‘Yes.’ She smiled at the memory. ‘He was very put out by it.’
‘I’ve spent fifty years building up my business. I’m not going to sell it to just anyone.’
‘No. Of course not.’
‘One thing that did concern me was your engagement.’
Oh, dear. ‘In what way?’ she said lightly.
‘A suspicious man might question the speed and timing of it.’
‘And are you suspicious?’
‘On occasion.’
Dammit, what was he trying to say? ‘I can understand that.’
‘It’s a deal that’s of huge benefit to both parties. There’s a lot at stake. Theo isn’t a man to give up easily.’
No, he wasn’t. She had first-hand experience of that, although somehow it no longer seemed to bother her. ‘He won’t let you down.’
‘So tell me why I should sell to him.’
What? ‘Me?’ Kate said, her eyebrows shooting up.
‘You.’
‘God, I don’t know,’ she said. ‘I actually know very little about the ins and outs of it.’
‘But you know him, I assume.’
Did she? She thought she did. A bit. Maybe more than a bit now. Enough to convince Daniel Bridgeman that he had no reason to doubt Theo’s integrity, at any rate. ‘You’re right, I do,’ she said, thankfully sounding more certain than she felt. ‘And I can promise you won’t regret it if you do decide to sell to him. Theo can come across as ruthless, I admit, but he is honourable. He’s also incredibly loyal, protective and thoughtful.’ Not to mention devastatingly handsome and unbelievable in bed, although she didn’t think Mr Bridgeman would appreciate that level of detail. ‘You have no idea how hard he’s had to work to get where he is,’ she said instead. ‘He didn’t have the advantage of a stellar education or buckets of money to support him. He’s grafted his entire adult life and continues to do so.’
‘I see,’ said the older man, but she hadn’t finished.
‘And he’s an excellent listener,’ she said. ‘When we met I had a few self-esteem issues but he’s given me the confidence to get over them and believe in myself, and that is something I will always be grateful for.’
‘Interesting.’
She blushed, suddenly aware that she might have gone a bit far in her defence of him, even if everything she’d said was true. ‘Yes, well, he’s a decent man.’
‘You make a good team,’ said Daniel.
‘Er...right, yes, absolutely we do.’
‘As I told him over drinks on Friday night, with a fiancée like you and a baby on the way, he’s a lucky man.’
Oh, dear God. The suggestion must have conjured up his worst nightmare. No wonder he’d been so broodingly distracted at dinner. ‘He certainly is,’ she said.
Daniel headed towards the door. ‘Thank you for sparing me some of your time, Kate, and I hope to see you again soon.’
And even though she and Theo didn’t make a good team and she wouldn’t be seeing Daniel Bridgeman again, Kate nevertheless fixed a bright smile to her face and said, ‘I hope so, too.’
* * *
Upstairs in the bathroom, Theo gripped the edge of the basin, his head swimming and his heart thundering while a cold sweat broke out all over his skin despite the icy shower he’d forced himself to take.
He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. When he’d heard Daniel and Kate talking downstairs he’d fully intended to join them, especially when Daniel had revealed his suspicions about the engagement. But then Kate had begun extolling his non-existent virtues and he’d frozen, his body filling with dread and denial and who knew what else. The passion in her voice... The sincerity... It had made his stomach churn and bile rise up his throat, and he just couldn’t swallow it down.