LITMIR.BIZ

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longer.”

      “And I’ll make certain of that. When you call, I’ll give her strict instructions to put you straight through, even if I’m in a meeting.”

      “You don’t have to do that.”

      “Yes, I do.”

      It took Catherine a moment to steady her breathing. “Why, Gabe?” she whispered. “Why couldn’t you have done this before when it first came up? Why now when it’s far too late?”

      His jaw firmed, taking on an all-too familiar stubborn slant. “It’s not too late.” He started the engine with a roar. “You walked out on me for good cause. I admit there were problems. Serious problems. This time around, I intend to fix them.”

      The drive to the Marconi estate took just under an hour. A maid, all starched and formal, escorted them to an equally starched and formal parlor that overlooked the scene of last night’s disaster. Catherine didn’t doubt for a moment that the uncomfortable choice of venue was deliberate.

      “I’m not quite sure why you’re here,” Natalie said, once they were seated. She made a point of not offering them refreshments by pouring herself a cup of coffee from the gleaming silver service on the table at her side and taking a slow, deliberate sip. Her coldly furious eyes moved from Catherine to Gabe and back again. “I’m particularly in the dark about your presence, Gabe. It’s Ms. Haile who owes me both an explanation and an apology.”

      “You’re absolutely right, Mrs. Marconi.” Catherine spoke up before Gabe could. “I do owe you an apology, and I can’t begin to express how sorry I am that your party was ruined.” She opened her purse, removed a check and placed it on the delicate coffee table that served as a buffer between her chair and Natalie’s. “This is a full refund.”

      Twin spots of color chased across Natalie’s cheek-bones. “You think throwing money at me is going to fix this?”

      “Not at all. I think refunding your money is the least I can do to compensate for my part in what happened. I’m sorry the security detail I hired was unable to intercept the intruders. I contacted the authorities this morning, and they informed me that the young men on the boats received an invitation from an unidentified woman. They’re continuing to look into it in the hopes of pinning down precisely who extended the invite, in case you wish to pursue the matter. The boaters involved have volunteered to recompense your guests, as well as the gondola company, for any damages incurred.”

      “That will certainly help,” she reluctantly admitted. “And the sprinklers? That mistake is one hundred percent your fault.”

      Catherine inclined her head. “I accept full responsibility for that. I promise you, I double-checked to make sure they’d been disengaged for the evening. I can’t explain how they were switched back on.”

      “I can. You’re incompetent.”

      “Natalie,” Gabe said softly.

      “Well, what other explanation is there?” she retorted defensively.

      “I can think of three. One, there was a power interruption and the device returned to its default setting. Two, someone accidentally changed the time. Or three, someone did it deliberately as a prank.” He paused to allow that to sink in. “There were a lot of youngsters there last night who might have considered it quite a lark to have the sprinklers go on in the middle of the party and watch the mayhem from a safe distance.”

      Natalie sat up straighter, her eyes flashing. “Are you accusing someone in my family?”

      “I’m not the one making accusations.” He let that hang. “I’m simply pointing out that there are alternative explanations.”

      “Catherine’s initials were on the checklist as the one responsible for resetting the sprinklers. I saw them there myself.”

      “Which means she did reset them. Why else would she have initialed it? Twice, I might add.” Natalie fell silent at the sheer logic of his question. He pressed home his advantage. “You’d have more cause to point fingers if it hadn’t been checked off because then you’d know she’d overlooked it.”

      Natalie dismissed that with a wave of her hand. “And the tent going up in flames? We could have lost our house. People could have been seriously injured, or worse.”

      “Your daughter tripped over the line anchoring that corner of the tent. I saw it happen. I’m sure if you ask her, she’ll admit as much, especially since she twisted her ankle as a result and your son-in-law had to carry her to safety. There is no negligence here, Natalie. It was a simple, unforeseeable accident.”

      “On the other hand,” Catherine inserted, “the point of hiring an event planner is to foresee the unforeseeable and take precautions.”

      Gabe turned on her. “In hindsight, what could you have done differently to prevent those accidents from happening? You’d already checked the sprinkler system. Twice. That section of the lake was posted and patrolled. And the tent was securely anchored.”

      Natalie released her breath in a sigh. “All right, all right. You’ve made your point, Gabe. I don’t see how Catherine could have possibly foreseen any of those eventualities. I wish she could have, but I like to consider myself an honest and fair woman. And honesty and fairness compel me to admit that no one could have anticipated such a bizarre string of events.” She looked at Catherine, this time without the anger coloring her expression. “Thank you for returning my fee and for your apology. Up until all hell broke loose, the event was brilliantly planned and executed.”

      Catherine stood. “I appreciate your understanding. I’d say I look forward to doing business with you at some point in the future…” She offered a self-deprecating smile. “But I have a feeling I might find a cup of that lovely coffee poured over my head.”

      Natalie managed a smile as well. “Good try, my dear, but there’s little to no chance of my being quite that forgiving.”

      Catherine shrugged. “It was worth a try.” She held out a hand. “Thank you for taking the time to see me.”

      “You can thank Gabe for that. I’m not sure I would have agreed if not for him.” Her gaze swept over him, filled with pure feminine appreciation. “For some strange reason, it’s impossible to say no to the man.”

      Catherine released a sigh of exasperation. “So, I’ve discovered,” she murmured.

      After leaving the Marconi residence, Gabe handed Catherine a business card for a transportation firm, along with the key to his apartment. “I’ve made arrangements with this company to move your belongings over to my place. Just call them when you’re ready.”

      “I won’t have that much,” she protested, as they headed back toward the city. “Just a couple of suitcases.”

      He pulled onto the floating bridge that spanned Lake Washington and negotiated smoothly around oncoming traffic. “I want you to feel like you live there, not like you’re a temporary guest.”

      “I am a temporary guest,” she retorted. “The only one who doesn’t realize that is you.”

      He didn’t bother to argue. But when he pulled up in front of her apartment complex, he parked the car and exited at the same time Catherine did. He followed her across the sidewalk and up the stairs leading to the vestibule.

      “You don’t need to come in,” she informed him over her shoulder. “I’ll call the moving company if that will satisfy you.”

      One look at his set face warned that she wouldn’t get rid of him that easily. “You’d rather have this discussion out here on a public street?” he asked with painful politeness.

      “In all honesty, I’d rather not have this discussion at all,” she replied.

      “I’m afraid that’s not one of the options available to you.”

      She hated when he donned his business persona.

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