Free The Texas Billionaire's Baby by Karen Rose Smith Page B

really cared about.
    He pulled one of the burgundy leather captain’s chairs from in front of his desk around the corner, next to his own. “I think you’re going to like these. James took all of your suggestions seriously.”
    Setting her purse on his desk, she came around the corner. Instead of sitting, she studied him. “You didn’t need me to look at these plans. If this is about the other night—”
    “This is about the day-care center, Gina. I asked for your ideas because I thought they’d be valuable. If you don’t want to see what the architect has done, just say so.”
    After another long look at him, she turned the chair slightly toward his and slid into it. “Okay, show me.”
    Those words— show me —thrust him into the past, into the pool house after an evening swim. “ Show me how you want me to touch you ,” she’d requested. “ Show me how to make you satisfied, too. Show me what passion is all about .”
    He could hear her voice in his head now, as he sometimes did in his dreams.
    “Logan?”
    He had to get a grip. After all, this was a business meeting of sorts. Blueprints carried a serious message—Job in Progress. They were going to focus on that job.
    They had to sit close together or they couldn’t see the plans. His arm brushed against hers as he leaned forward. The tension between them was already ratcheting up and he knew talking about it would only make it worse. So he acted as if sitting with her like this was the most common occurrence in his world.
    He pointed to the blueprint of the day-care center. “That’s a small kitchenette. Great idea so the personnel can deal with snacks. We’ll be feeding the kids from the cafeteria. Those meals can be wheeled in on individual trays or we can keep the food hot with warmers. We have either option. And James divided the larger space into two with observation windows in both.”
    Gina pointed to the outside space. “I like the shape of the area with the jungle gym and the swing sets.”
    “The equipment and ground covers are made of the latest materials. Safety is a major issue.”
    “This really looks perfect, Logan,” she said enthusiastically. “If your personnel are as great as the facilities, I wouldn’t hesitate to send my child there.”
    “Are you as good at furnishing day-care centers as you are at planning them? I also need a list of equipment that might be useful.”
    She glanced down at the plans and then back at him, and he knew what was coming.
    “Are you sure you want me to help you with this? Wouldn’t you be more comfortable with a professional?”
    “You are a professional.”
    “Logan, you know what I mean. Whether we want to admit it or not, everything is still awkward between us. Do you want that interfering with planning the day-care center?”
    She was so damn honest. She always had been. It was one of the qualities he’d liked about her. Amy had always softened her opinion when she knew he might disagree, but Gina had never done that. But he shouldn’t be comparing his wife with Gina.
    “We’re adults. Working together doesn’t have to be awkward.”
    “The other night was awkward.”
    Moving his hand through his hair, he thought about what his reply should be, then decided to be as honest as she was. “I don’t know what got into me. Probably memories. We spent a lot of time in that barn and outside it. I almost felt as if I were twenty-two again.”
    She ducked her head for a minute, then returned her gaze to his. “I know what you mean. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could escape that easily?”
    What did Gina have to escape from? Was she running from something in New England? Or was she trying to escape into the past instead of looking for a future? He knew all about that.
    They were still sitting very close, almost leaning into each other. He knew he should move his chair, get up and walk around the room, anything to be away from her perfume, her softness, the understanding in her eyes. That