500WC - what: two in row?

Renee had thought she had the man’s measure. But sitting at the breakfast table watching him absentmindedly eat scrambled eggs whites while reading his phone…if she had thought him unapproachable, he was now downright glacial.

“Do you have to work today?” she asked as he took a drink of mineral water. That seemed a safe question.

“No.” He shifted his focus to a slim laptop and typed, a crease deepening between his eyebrows.

“What are you doing?” She asked finally, once it seemed unlikely he would expound on his monosyllable.

He moved back to his phone, texting almost as fast as he had been typing. “Work.”

Another monosyllable and as enlightening as the last.  She shrugged and took a bite of her extremely unhealthy breakfast. Rosa had presented the steaming, aromatic dish with a flourish, waiting expectantly by the table as Renee took a satisfied bite. The woman’s beam of pleasure was worth every calorie of the concoction of pastry, cinnamon and cream. Renee had no idea what it was, but she could die happy having tasted it.

Piqued by Colton’s general terseness and unhuman adherence to spinach smoothies, Renee loaded up her fork and breathed a sigh of contentment.

“You should try this, Colton,” she said, a smile her parents would be wary of plastered across her face. “Its wonderful.”

He grunted, sparing a glance for the perfectly caramelized custard adorning the creation.

“It won’t kill you,” she cajoled, offering the fork. “Besides, all that rabbit food will cancel it out.”

A small success: he half smiled, one side of his mouth twitching up before he could stop it.

“No.” He countered. “But thank you.”

Well, she had tried. She ate the forkful a little rebelliously. She really should be eating better. But Rosa made such wonderful food and was obviously starved of appreciation for her talents.

“So, what are we going to do today?” Renee asked, assuaging her conscious by peeling an orange. And she had read that cinnamon was good for heart health.

Colton shut his laptop. “My lawyer is coming at 9. He will go over the estates with you.”

Before she could answer, Colton had dialed a number and was speaking Spanish much faster than she could follow. He repeated something several times, an order she thought, that the other person did not want to carry out.

“Llámame cuando oyes la palabra. Then you’ll get some clothes.”

Renee didn’t have the stomach to make a quip at his rudeness. She set down her fork. “Clothes?”

“The best way to stop this lesbian nonsense is to be seen together.” He looked over her. “You need some different clothes.”

She knew she was blushing and was cross. “What’s it matter?”

He answered both implied questions with one answer. “Its bad for my company and the shareholders.

She seriously contemplated hurling her breakfast all over his very lovely suit, perfectly creased and worn effortlessly. Instead she took another bite.

“Won’t it be dangerous to be out in public?”

He always had an answer for everything and it was annoying.

“Any known links will have trouble getting into the country. I have hired some security, as well.”

Renee managed a smile. “Aren’t you handy.”

He said nothing and went out. Renee sat and ate another helping, just to spite the universe.