Page 19 of The Widower
“Do you need anything?” she asked in a soft voice when I stepped closer.
I noticed a flicker of apprehension on her face when we stood near each other. It’s obvious she’s afraid of me—nervous, reluctant, whatever. Doesn’t matter.
“What are you doing Saturday?”I asked.
“Excuse me?”
I sighed.
“You heard me. Want me to say it again?”
“Usually I’m with Hanna on Saturdays.”
“I need you,” I said gently. “I mean, I need a favor. Could you help me?”
“Of course. What do you want?”
“I need a date for a small meeting about a project of mine.”
“You’re actually working on a project? I never said this, but I’m a fan, and—”
“Isabelle, for God’s sake! Let’s focus on what matters!” I snapped, irritated.
No, I didn’t like being a bitter, emotionless, stupid man, but it’s part of who I am—stronger than I am.
“All right,” she whispered.
“And…?”
“I’ll talk to my mother so she can stay with Hanna for a while, and… I’ll go with you, if you still want me to,” she said, clearly upset. She sounded like she was agreeing under duress.
I had to fix this.
“You’ll get a cash bonus at the end of the month—think of it like overtime, or something.”
“I don’t want anything like that.”
“Isabelle…”
“Is that all, or do you want anything else, Colin?”
The way she stretched my name out let me hear how furious she was, and because of that I studied her face more closely.
She’s a pretty, attractive young woman, and years ago I would’ve done anything to have her. But I’m not the man I was back then, and I don’t want to be.
“No. You’re dismissed. I’ll stop by your house around eight. I have all your details.”
She nodded and then went out to the mansion’s exterior.
ISABELLE CAMPBELL
I managed to get through another day.
It’s not usual for me to celebrate a successful day at work, but now that I work for Colin Adams, I do it every day.
Back home, I remembered I needed to talk to my mother about Saturday—I'll have to help Colin. It never crossed my mind that this would be a date; quite the opposite, his words had been crystal clear with me.Besides, there’s no way he’d ever ask me out, not knowing him like I do.
“Mom, I need you to watch Hanna for a few hours on Saturday night. I’m going out with Colin to help him with a small meeting, just so you know.”
