Page 35 of Enchanting the CEO

Her mouth formed an O. "My sister said it's always done well."

"The profits weren't up to par in the early years. My father," I said, carefully weighing the word, "had an empire-building problem."

"What's that?" she asked.

"He wanted to grow the company, so he opened new businesses under Whitley Industries, shifting money from one venture to another. But he wasn't focused on profits, so naturally after he left, things were up in the air. The distillery wasn't in such dreadful shape as some of the other companies, but it wasn't the slam dunk people thought it was."

"What made you decide to take it over instead of, I don't know, opening something else?"

"I take pride in the Whitley name, no matter our past. Once Dad was out of the picture, I knew it was up to us boys to regain our status, rebuild our name. My brothers were already in charge of other branches, and I wanted to make my mark. Not just for my ego, but I knew it would make our grandparents extremely happy. It was all they ever wanted, for us to be owners of the business and legacy."

She flashed a huge smile, revealing dimples at the corners of her mouth. "That's very considerate of you. So that means you're close to your grandparents."

"Yeah, I am. Very.”

“I still don’t understand why your grandmother just up and left on Saturday.”

I chuckled. I might be digging my own grave if I voiced my thoughts, but what the hell? It relaxed me. I genuinely liked being around Diane. "First you need to know some background info. Grandmother likes to play matchmaker."

"Really? Is she any good?" Diane asked. "Can I ask her to find me someone?"

My entire body tightened at her words. I was physically rejecting the idea of Grandmother setting her up with someone. What the hell was up with that? The idea of a guy coming to the house, waiting around to take her out on dates or even going up to her room, was unacceptable. My own reaction was shocking.

"Gabe?"

"She's good," I said, ignoring her other question. "She's been successful with four of my brothers, though her involvement varied from one case to the next."

She laughed, seeming even more relaxed than usual.

"Anyway, lately she's been asking me to drive her to meet all sorts of friends and then carefully introduces me to her friends' granddaughters or nieces or what have you. At first she tried to pass it off as accidental, but then she just told me the truth to my face."

"So she had plans for you on Saturday?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"And yet she changed her mind. I wonder why.”

I had a hunch that I knew what changed Grandmother's mind, but I didn't voice that.

Our dinner arrived just then.

"This looks amazing," she said as soon as the waiter set hers down.

"Glad you think so, ma'am."

After he left, she looked up at me. "Do I look old?" she asked.

"No. Why?"

"He called me 'ma'am.' That's unexpected."

I laughed. "You don’t look old. If you looked any more gorgeous, I'd have to fight off people asking you out."

She snorted. "Don't worry, I can fight them off myself. I think I have a built-in man-repellent anyway."

I fixed my gaze on her. She seemed to feel that I was looking at her because she glanced up from her steak.

"I'm not very lucky in the dating department. I mean, this is by far the best dinner I've ever had, and it's not even a date. So who's a winner? Me."

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