Cinderella's Christmas Affair. Katherine Garbera
that martial art too.”
This was creepy. She shouldn’t have that much in common with him—the boy who’d broken her heart and made her doubt she’d be a mate to any man. “I’d love to spar with you.”
“Call me Cat Girl again and I’ll give you a chance. I don’t want to talk about old times.”
“I don’t either. I want a chance to get to know the new you.”
She tried to smile as she walked away because she knew that there wasn’t much new to her. She still felt like the same awkward person she’d always been.
Two
Tad guessed that CJ had been trying to put him in his place but as he watched her walk away, enjoying the sight of her curvy hips swaying with each step she took, he didn’t mind.
Man had she changed since high school. He remembered the lonely little girl who’d made him feel like a hero when he’d bandaged her scrapes after she’d fallen off her bike. He remembered her as a sweet shy girl who’d been too smart for him in high school. He also remembered the girl who’d refused to talk to him after senior prom. He’d always wondered why she had cut him off.
But this woman in the conference room had been a sexy blend of intelligence, savvy and sass. Just what he liked in his women.
His mom had been bugging him to look up Cathy Jane since he’d moved to Chicago five years ago, but Tad had put her off. Kylie, his college girlfriend, had left him saying she didn’t want to come in second to a sporting goods store just about the time he had moved to the Windy City. Tad had been kind of sour on women then. The last thing he’d wanted to do was catch up with the girl who’d given him the cold shoulder through the last two months of their acquaintance.
Of course, at the time his mom had been pressuring him to marry as well. Which was a common thing with her. But his business had been in that crucial make-it-or-break-it stage and the last thing he’d wanted was the kind of distraction women offered. And he hadn’t been interested in marrying some hometown girl or any other girl for that matter.
Tad had shelved his dreams of wife and family and concentrated on making a success of P.T. Xtreme Sports instead. But his mother’s health had been deteriorating in the five years since he’d moved to Chitown and he knew she’d love to see him settled. In fact, she’d hinted rather baldly on the phone last night that she was the only woman in her circle of friends without grandchildren. And he was honest enough to admit he wanted a family.
He’d created a legacy and he wanted to be able to pass it on to his own kids. But finding the right woman wasn’t easy. He wanted a woman who’d look up to him and need him.
Cathy Jane would have fit that bill, but he wasn’t sure CJ did. She’d changed. He remembered long curly brown hair that he’d always tried to accidentally touch. God, it had been incredibly soft. Her auburn tinted tresses had been tucked up today. Was her hair still that soft, he wondered.
Her eyes had thrown him as well. She’d always had the biggest brown eyes behind her horn-rims. She looked good with blue eyes and if he’d never known her as Cathy Jane he might even prefer the blue. But he had known Cathy Jane. Why had she felt the need to change so much?
A small leather wallet was lying on the end of the table. He’d give it to one of the secretaries on his way out. He picked it up and it opened. Staring up at him from a typical DMV photo was Catherine Jane Terrence.
He skimmed her address. Her condo was only a few blocks from his. All this time they’d practically been neighbors and never run into each other. Tad was honest enough to admit he wouldn’t have recognized her as his old childhood pal without hearing her name.
Whistling under his breath he left the conference room. A pretty brunette receptionist smiled up at him as he approached. He smiled back at her. “Can you direct me to Ms. Terrence’s office?”
She gestured toward the left. Bangles rattled on her wrist. “Down the hall, third door on the left.”
“Thank you.”
He paused outside her doorway. He could hear CJ talking to her secretary. It didn’t sound like CJ was having a great day. Frustration underlined each of her words. He was beginning to think that CJ worked too hard. It wasn’t even lunchtime—way too early to be stressed out.
He rapped on the door frame. Both women looked up. CJ’s secretary was a middle-aged woman with graying black hair and a few wrinkles. Both women wore identical expressions of frustration.
“Can I help you?” CJ asked.
“You left this in the conference room,” Tad said. Oh, yeah he was a smooth talker with the women. Why was it that Cathy Jane made him feel like he was on his first date?
“Oh, thanks. You could have left it up front.”
“Yes, I could have.” This was going to be harder than he thought. Why was CJ so damned determined to keep things all business between them? Probably because, at this point, there was only business between them. Yet when they’d shook hands earlier in the conference room he’d felt something pass between them that had nothing to do with ad campaigns.
“I have a few questions to ask about your presentation, can you spare me five minutes?”
“Sure. Rae-Anne, why don’t you go down the hall and ask Gina to show you around the office?”
Rae-Anne brushed past Tad muttering under her breath about bossy women and—while his Italian had never been good—he thought he heard her curse in that language.
“Your secretary is…different,” he said at last.
“She’s a temp. Today’s her first day and we’re still working out the kinks,” CJ said. She leaned against the desk, fiddling with the clasp on her wallet. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “What questions did you have?”
He didn’t have any. He hadn’t had a chance to review her presentation but he hadn’t liked being dismissed. He’d learned a long time ago that the only way to achieve what he wanted was to take charge. He cleared his throat. “Just wanted to clarify a few details. We have an in-house production company for educational videos. We usually use them for our commercials as well.”
“Come into my office. I want to make some notes,” she said, leading him through the connecting door. Her office was a decent size with a large window overlooking Michigan Avenue. Her walls were decorated with awards and plaques of appreciation from companies.
The article Butch had referred to earlier was framed and hanging on the wall. CJ’s picture was cool and confident. She hardly resembled Cathy Jane—the girl he’d known. But even then he’d known she’d go on to do great things. She’d been smart and shy but very focused on getting out of Auburndale.
“That shouldn’t be a problem. When you make your decision, I’ll get a contact name from you and talk to the head of the department.”
“I’ll do that,” he said, leaning back in the leather guest chair. Her office was subtle and relaxing but also spoke of success. He felt a twinge of pride at how far she’d come from the girl she’d been. Despite the way things had ended between them, he’d always thought of her fondly.
“I can’t believe you own a sporting goods store,” she said.
“You’re not the only one. I started college prelaw.”
“You look sporty,” she said, then rolled her eyes.
He didn’t remember her being this funny. But then she’d always been so uncomfortable around him. His friends had teased him about spending so much time with a chubby brainiac. But deep down, he’d always liked Cathy Jane.
“Believe it or not, I am capable of intelligent conversation,” she said.
He smiled. She’d always been one of the smartest people he knew. “You’re the first