Page 22 of The Match
He looked up at me and shook his head. “I have no excuse. You’re in shock, and I’m taking advantage of you.”
Huh? That’s what he’s thinking?That didn’t sound right. On the other hand, what did I know? Perhaps I was still in a recovery state, and that would explain all my strange reactions to him.
“Right.”
“Since you don’t seem to be in any danger, I’ll leave. That’s better.”
I nodded, taken aback by what just happened. “Thanks a lot for everything, Zachary.”
“If you do start to feel any symptoms like having difficulty breathing, go to the ER, okay?”
I nodded like a weirdo because I didn’t know what else to say. The man had just given me the hottest kiss of my life, and now he was giving me instructions to go to the ER. The whole thing felt bizarre.
“Right. Thanks for the pizza and the shower,” he said.
“You’re welcome.”
He walked with his back toward the door, turned to open it, and then said, “Good night, Grace.”
“Good night, Zachary.”
Chapter Eight
Zachary
Dinners in the LeBlanc-Broussard mansion were always crazy. Granted, every time we got together here at the house, it was loud and insane, but for some reason, evenings were even more so. The entire gang was gathered at the huge table in the living room.
Even though I hadn’t grown up in this house, when I thought of home, this was the first place that came to mind—not even my own house. My parents and both sets of grandparents lived here. We all thought they were going to kill one another when our parents first came up with the idea, but it worked surprisingly well. It helped that the place was huge, so everyone had their own wing. They met mostly for meals. Mom was still at the gallery every day. The grandmothers were at their fragrance shop, and my grandfathers went fishing every chance they got. Dad was living his best life since he retired from running the company.
“Zachary, darling,” Isabeau said. “I’ve been meaning to call but forgot. Did you move forward with your idea with the ranch?”
“I went to see it.”
“What was your impression?”
“It’s run-down and needs a big investment, but they’re doing a good thing. I have several ideas for the place.”
Xander stared at me. He was sitting closest to me at the table. “I still don’t get it. Why don’t you just write them a check and be done with it?”
Bailey, his fiancée, laughed. “Oh, Xander. It’s not always about the money.”
“I know that, but these people have been running that place forever. Clearly they know what they’re doing. Why would you even need to get involved?”
“I want to,” I told him.
“Is Grace Deveraux still interested?” Celine inquired.
“Yes. I met her, too, when I was there.” And twice more, but I left out that detail.
“After you mentioned her, I did a bit more asking around,” Isabeau said.
I gritted my teeth. “I would rather you stop doing that,” I replied, just managing to keep my voice level.
“Why? What harm could it do?”
I didn’t want to get into the whole issue with Marcel, so all I said was “It’s not necessary.”
Even though Grace and I were at odds, I could understand her point of view. I’d be furious, too, if someone called a potential business partner to insinuate that I wasn’t a trustworthy party.
