Page 17 of Colton's Secret Weapon
Dove slid down to the floor, her back against the wall, but kept her eyes wide open and trained on Mitchell. “I was more worried that he’s hurt himself,” she said. “He’s usually able to carry on, drive on the right side of the road even, when he’s been drinking—not that I ever,evercondone him doing so—but he was pretty beaten up yesterday. Missing my mom. And then, with me getting him to sign that contract… Do you think he’d, you know, hurt himself on purpose?”
The meaning behind her question was completely clear to him. As was his answer. “I do not. Your mother’s death has hit Whaler hard. He’s in a bad spot, I grant you that, but a man like him, he just keeps going until he doesn’t. He gets up every day. He comes to work when he’s supposed to be here. And I’d bet you a hundred bucks that he’s never forgotten to tell youHappy Birthday.”
Her gaze widened, and a full smile broke out on her face. “You’re good,” she said softly.
Relief flooded him, and Mitchell sat back, prepared to wait the hour out with her and then make his phone call. “You aren’t taking my bet?”
“Hell, no. I don’t have the hundred to spare.”
He did.
And he’d give it willingly—more than once—to see that smile stay on her face.
Unfortunately the fates she was so fond of didn’t always provide smiling moments. No matter how rich you were. There were just some things money couldn’t fix.
And some things a practical lawyer would never be able to do.
Hooking up with a breezy woman like Dove St. James being top of the list.
Chapter 6
In his jeans and flannel shirt, Mitchell Colton looked a whole lot more like he belonged at St. James Boats. And in her world.
Dove didn’t kid herself into thinking that he was there to stay. But she was thankful for the time he was giving her. He had no obligation to give up his Sunday to sit with her while she waited for her father to show himself.
And yet he seemed to sense that she couldn’t talk boat business until she knew that Whaler was accounted for. Hoping her dad would join in their business meeting might be too much for her to ask, but Dove was planning to do so. Holding onto hope was how she lived, no matter how illogical she seemed sometimes, nor how unrealistic and foolish.
No matter what Mitchell Colton thought of her.
She’d never let others’ opinions of her matter. A gift instilled in her by her mother who’d taught Dove from birth to live authentically. Raising her with an awareness that she’d be far happier listening to her heart—trusting herself—rather than worrying about society’s whims, or letting those around her influence what she wore, ate or thought.
She refused to allow her sudden awareness of Mitchell Colton to change that. The feelings she’d had in the studio…and they were still lingering in the aftermath…had been nothing morethan a way to ward off negative feelings while cleaning up the results of vandalism.
“Why mooing?” Mitchell’s words fell easily between them, pulling her gaze from the doorway back to him. The lawyer seemed to have left the room. A man who was curious sat in his place.
“Mooing?” she asked, frowning.
“Your text notification.”
Right. The text with the lowball offer. “Like the devil looking for a soul to steal, the line from the song that’s his ringtone, the text notification is set just for Brad Fletcher’s number,” she clarified. And then told him, “The song reminds me instantly I’m talking to the devil, you know, since it’s real time direct contact. Text lingers. Sits there with you. So, in ancient mythology, the divine mother is represented by the cow. She is the giver of life. And it’s there to remind me that anytime that man tries to contact me the spirits are there with me, to provide what sustenance I need, while I deal with the devil. Takes away his ability to overpower me.”
She didn’t expect Mitchell to understand. But she had to assert herself fully into the air between them. She couldn’t afford to lose any part of herself to him. Not even for business purposes. If she didn’t stay true to herself, she had nothing to offer anyone.
And the attraction she felt for the lawyer…it had to be kept in its place. An anomaly. Nothing more. Unless she could find a man who respected and admired all of her, she was better off alone. Which was why she hadn’t had a date in longer than she wanted to contemplate.
“I don’t know much about ancient mythology, but setting a ringtone to trigger a mindset is kind of impressive.” Mitchell’s tone drew her gaze back to him another time. Her initial thought, that he was mocking her, had already dissipated beforeher eyes pointed straight toward his. She warmed inside all over again. It wasn’t sexual, though that awareness was there every time she looked at him now, but more spirit to spirit.
“Did it help?” he asked.
She nodded slowly, holding his gaze in an attempt to understand more about what was going on between them. Until he looked away and pulled out his phone.
Various ringtones sounded within seconds, and she continued to watch him. Not sure what to think. Experience told her he was playing with her.
Her heart told her he was being sincere.
Could she trust her emotions in the moment? With the vandalism, Fletcher’s menacing pressure, her father missing and that odd attack of sexual awareness, she most definitely needed an aura cleanse. And she definitely should not make any potentially momentous decisions until she’d had time to detoxify.
While she sat with her impressions regarding Mitchell Colton, he was engrossed with causing his phone to emit a myriad of sounds. Some soothing, some decidedly not.
