Ringing in Love Read Online Free PDF Page B

administrator cleared her throat. When she looked up, Catherine’s heart sank. Or maybe sang.
    “Your daily delivery of roses has arrived,” Melody said. “It’s late this time. I’d almost given up.” She had a huge package on a cart. “You better figure out what the hell’s going on. This thing weighs a ton, and if your mysterious admirer keeps it up, doubling today’s haul means …”
    “I know, I know. Tomorrow one hundred and twenty eight roses.” She motioned toward the small conference table in her office. “Put them over there.”
    Melody rolled the cart to the table. As she went out the door she said, “Oh, there’s a card this time. Maybe it’ll help.”
    A card. Catherine whacked her leg on the corner of her desk in her eagerness to get to the flowers. As she unpinned the envelope from the paper around the flowers, her hand trembled slightly. Before she opened it, she ripped off the tissue paper revealing a vase holding roses of every color in the rose world. Then she opened the envelope and removed the card.
    There was still no name. But the note said, “It’s only lunch.”
    It
had
been Dominic. He wanted to have lunch with her, and it certainly didn’t seem to be about business.
    She yelped, “That’s it!”
    “What’s wrong? What happened?” Melody asked as she burst into the room a moment later.
    “Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. Look.” Catherine passed the card to Melody.
    Mel read the card then handed it back to her, a puzzled look on her face. “Is this supposed to mean something?”
    “I turned Dominic Russo down for lunch a week or so ago. I think he’s been sending the roses to get me to change my mind.”
    Melody whistled softly. “Holy crap. First of all, why the hell would you turn him down? Second, the man must really want to have lunch with you to spend this much money on flowers. Third, wow. Just wow.”
    “I turned him down because … well, for lots of reasons. I was flattered, of course, but I was puzzled and I ...”
    “You were scared,” Melody said.
    “Not scared. Reluctant. I had no idea why he asked me to have lunch. If it was personal, I wasn’t sure after all these years of no social life that I wanted to start up again by jumping into the deep end of the big-boy dating pool. Not to mention set myself up for a bruised ego when he dumped me, which he was bound to do. And if it wasn’t personal, I knew I didn’t want him to be all charming over a sandwich while he pumped me for information about my business.” She tapped the card on the table as she spoke. “I still don’t know what he’s up to, but I have to do something about this. It’s distracting everyone in the office.”
    “Distracting you, don’t you mean?” Melody said. “We’re all having a good time
and
getting our work done. You’re the one who’s been sidetracked by the attack of the killer roses.”
    Ignoring her friend, Catherine went on, “Are any of those big boxes left from our move? I have an idea how to make this stop.”
    “Stop? Why? This is no plot to pick your brain. Not with all the money he spent on flowers. The man wants to have lunch with you. So go to lunch. Are you sure you want to chase him away?”
    “I’m positive. I can’t risk it.”
    “Okay, but I think you’re nuts.” Melody sighed and shrugged. “There are a couple boxes left. Want me to get one?”
    “Better make it two.”

Chapter 4
    Ten minutes later, Catherine pushed a cart crammed with vases of roses into the reception area of The Russo Group offices. An attractive fifty-something woman with white hair and a warm smile asked, “Can I help you?”
    “I’m Catherine Bennett. I’m here to see Dominic.”
    “Do you have an appointment?”
    “No, I don’t. It’s not business. It’s personal. Would you tell me where his office is, please?”
    The warmth in her smile began to wane. “Why don’t you put your cart over here while I see if he’s in. I think he might be in a