Page 25 of A Christmas Bargain

She winced. “She’s really got to work on that.”

“On what?”

“Being so nosy.”

I frowned. “She’s a kid!”

“Who can go overboard with the questions sometimes.” She shrugged, feigning innocence.

“She’s just curious.” And I was confident she’d grow out of that phase.

After Stacy left to go back to work, I tried to hold my excitement in check. Yes, I was looking forward to seeing Claire again. But I was especially looking forward to being able to have “adult” time with her. Naomi was in school for a couple more hours, and I was glad to be able to have a talk with Claire without her interruptions. Not because I didn’t like how she asked a lot of questions. Not because she was sometimes too chatty when the mood struck and could sound like a walking encyclopedia. But because I seldom had time away from her.

When Jenna didn’t make it from giving birth—a complicated mess that the doctors worked so hard to avoid—it was just the two of us. Me and Naomi. We were close, and always together, so it felt like a rare difference when I could do something without her. To not be Daddy, but Derek.

I retired early because I was fortunate and blessed with the results of working hard and wisely. I had over a billion to spend, a sum I’d never use up in my lifetime. While I didn’t have to have a job, except being a father, the school days were short. After I dropped Naomi off at school, I managed the house and land. Most days, I helped Nicky with his carpentry business. And then it was time for picking up Naomi again.

As I left the café and walked down toward the coffee shop on Main, where I told Claire that I’d meet her, I mused that it didn’tmatter if I was talking to Claire without my daughter around. I already knew that she’d definitely passed the Naomi test.

And that’s why I’m here now.I sighed, shoving my hands into my pockets as I strolled.

It was because of Naomi’s interest in Claire that I wanted to know more about her. Why I wanted to know more beyond what I could read about online.

Deep down, I knew I was borrowing trouble, posing as a seller. She was clearly a businesswoman, and I doubted she’d appreciate that I was leading her on to think that I’d part with any of my land. Someday, I could sell some, but not much, and not now.

It’s not like I’m promising her anything…

I was careful with how I worded my email. I didn’t come out and say that I was actively trying to sell anything. We were supposed to be meeting with a vague and loose goal of chatting, a simple discussion that could go any which way.

Right?

I grimaced, fully aware that wasn’t true. It was shitty of me to play games like this, to mislead her into thinking this would be a talk all about business.

But it’s the only way to get ahold of her.

Once I saw her, and once some of that new shine that came with being attracted to a lovely woman would dim.

She’d captured my eye at the market, but that didn’t necessarily mean the luster would last.

It’s just a chance to talk. Nothing more.

For all I knew, she might be completely different without Naomi here as a buffer. For all I knew, she might be exactly like all the other women my sister was pushing my way. Claire, heaven forbid, could end up preying on me and being just as eager as Mackenzie was.

There was only one way to know. One way to find out.

I spotted her walking down the sidewalk up ahead, and the sight of her in another prim and proper pantsuit did nothing to discourage me.

I blew out a deep breath, worried I was playing a game—with myself.

One I might not be able to win.

I wasn’t ready to date anyone, but this woman just might be the exception I needed.

My heart felt lighter. My lips curved into a smile. I held up my hand to catch her attention.

At the first glance at me, raising her brows in surprise, she slowly grinned… relighting that spark of attraction that hadn’t lessened since I last saw her mere days ago.

9

---