In Separate Bedrooms Read Online Free Page B

panic that made her want to turn tail and run, she knew that ploy had failed utterly!
    She grimaced. ‘I don’t actually work at the boarding-kennels, Mr—er, Jack,’ she corrected herself. Try and keep this pleasant, she instructed herself firmly.
    Who knew? There was always the possibility that he would see the funny side of this.
    Oh, yes? she instantly taunted herself. In the same circsumstances, would she?
    No, of course not—but then she would never have got herself into such a romantic tangle in the first place. But hadn’t she done exactly that—albeit unwillingly—with Richard …?
    ‘You don’t?’ Jonathan Beauchamp mused softly now. ‘Then exactly what is it that you do, Mattie?’
    He had known her first name all the time! Well … probably not all the time, she conceded, but no doubt her mother had casually dropped it into their conversation somewhere yesterday. And yet he had insisted on continuing to use the formality of her surname … Not a good sign!
    ‘I actually work for you—well, not exactly,’ she amended, ‘but you are one of my clients, and—’
    ‘Mattie, could you stop and go back a few steps?’ he interrupted her, laughter now lurking in those warm brown eyes and around those finely chiselled lips. ‘Before I go off on completely the wrong tangent, perhaps you had better tell me exactly what your profession is?’
    What did he mean, a wrong tangent? Exactly what did he imagine—?
    ‘I’m a florist, Mr Beauchamp!’ she told him coldly as a certain profession sprang to mind. ‘I am the proprietor of Green and Beautiful,’ she added for good measure, glaring at him as her thoughts lingered briefly on that other profession.
    How dared he—? How could he—? Did she
look
like—?
    Mattie’s mind went blank, her mouth dry, as she saw the dawning realization on his face—a face that was rapidly darkening with what looked suspiciously like—
    ‘Ah,’ he said slowly—as if he had suddenly been given the answer to a riddle that had been bothering him.‘In that case, could this urgent need to see me today possibly have anything to do with the mix-up concerning the cards I requested be included with the delivery of certain bouquets over the weekend …?’
    At least one of those four women had been in contact with him, after all!
    Mattie was sure she must have a sick expression back on her face. If only—
    ‘I was actually going to contact you myself later today,’ Jack Beauchamp continued, no warmth in that chocolate-brown gaze now—in fact, his whole expression had suddenly become enigmatically unreadable.
    ‘I had a feeling you might,’ Mattie acknowledged quickly.
    ‘And you thought you would circumvent that visit by coming here to see me instead?’ he prompted in that silkily soft voice.
    ‘Yes,’ she confirmed abruptly. ‘You see, I—I was checking through some papers yesterday evening, and realized I had made a terrible mistake—’
    ‘Did you indeed …?’ he interjected, standing up to move around the desk with surprising speed for such a large man. ‘Exactly
when
yesterday did you say you had realized your error?’
    Even wearing two-inch heels Mattie had to tilt her head back to look up into his face. Not that she was sure she wanted to! He was altogether too close, and she really had no idea what his mood was. Although she was sure it couldn’t be pleasant, not after the havoc she had probably wreaked in his personal life!
    ‘I told you, it was yesterday evening. I really am sorry—’
    ‘Mattie, interesting as this conversation undoubtedlyis, could we possibly continue it over dinner this evening?’ he cut in after a brief glance at his wrist-watch. ‘You see, I have a luncheon appointment in two minutes, and—’
    ‘No, we could not continue this conversation—or indeed, anything!—over dinner!’ Mattie burst out disbelievingly. In fact, she couldn’t believe he had actually asked her that!
    He raised dark brows. ‘No?’
    ‘No!’