“Not interested.”
Katie’s expression turned concerned. “Are you ill?” When he didn’t answer right away, she said, “I’ve noticed how tired you look lately, and you seem more stressed. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen the usual parade of women strolling through the office. Are you sick? Is that why you brought me here? Do I need to look for a new job?”
For a moment, he thought his assistant actually cared what happened to him. He should have known better. People only thought about themselves. They only cared about what happened to them and how things affected their own lives. His parents taught him that tough lesson repeatedly during his disappointing childhood. Why should Katie be any different?
She gestured to the plate, silently offering him a cookie. He shook his head; all he wanted was the truth. He’d suspected she was hiding something for over a year now, but he hadn’t cared enough to ask. Whether she was married, divorced, or in-between hadn’t mattered.
Instead of telling her the reason for their lunch and making the outrageous offer waiting on his tongue, he pushed ahead, following his curiosity. “I really would like to know more about you.”
“More than nothing, you mean? Why the sudden interest?”
“I know you aren’t married or shacking up. Are you involved?”
“Are you asking if there is someone I fancy?” Her eyes narrowed. “Are you hitting on me, Mr. Grayson? I don’t care how much money you pay me. I will not sleep with you.”
He gestured to her bare left hand. “When you came to work for me, you wore a wedding band. It took me a while, but I figured out you weren’t married. You worked into the night without complaint, and you never called anyone to tell them you’d be home late. Then six months ago, the wedding band vanished.”
She used her right hand to cover the left in a protective gesture. “With all due respect, my marital status is none of your business, Mr. Grayson.”
“Chase,” he automatically corrected her. “I need to know if you are seeing someone, particularly if you’re in love. Believe me, I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t a dire situation.”
“Diresituation? I’ve never known you to be a drama queen.”
“Answer me,” he demanded with a little more force than he had intended. “Then I’ll answeryourquestion. I’ll tell you why I called you here.”
Her soft lips compressed into a hard line.
He waited.
She sipped her tea.
“Tell me,” he said in a softer voice. “I need to know.”
Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she nibbled on it for a moment. The action drew his gaze to her mouth, and he wondered what she would taste like. Tea and cookies? That morning’s coffee? The minty gum she sometimes chewed on?
She stared at something across the street instead of meeting his gaze. “I married young.”
“Marriage didn’t live up to your expectations?”
She turned her head sharply to look straight at him. Her eyes were wet with unshed tears, and her lower lip quivered. The raw emotion on her face knocked him out of his comfort zone. He disliked weepy women. They made him feel helpless, and Graysons did not deal well with that particular state of being. They preferred to be in control of every situation.
“Married life was wonderful... at the beginning.”
“Did he change? I’ve heard people drastically change after they say,I do. That’s why my motto is,I don’t.”
He was trying to lighten the mood, perhaps even make her smile again, but her mood remained somber.
“He didn’t change, not in the way you mean.” She blinked rapidly. “Phillip died from Cancer.”
Chase didn’t know what to say to that, but the news didn’t surprise him. Katie had a deep sadness in her eyes, and he’d taken note of it lately. Since it wasn’t his business, he hadn’t asked personal questions. He hadn’t wanted to know anything about her outside the office... until now.
She met his gaze head-on. “I do not want to talk about my husband or his death. If you persist in asking, I will walk away right now.”
“Understood.”
“What is this all about?” She motioned to the table. “Why are we here? What do you want from me?”
“You still haven’t answeredmyquestion. Are you in love? Falling in love? Anywhere close to it?”