Page 43 of Snowed In with the Bosses

I didn’t agree with his line of thinking, but I respected him enough to go along. For now. It was early days still, and we had no concrete proof that Allan had done anything wrong. “Nothing. Bastard figured out how to use an untraceable number.” I ran my thumb over my phone, the surge of anger my welcome friend as I scanned the screenshots Clara had sent me. The text message made me want to tear something apart and cuddle Clara close, the dichotomy of the two emotions wreaking havoc on my body. I’d doubled my workout this morning and still couldn’t keep the anger at bay.

Three hours later, we walked out of the council meeting with our heads held high and smiles all around. Clara’s face glowed with pride.

“You were amazing.” I kept my hands to myself but let my voice carry. “You had them eating out of your hand.”

“Wasn’t that hard.” She shrugged but her smile widened and she did a little twirl right there on the sidewalk, causing her skirt to flare out around her knees. “After all our prep work, the hardest thing I had to do was make sure I focused on the facts and figures while letting the architecture speak for itself.”

“Don’t play down your part.” Liam closed in from Clara’s right, sandwiching her between us.

“He’s right.” Alexander spoke up from my other side. “It’s okay to take pride in your work.”

“And watching you take them all on was incredible.” I held out a hand, offering to help her back into the car. “Let’s go celebrate.”

Snow lingered on the sidewalk and dotted the buildings, lining the windows in white. It was a picturesque landscape as Silverbrook prepared for Christmas and the upcoming new year. And it gave me an idea. “Lunch at Anthony’s?”

Alexander and Liam agreed, while Clara paused, her palm in mine. “Anthony’s? I’ve never been there.”

“They have a great brunch menu,” Liam said with a wink. “Anything from pancakes to steak.”

“Yum.” She eased into the car and pulled her skirt down over her legs.

“I’m driving.” I held out my hand to Alexander, and he passed over the keys without argument.

Fifteen minutes later, I pulled the car into Anthony’s parking lot. Clara looked around, her eyes rounding at the outside tables decorated with Christmas lights. A giant tree stood beside the doors, twinkling beneath thousands of white lights and silver ornaments.

“Wow.” She exited the car and stood waiting for us to join her.

Liam reached out to touch her but let his hand fall at a look from Alexander. No touching in public. We’d established thatrule while snowed in with Clara. No one outside the four of us could know about our affair. We’d lose everything, including Clara, if this turned sour.

Liam’s grimace puckered his mouth. He smoothed a hand over his cheek and forced levity into his tone. “Wait until you see the inside. And the food…” He held a hand over his heart. “To die for.”

“I certainly hope it doesn’t come to that.” Clara’s laugh cut off abruptly when Liam opened the door and the sweet cinnamon and charred steak aroma drifted out. “Okay. I’m starting to understand what you mean.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes with a rapturous look on her face.

Alexander, Liam, and I shared a mutual groan. Being in public with Clara and keeping my hands to myself was going to be harder than I thought.

A man in a red apron approached us at the door, grinned, and led us to a table near the back of the restaurant. He gave Liam a once over. “Nice suit.”

Liam didn’t even look down or touch the material like someone uncertain of their clothing choice would. He returned the smile. “It’s one of a kind.”

“I can see why.” The man walked away, still grinning.

Clara scooted into the seat closest to the window and plucked a breadstick from the basket that arrived via another man in a red apron. “How do you pull off colors like that?” She motioned at Liam’s vibrant purple and black ensemble. “It should be garish, but you make it look fashionable.”

“It’s a gift.” Liam unbuttoned his suit jacket and slid a hand into his pocket, his jacket tucked behind his wrist. “As is this.”

Clara’s eyes widened, her mouth rounding in an O as the breadstick dangled from her fingertips. “That’s unfair.” Pink infused her cheeks. “I never should have told you that was sexy.”

“Oh, but we’re glad you did.” Alexander winked and settled across from her.

Our host returned and we wasted no time ordering our favorites. Clara listened to us, checked the menu, then ordered a sampler platter so she could try a bit of everything. It was one of the adorable things I loved about her. She was not afraid to go after what she wanted. It made her a powerhouse today in the meeting and the best lover I’d ever had.

“When do you think we’ll break ground on Harrington’s project?” Clara tore into the breadstick with gusto.

Alexander looked to me to answer. “I’d estimate a month or more. They might make a decision today, but they’ll dither over the semantics and draw it out as long as they can.”

“Plus the holidays and cold,” Liam added. “We’re looking at early spring before things get crazy busy.”

“We’ll finalize everything while we wait. Make sure Harrington is on board with all our designs and start getting contracts drawn up.” Alexander sat back as his food arrived and watched Clara through the steam billowing off his meal.

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