artworks. I host bids. I run several organizations, one to keep art programs in schools, one to support young artists, and another to pair artists with clients looking for someone of their particular talents. And I’m also on the council of the arts.”

My head spun. “That’s so much to keep track of!”

“That’s why I hired Brian,” I explained. “We always wanted to go into business together when we were kids. When we got older, he moved to law and I opened a gallery. He doesn’t have much interest in art. But he’s a fantastic manager and he has a brilliant, organized mind. He wanted to be busier, more in control than he was as a lawyer, so I offered him a job and he accepted. It’s been a fantastic experience. He gets me from A to B.”

“Maggie said he was your assistant.”

“That’s what his job title is. But he’s more like my keeper,” I chuckled.

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