Page 18 of Rival Hearts
I swallowed. “No, I’m not.”
“You froze. It’s very unlike you.”
I shook my head. “It’s not about that.”
When I didn’t volunteer anything else, Chris probed for more. “Anything you want to share?”
“It’s just… I met a woman last night, and I can’t get her off my mind.”
Chris whistled through his teeth. “Since when does a dame rattle you in the boardroom? She must be something.”
“She’s an activist.”
Chris raised his eyebrows. “That’s… what?”
“Yeah. Obviously, I’m not seeing her again. It was just a one-night thing; you know I always do it that way. She was just different from the women I’m usually with, that’s all.”
Chris jammed his hands into his pockets and sat down on the edge of the table. “Different how?”
I shook my head, not knowing how to explain it. Charlotte had been everything I’d never known I wanted in a woman, and then it turned out that she was everything I wasn’t allowed to have.
But it was fine—my focus was supposed to be on business. We were releasing a superyacht that would move the needle on our numbers come the yacht show in September, and that was all that really mattered.
“It’s not a big deal,” I said.
“Itsoundslike a big deal. You know, since you keep saying that it’s not.” Chris cocked a grin at me. “You’re sure about not seeing her again? Even the steely Alex Blackwood is allowed to fall in love, you know.”
“It’snotlove. Not by a long shot. And it’s nothing. Really.”
“Right. Maybe I should ask Gabe about it, see if he thinks it’s not a big deal—”
“No,” I said sharply. “Don’t say anything to Gabe about it. There’s nothing to say. I’m serious.”
Chris frowned. “What’s going on here?”
“Nothing. I told you, it’s nothing.”
Chris shook his head. “The more you say that the more I don’t believe you. You get that, right?”
I groaned and turned on my heel. I stormed away, leaving Chris behind so he could stop pressing me for answers.
5
CHARLOTTE
“Lottie,” Victoria Morgan said with a smile when I walked into her office at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Wood Hole, Massachusetts. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Hi, Victoria.” She waved at an armchair; I sat down. She left her desk and sat down in the other armchair.
She was one of the country’s most renowned marine biologists, and I’d had the honor of working with her while I’d done my dissertation in college. Victoria had quickly become more than a mentor or even a colleague. She’d noticed my potential and passion, guiding me when I wasn’t sure of where I was going with my life, and she’d become more of a mother figure.
“Something to drink?”
I shook my head. “I just had a whole bottle of water in the car on the way.” The drive from Newport had taken just under an hour and a half, and it had been hotter than I’d liked. Maya had let me use her car. I didn’t want to buy one—it seemed likethe right thing to do for the environment until I could afford something electric.
“I saw the articles you put out,” Victoria said. “Impressive.” She tucked her silvering hair behind her ear and leaned back. She wore an elegant button-up blouse with a brown cardigan over it and bronze lipstick to match.
“Thanks. I’m not sure it’s working.”
