Page 74 of Greed

I smile at her description of Rook. “I suppose I could take a quick look.”

She rips the envelope open before yanking out a stack of papers. Without even glancing at them, she slides them toward me.

My gaze drops to the top page. I recognize Rook’s signature at the bottom. I skim the text, noting that it’s the standard letter attached to every proposal.

Mrs. Collymore reaches forward to tap a finger to the corner of it. “Get to the good stuff.”

Laughing, I flip over the page before I glance at her. “You’re sure you want my opinion?”

“Very sure.”

I quickly read the proposal, circling back to look over the terms for a second time.

“Well,” she draws that word out. “What do you think?”

I drop the papers on the table. “I think it’s a solid offer, but it’s not there yet.”

Her chin nods softly. “Then it’s a firm no from me.”

I slide the papers toward her. “You should look it over, though. Rook would want that.”

She picks them up to flip the stack over. “I don’t need to.”

Surprised, I feel a shot of panic race through me. “It will only take a second.”

She shakes her head. “You’re the only one from the firm who comes here to see me. You take time out of your schedule to visit me and listen to me drone on about my plants.”

I can’t help but smile. “I’m fascinated by your plants. Today, I learned that I might be able to keep a plant alive. Before I got here, I didn’t even know a pothos plant existed. Now, I know it might be the perfect plant for me.”

She lets out a full belly laugh. “That’s what I’m talking about, Abby. You stop by, listen, and today you did something no one has done in a long time.”

“What did I do?”

Her hand snakes across the wooden table to pat the top of mine. “You had dinner with me.”

I bite back the emotion that surges through me. “I enjoyed it. I truly did.”

“I know,” she says with a soft nod. “That’s how I know you’re being honest when you tell me to pass on this latest offer. If you think there’s room for improvement, I believe there is too.”

“There is,” I say, even though I know Mr. Thorsen would be pissed to hear me offer my opinion.

“I’ll call your boss in the morning and tell him to get his ass in gear and get me a better offer.” She winks. “I promise I’ll keep your name out of it.”

“Thank you.” I smile. “I appreciate that.”

“Now that we’ve settled that, let’s talk about you.” Her eyes brighten. “Is there a boyfriend in the picture?”

I take a second to consider the question. “Kind of.”

Her eyebrows perk. “That’s a story I’d like to hear.”

A nervous laugh escapes me. “There’s not much of a story there. I met a man one night. We hit it off and hang out sometimes.”

Her hand moves to the center of her chest. She taps her fingertips over a button on the front of her dress. “Does your heart go pitter-patter when youhang outwith this man?”

I mimic her movement, but instead of a light tap of my fingertips, I pat my palm against my chest. “It goes boom, boom, boom.”

“That, my dear, is the seed of love being planted in there.”

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