Page 9 of Overnight Inheritance

Mae Dunstan really was the most skeptical person he’d ever met. He liked that about her. “It just seems like the fastest way to cut through all the suspicion and speculation.”

“What would shadowing entail, exactly?”

“You’d sit in on meetings and appointments. I’ll have calls on speaker, and you can read anything I work on.” It might be weird and awkward at times, but she and her brother owned half the business, which would make it easy enough to explain her presence.

“If you’re hiding something, wouldn’t you just plan that only things you’re willing for me to see would be on your schedule for that week?”

Alfie began to fuss, so Seb pulled the plush elephant from his pocket and handed it to him. “You’re smart,” he said to Mae. “You’ll work out if I’m trying to defer appointments to the next week or not taking calls from certain people.”

Mae watched Alfie for a beat, then looked back to him. “What sort of access to information do I get?”

She was wavering. He gave her the most charming of his smiles. “You can ask me anything, and I promise to share as much information as I have. Also, you can ask the rest of the staff anything and have free access to all files.”

In fact, the more she asked, and the more understanding she gained of the business, the faster she’d realize she was out of her depth and agree to sell the company to him. He’d answer every question she had, and then some. Drown her in answers. She expected him to be underhanded, but there was no need to be when the truth would do a better job.

“What do you get out of it?” she asked, her chin tipping up.

He met her gaze squarely and answered sincerely. “I’m hoping you’ll find that, not only do I have nothing to hide, but once the veil is ripped away, you’ll see that property development isn’t the most exciting line of work. I predict that, at the end of the week, you’ll be more inclined to sell to me.”

She pressed her lips together and a dimple appeared on her cheek. Then she nodded. “Okay, I accept. But just so you know, it’s only because I want to see what you’re up to.”

“You’re not very trusting,” he said, trying not to grin and failing.

She shrugged. “Family trait. When do you want to do it?”

“Whenever you have time is fine by me.”

“This week?” She tucked some strands of flyaway hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear.

“Sure.” He’d see if his assistant could reschedule his Monday morning to give him some time to bring Mae up to speed, but since that was the only change he’d make to his week, the timing didn’t matter much. “When are you headed back?”

She chewed on her bottom lip before replying, “I don’t have a firm plan yet. As I said, the others already left.”

“You’re welcome to travel back with Alfie and me,” he said. Alfie usually slept most of the way, and it would be an early start to the plan to overload her with the honest reality of the company. “I’ll be driving back tomorrow afternoon.”

She regarded him for a long moment, then nodded. “Okay.”

“Great.” Sebastian let out a long breath. He’d achieved his goal, but part of him wondered if Mae had somehow gained the upper hand.

Mae fiddled with the seat belt in Sebastian’s SUV. Alfie had fallen asleep within minutes of leaving, and she and Sebastian had made polite small talk, but her tolerance for chitchat was low, and she’d about reached her limit. Especially since sitting this close to him was making her restless. His woodsy cologne was drifting across the confined space, filling her senses, and every time he checked his mirrors before overtaking a car, or his hand moved to activate his turn signal, he seemed even closer and her skin buzzed.

For the past day and a half, she’d drifted around Sarah’s weekend home, thinking about Sebastian and the coming week. With no one there to distract her, she’d thought about him more than she otherwise would have. A couple of video calls to friends back home in Australia had diverted her attention for short periods, but her thoughts always returned to this man beside her. To the fall of his wavy hair over his forehead. The way his lips moved as he talked, shaping themselves around the words, or pulling out into a smile. The warmth that bloomed under her skin every time he fixed those blue, blue eyes on hers.

But an alarm at the back of her brain had been sounding since he’d made his offer. No, before that. It had probably started when she confronted him at his front door and he hadn’t reacted as she’d expected.

Don’t form a crush on Sebastian Newport.

Her life had been turned upside down—she was in a new country, staying with family she hadn’t known existed a few months ago, had inherited more money than she could have imagined, and she had no idea what she was doing. This was the very worst time to develop a crush on anyone, but the person who seemed to be at the center of so much of it? The person Sarah and Heath both told her was the enemy? Yeah, he’d be a stupid person to crush on.

If only her heart didn’t beat a little faster every time he was near...

“When does our deal kick in?” she blurted out, needing to stop her thought spiral.

“The shadowing?” He glanced at the rearview mirror, then back to the road. “I get into the office at about eight tomorrow, so whenever you arrive after that.”

She was looking forward to that. Heath had already visited the office, and now she wanted a turn to visit it on her own, to look around and form her own opinions. “What about the questions? You said I could ask anything.”

“We have a drive ahead of us, and we may as well use that time constructively, so I’m happy to answer questions now, if that’s what you’re asking.”

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