“Garrett? Wrong?” Grinning, he leaned in closer. “You’ve got my attention. What do you see?”
Here was her chance. To show him what she could do. “Do you and your brother compete on everything?”
“Absolutely.”
“All righty then,” she said, shaking her head. “Well, you’re going to love this.”
“Show me.”
She used a pen to point at a single line in Garrett’s notes. “Garrett’s suggested using four men around the sapphire collection.”
“Yeah, so?”
“The sapphires, while gorgeous, let me just say, aren’t exactly the centerpiece of the collection.”
He frowned, but he was watching her with a calculated gaze, as if seeing her in a whole new light. “What is, then?”
“There’s a brooch. A really old, really ugly brooch.” Nicole fought down the nerves jumping inside her and kept her voice cool as she tapped her finger on the grainy photo. The brooch was a swirl of small stones, set into a starburst pattern that then wrapped around a central piece made to look like a clutch of lilies. “It’s not pretty at all, but it was a gift from Marie Antoinette to the ancestor of the guy who’s loaning them to the museum.”
He looked like he wanted to argue and then he said, “But the sapphires are—”
“Gorgeous, and yes,” Nicole interrupted before he could speak up, “easily sold off on the black market. But Marie’s brooch would make most private collectors sit up and beg for a chance to own it.”
“Good point,” Griffin said. “I would have seen that eventually, of course…”
“Oh, of course.”
“I’m gonna ride Garrett, though, because he didn’t notice what you did. So, you see anything else?”
Pleased at the gleam of approval in his eyes, Nicole grabbed another sheet of paper and started to make a list. “The rubies should be shown near the sapphires, of course, because the color compositions will complement each other.”
“Naturally.”
“Two men on each display,” she continued, making notations as her ideas began to fly. “With four stationed around Marie’s brooch. Then you’ve got the diamond room.” She paused to sigh over the pictures that didn’t do the stones justice. “Tiaras, bracelets, a necklace with more than thirty-five carats of diamonds hanging by slender threads of gold…” She stopped and put a hand to her chest. “Excuse me, I’m having a personal moment here.”
He laughed. “I never would have guessed that you loved jewelry.” He picked up her left hand. “You don’t wear any, except for those tiny gold hoops at your ears.”
She pulled her hand free, embarrassed to be caught drooling over faxed images of priceless jewels. The only jewelry she’d ever worn had been her wedding ring. That thought brought up memories of the man who’d walked away without a glance backward. The man who’d been a player—as Griffin was—she reminded herself.
“I don’t exactly go places where jewelry is necessary. Doesn’t mean I can’t admire them.”
“You should be draped in diamonds,” he whispered, his eyes suddenly smoky and filled with a heat she recognized.
“I don’t want diamonds,” she whispered. But oh, God, she’d love to have the man who was right now staring at her as if he could eat her up.
“Maybe that’s why I want to give them to you.”
Not permanent, her mind echoed, replaying a couple of the words that she’d overheard Griffin say to his twin. It was enough to stiffen her spine, thank God. “Contrary to the end, huh?”
He gave her that half smile. “Part of my charm.”
“Is that what that is?” she asked.
“Admit it, I’ve got you right where I want you.”
Oh, he really did, she thought, wondering just how she’d come to this place. She’d gone into it for the fun, but now, that fun had become something else. He already had one foot out the metaphorical door and she— Nicole froze as realization crashed down on her. Oh, God. She was falling in love.
Something she’d planned to never do again.
Her heartbeat thundered so fiercely in her chest, she was surprised that Griffin couldn’t hear it. There was a knot in her throat threatening to cut off her air. Her mind was churning and not coming up with any idea at all to help her find her way out of this. Worst part? This whole situation had been her idea. And now she was caught in her own trap.
“Hey,” Griffin said, laying one hand on her arm. “You okay? You went sort of white.”
“I’m fine.” Liar, liar. She really wasn’t anywhere close to fine. She was as far from fine as she could possibly get. “I’m just…I don’t know.”
“It’s probably dealing with all those numbers,” he teased. “Always does it to me.”
She forced a smile she didn’t feel. Her insides were twisted up and tangled. Her heart ached as if something was squeezing it. And she knew, deep in her bones, that this pain was just the beginning.
There was much more coming. Soon.
But she wouldn’t let him know. Wouldn’t let him see that she had been stupid enough to fall in love with a man who was no doubt already preparing his “See you later, take care” speech. So Nicole took a deep breath and told herself firmly to hold it together. Focus on the math, she thought. Just concentrate on the task at hand and get through this moment and into the next. That was all she could do at this point.
“Funny,” she said, “numbers do the opposite for me. Let’s just finish the job, okay?”
He frowned a little, his blue eyes narrowing on her face. “Okay. I’m not crazy enough to turn down help when it’s offered. But—”
She cut him off. If he was nice to her, she might break. If he was tender or sweet or romantic right now, it would do her in. She might blurt out that her feelings for him had changed. That she didn’t feel temporary. That she wanted…more. Might actually make the huge mistake of saying the L word, and where would that lead? To disaster. Pure and simple.
She knew how he felt already. She’d heard him talking to Garrett, hadn’t she? She wasn’t permanent. He felt sorry for Connor.
Oh, God. Connor. Losing Griffin was going to be so confusing for him. He wouldn’t understand that Griffin had only been in his life temporarily. That he’d been the object of pity. Her heart hurt for Connor, and she wondered if she shouldn’t just pull back from Griffin now. Do what she could to make this easier on her son, if not on her. But would hurrying his hurt make it easier to understand? And how could she leave now anyway? Her house was still not ready, and she couldn’t afford to go anywhere else.