Royce(41)

Before she could answer him his mother came up beside them. She took one look at Kasey and nodded. Royce wasn’t sure what it meant, or for that matter why she approved, but he didn’t ask. He was in enough trouble tonight and he didn’t want to end up on the wrong end of a gun. He wasn’t sure where Kasey might have hidden one, but he wasn’t willing to find out.

They wandered around together for about twenty minutes when someone needed to speak to him. As much as he hated to leave her, he had to. She still hadn’t said anything about his comment about being jealous. He left her in one of the front rooms with a promise he would return as soon as he could. He brushed his mouth over hers before he left.

~~~

Kasey looked at the work in front of her without really seeing it. She was still trying to wrap her head around Royce being jealous. Of her? She couldn’t figure out why he’d say something like that unless it was to warn his brothers off. Off what she couldn’t figure out, but that was the best she could come up with.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look at art quite like that before. Do you like it or are you trying to figure it out?”

Kasey turned to smile at the man beside her. “It’s very lovely. I love Mr. Gleason’s work. I think his work with porcelain is my favorite, but this is amazing. I love the cobalt blue glaze.” And it was pretty, she realized as she turned back to look at it. “I don’t know a lot about raku firing, but this is an amazing piece.”

“Raku firing? Isn’t that a different process of kiln firing pots? I remember now, the pieces are removed from the kiln at a high temperature and then something happens and the body starts to craze, I think it’s called. It immediately starts fracturing when the pot is removed from the heat.” She nodded. “I don’t know a whole lot about this stuff. I just know that my late wife enjoyed the arts and I come because she liked them so.”

Kasey thought there was more, but didn’t comment. When she moved to the next piece, he walked with her. Kasey didn’t mind. There were enough people around if she got into trouble, but she really didn’t think she would. He seemed like a very lonely nice man.

“I’m actually here to see your boyfriend.” She must have looked confused. “Royce Hunter. He wants to buy my building and I…I have to sell, but I just don’t want to. It was my first business that my wife and I put together.”

“Mr. Hunter isn’t my boyfriend. We can barely tolerate each other under the best of circumstances. I’m just his date because I love this man’s work.” She wasn’t going to think about Royce being jealous, nor was she going to think about the kiss he’d given her before they’d left her apartment. “If you don’t want to sell then why are you?”

“Because he’s not giving me a choice. He’s forcing me out and all my employees are going to not have a job as soon as I sign the papers.” His voice was bitter. She turned to look at him when he apologized.

“Forcing you out? I don’t know…is that a normal way to do business? I’ve worked with Mr. Hunter for years and I’ve never known him to force anyone out before.” Which was true. She’d only been on his security team, but she was reasonably sure that didn’t sound like him.

The man seemed to take several deep breaths before he looked at her. “I didn’t…he’s not. I’m a bitter man. I’m sorry, miss. I shouldn’t have…” He started to walk away.

“Wait. Don’t leave. Tell me why you said that. It’s a horrible thing to say about someone and you don’t strike me as the type to say things like that normally. Please, come back and tell me.” He stood staring at her and she thought she’d gone too far. “I’m Kasey York. You’re…?”

“Fredrick Klingner.” He smiled at her. “You’re a very beautiful and smart woman. Does Royce appreciate you? If he doesn’t, you come to me and I’ll straighten him out.”

They talked for another hour before Royce came back. He looked upset and more so when he saw her with Freddy, as he’d asked her to call him. Before Royce could say anything Freddy spoke up, his voice very strong and full of confidence. “You have yourself a very wonderful woman there, Hunter. You going to make an honest woman out of her?” Freddy smiled and held up his hand before Royce could answer. “Never mind. I’m an old man and I like to see people happy. If you’ll come by my home sometime tomorrow, I’ll have those papers signed for you. You should have sent her to me and this would have been over several days ago.”