"Oh, it might be," she admitted. "I just wanted to see your face."
"I don't have time to go throughevery single thingwith you," I said, stating the obvious.
"Then I guess you'll just know the overall plan, and you’ll have to trust me on the rest. I'm going to throw the perfect party for your grandmother. Tomorrow, I was thinking you and I could chat about her. I want a bit of insider information, just so I know what makes her tick, what things she usually likes, what makes her happy. She's told me what she wants for the party, but I find in life, and in parties, it's the little things that give the final touch, that create that unexpected rush of happiness."
I was pleasantly surprised by the warmth in her voice when she spoke about my grandmother. But again, I hadn't dealt with one person who met Jeannie Whitley and didn't love her. My grandmother was a warm person who instantly made friends.
She was also usually a great judge of character—except when it came to her son, of course, but my father had fooled everyone. Still, I was going to ask her why she'd hired Natalie specifically. Her lack of official experience still didn't sit right with me.
"Don’t worry. That was another threat. What are you doing tomorrow?" she asked.
"I planned to relax."
She chuckled. "You say that like your plan just went up in smoke."
"Natalie, I usually come here alone."
"Oh, and I’m cramping your style. It’s okay. I'll inspect the property and not make a sound. And you have brothers, correct?"
"Yes."
"Well, I’m betting at least one of them will be more eager to talk than you are. I’ll ask Jeannie if it's okay to contact them to get all the information I wanted on her."
I took a sip of red wine after finishing my last bite of steak. "So, you’ve already given up on me?"
She winked. "I know a lost cause when I see one. I’ll let you do your yoga or whatever it is you do when you come on your retreat. And then, in the evening, I’ll be out of your hair." She groaned, and her smile fell. "Crap, I should go to a pharmacy to buy something for motion sickness before I leave tomorrow."
"I already instructed the driver to bring you a bracelet for nausea and some pills."
"Thank you," she muttered before lowering her gaze to the plate. I couldn't read her, and that drove me insane. One second, she acted like I was the biggest asshole. In the next, she seemed completely taken aback by what I said. As soon as she downed her glass of wine, she rose to her feet. "If you don't mind, I'm going to look around the property this evening, get an idea of how it looks at sundown and so on."
"I'll show you the best part for the sunset," I said, keeping my eyes on her face. It was more difficult when she was standing. She was so fucking sexy that I wanted to drink her up continuously. Her waist was small, but the curves of her ass and breasts were generous and absolutely delicious.
"You just told me that you like to spend your time here alone."
"As you pointed out, I’ll be alone tomorrow evening."
She flashed me a smile that was different than the one before.
"Okay. Then lead the way, Jake."
"So, you’ve decided we're staying on a first-name basis," I teased as I opened the french doors to the terrace.
"No, that's still under consideration. But for now we seem to have reached a truce."
I was having more fun this evening than I'd had in the past decade of my life. Natalie was a breath of fresh air. Despite my reservations about Grandmother’s decision, I respected Natalie. She was tenacious.
"This is the perfect place for the sunset," she murmured.
"Oh no, it’s in the right direction, but there’s an even better one. Come on."
I looked at her feet. She was wearing flat shoes, which would work well for our walk. "You're well equipped. Come on. Let's go."
"Okay," she said, hesitantly descending the steps. We went off the alleyway and into the grass leading into the thuja trees. There was an uphill path leading between a patch in the evergreens.
"I discovered it by accident when I was running one evening. I thought I heard noises coming from that direction. Turned out it was just a bird coming back to build on its nest."
"Oh, just a bit of a workout before going to bed," she murmured as we climbed.