Living the Charade
‘Try me.’
He thought she would reject his offer, but she heaved a resigned sigh.
‘It’s not rocket science, Valentino. I grew up poor with a father who thought the grass was always greener on the other side and a mother who was uneducated. My mother had to work two jobs to put me through a private school so that I would have opportunities she never had. My making partner would mean everything to her.’
‘What does it mean to you?’
He saw her throat move as she swallowed. ‘The same.’
‘So you dreamt of being a corporate dynamo when you were a little girl?’
He’d meant to sound light, friendly, but Miller didn’t take it that way.
‘We can’t all have exciting careers like yours.’
Her sheer defensiveness made him realise she was hiding something from him. ‘Interesting response.’
‘I expect it was easy for you,’ Miller prevaricated. ‘Your father raced.’
‘You think because my father was a racing champion my career choice was easy?’
‘I don’t know. Was it?’
‘My father died on the track when I was fifteen. My mother still buys me medical textbooks for Christmas in the hope I’ll change careers.’
She laughed, as he’d wanted her to do, but the pain of his father’s death startled him with its intensity. It was as if the crash had just happened—as if a sticking plaster had just been peeled off a festering wound.
Ruthlessly shutting down his emotions he fell back on his raconteur style. ‘Astronaut.’
‘What?’
‘Your childhood dream.’
‘No.’ She shook her head at his cajoling tone.
‘Lap dancer?’
‘Very funny.’
Some of the tension left her shoulders, but Tino still felt claustrophobic.
Jumping to his feet, he fetched a baseball cap from his travel bag. ‘Let’s go.’
‘Where?’
‘I don’t know. A drive.’ It was something that always calmed him.
She looked dubious. ‘You go. I have work to do.’
‘And all work and no play makes Miller a dull girl. Come on. It will refresh you.’
Miller sighed. ‘You’re like a steamroller when you want something. You know that?’
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘SORRY, I only have one baseball cap,’ Valentino said, holding the car door open for her.
‘That’s okay. My fame hasn’t reached small seaside towns yet.’
He grinned at her lame joke and for some reason she felt better. Though she wasn’t really interested in feeling better. What she wanted was TJ’s signature on the bottom line of a contract and the weekend to be over. And not necessarily in that order.
She sighed, turning her mind away from work for once. ‘Why do celebrities wear baseball caps to hide their identity?’
‘Because Lyons bought all the Akubras?’
Miller burst out laughing, suddenly enjoying the fact that he was relaxed and casual. So much simpler than being uptight and serious. So much freer... Maybe there was something to recommend the casual approach sometimes.
She noticed people looking at the silver bullet as they drove down through the main part of the town. ‘Bet you wish you’d brought my car now.’
He grinned. ‘We’ll park around a corner.’
‘What if someone steals it?’
‘Dante has insurance.’
‘And Dante is...?’
‘My elder brother.’
‘What are your sisters’ names?’
She sensed more than saw his pause. ‘Katrina and Deanna.’
She was about to ask him another question when he pulled the car into an empty car space and jumped out. Was that another topic of conversation that was out of bounds?
She wondered why he didn’t like talking about his family and then decided to let it go. She had to remember that he wasn’t with her because he wanted to be, and talking about their personal histories wasn’t part of that. Nor was what had happened on the beach, but she didn’t regret it. The way he had touched her had been indescribably good.
‘Where are we going?’ Better not to think about something she’d rather not dwell on.
‘Window shopping.’
Miller raised an eyebrow. ‘You like window shopping?’
‘I’m looking for something.’
Narrow Victorian-era seaside shops overlaid with modern updates and sweetly dressed cafés advertising Devonshire teas lined the quaint street.