Sunrise Kisses (The Kisses 8)

Realizing that I was now staring, I quickly looked back and the table, hoping my blush wasn't too obvious.

“It's still a beautiful table, and it is in Alexander Roux's style. It could be that someone suspected he was the maker and wanted to increase the value of the piece, so they added the signature themselves.” I was rambling now, trying to explain myself. It didn't help that I was now thinking very clearly of how I had tried to tackle him last night. How was I going to explain that to my father? And now I had just told him his table was a fake. I was the best employee ever. “Even with the fake signature, I would still expect it to fetch around ten thousand at auction.”

When I looked back up, he had silently crossed the large room and was now standing in front of me. It was hard to be this close to such a powerful man and not shake, especially when I found him even more attractive up close. His frown was tight, as he must have been displeased with my findings.

“Miss Fairchild, I presume.” His voice was stern and hard as he held out his hand.

I took it, giving him the firmest, most professional handshake I could muster. Unfortunately, my blush was searing up my chest and lighting my cheeks. I couldn't believe that I had just knocked off fifteen thousand dollars off one of his antiques and then stared at him like a star-struck teenager. It was looking like my second impression wasn't much better than my first.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, sir,” I managed, feeling tongue-tied and awkward. He had so much class and poise that it left me fumbling for words. I wasn't quite sure what I was supposed to say. I had technically already met him last night, and again this morning.

He nodded, releasing my hand. My skin tingled from where we had touched, but if he felt anything similar, his face didn't show it. If anything, he seemed more guarded and stern.

“Carl Fairchild,” my father said, extending his hand. “If your appraiser missed the signature, I do hope you found another before he got too far.”

Mr. Belrose took his hand. “That's why I hired you. According to the head of the Society of Appraisers, you are the best at what you do. You and your staff come highly recommended.”

My father's chest puffed out slightly in pride. “Thank you, sir. I'd like to think that we are.” He wrapped a heavy arm over my shoulder. “My daughter here is certainly the best art appraiser I've ever met.”

Mr. Belrose's blue-gray eyes went to mine again, entangling me in their smoky depths. I couldn't help but wonder what he thought of me. I was just glad that he wasn't bringing up last night. I glanced at my father, but Mr. Belrose gave me just the slightest of head shakes. I nodded. As far as anyone else was concerned, last night didn't happen. I didn't want my father to know, and he didn't want Charlotte to know.

“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” Mr. Belrose said, breaking off his gaze and looking at my father instead. “If either of you need anything, please let Charlotte know.”

I wished I wasn't blushing so hard. I wished I had been more polite about dismissing the signature on the piece. I wished I hadn't tried to tackle him, though at least now we had a shared secret. I wished I had been able to brush my teeth after breakfast before standing in front of Mr. Belrose with coffee breath.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much I could do about any of those things at this point.

Mr. Belrose evaluated both of us for a moment, his gray eyes taking in every detail and filing it away. My stomach churned, wondering what he must think of the unkempt, flippant girl in front of him. I wanted to melt into the floor. He turned to leave, stopping to speak with Charlotte as he crossed

the tiled floor.

“Miss Page, please remind them about the study,” he said softly to his assistant. It was just loud enough for me to make out the words. I had a feeling that wasn't a mistake. The man didn't seem capable of making a mistake.

“Don't worry, boss,” she told him with a grin. “Now, get going or you'll be late for your meeting.”

He nodded and continued his walk to the front door. Without another word, he opened it and stepped outside, leaving me staring after him and trying to figure him out.

He had this fancy, over-the-top house that he was selling for some reason. No one had said why yet, and since it really wasn't any of my business, I hadn't asked. Yet, the kitchen didn't match and he had a secret study that no one was allowed in. The man was the CEO of a billion dollar company, but he paddle-boarded out on the ocean by himself every morning, and didn't want his assistant to know he had broken a board he could obviously afford.

He intrigued me. There was something about him that made me want to know more, something about the way he held himself and the self confidence he radiated that made me curious about him. I shook my head. He was a mystery, but one that I knew I should stay away from. He was a billionaire and way out of my league.

“Interesting fellow, your boss,” my father said after the door closed. I couldn't help but agree.

“That he is,” Charlotte replied, putting on a fresh smile. “But, you just impressed him.”

“Impressed him?” I nearly laughed. “I just devalued a possible Alexander Roux.”

Charlotte chuckled. “And you think he didn't know that? Why do you think it's sitting out here as the first thing you would see? It was a test and you passed with flying colors.”

I opened my mouth and then closed it. It was a clever tactic, and one that had worked incredibly well. If he wanted to make sure we were going to do the appraisal correctly, putting the false signature was a good way to test our skills. I smiled slightly, suddenly proud that I had passed a test I didn't know I was taking.

“Well, well. I guess that's why he's the billionaire,” Dad mused. He turned to me. “We better get working, kiddo. There's a lot to do.”

I looked around at the big house, stopping at the door Mr. Belrose had just left out of. “Yes, we do,” I murmured, but my mind wasn't paying attention to my father anymore. It was thinking of Sebastian Belrose and how I couldn't quite put him together.

He was a puzzle, but one I wasn't worthy of solving.

So, I smiled at my father and headed into my room to solve the puzzles that I knew I could solve. Time to appraise some art.