“He’s not afraid of heights?”
Ronnie laughed. “My little guy isn’t afraid of much. He’s tougher than he looks.” Suddenly she unclasped her locket and opened it before handing it to Red. “The origin of Andrew is Greek, Andreas, and it means strong, courageous, brave. That’s him,” she said, her voice softening.
Red gazed at the photo. It was tiny, but he could see the resemblance to Ronnie. “He obviously takes after you,” he murmured, handing it back to her.
She snapped it shut and put it back on. “I don’t always feel strong and courageous.”
“I don’t think you give yourself enough credit,” he shot back. “But I was actually referring to his looks. He’s a cute kid.”
Seeing the emotions play on her face, Red suddenly regretted his comments. He was venturing into sensitive territory for both Ronnie and himself, and should not have given Ronnie the opening to talk about her son, let alone offer an opinion about her. And letting his tongue slip about Andy resembling her was even worse.
He turned sharply away from her as she opened her mouth to respond. He felt like a heel, but he wanted to keep things between them as neutral as possible, and discussing her son, or making inferences about how he felt about her appearance, was only going to complicate things.
As Ronnie moved stiffly past him to navigate her way around the LookOut, Red suspected she had felt rebuffed. He saw her proceed to the glass floor and tentatively step onto it, and then his memory flooded with the image of Marco doing the same thing a year and a half earlier. A pang ripped through him, and as Ronnie turned to rejoin him, he forced himself to repress the memory and paste a smile on his face. There was no reason why he couldn’t be civil during their time here. And even friendly without crossing personal lines. “Are you ready for the Sky Terrace next?” It was outdoors, one level below, still a refreshing one thousand plus feet above the ground.
“Uh…no! I’m quite fine inside, thank you,” Ronnie replied. “I think I’d like to just sit for a while.”
“So I guess the Edge Walk is out of the question also?”
Her wide-eyed response indicated she knew of the CN Tower’s most extreme attraction: the world’s highest hands-free external walk around the tower on a ledge five feet wide, situated even higher than the restaurant, 116 stories above the ground. The most daring visitors would be attached to an overhead safety rail by means of a trolley and harness system and walk around the tower in groups of six.
“Okay, lunch it is,” he said, nodding. “I don’t think I’m quite up to circumnavigating the tower in the middle of winter either.”
Minutes later they were seated at a table in 360 The Restaurant. Ronnie had preferred it over a booth, so she could enjoy the view even more.
“Do you know that the CN Tower has the distinction of holding the Guinness World Record as the World’s Highest Wine Cellar? So how about a glass?” Red suggested a white from the Niagara Peninsula and waited for Ronnie to approve before he nodded to the waitress.
His gaze couldn’t help taking in the gray woollen dress Ronnie was wearing. It fit her body perfectly, and her ruby red lipstick matched the short coat she had just removed and placed over her chair.
After ordering, Red lifted his wineglass. “Cheers for us both having had a successful meeting.”
She hesitated, eyeing him warily for a brief moment before nodding and clinking glasses. She took a sip. “Yes, I have good news for Casson.”
“And we are going to have a fabulous lunch to celebrate getting what we wanted today…”
Ronnie’s eyebrows arched. “This is a treat,” she said, with a wave of her hand. “And I did manage to find something special for my son.” She had another sip of her wine. I was going to get around to telling you about it,” she murmured, her cheeks flushing, “especially since we’ll be traveling back with you…”
“We?” Red frowned.
Ronnie bit her lip. “I couldn’t help it. She was so sweet. And I know Andy will absolutely love her…” She gave Red a tentative smile. “I have to go pick her up after lunch…”
“Pick up who?”
“Ginger.”
“Ginger?”
Ronnie nodded. “Our new…kitten,” she said, breaking into a grin.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
RED’S BLUE-GREEN EYES seemed to match the slate gray of his suit. He leaned forward, his brows furrowing, and Ronnie couldn’t help thinking how distractingly handsome he was, with that black shirt and burgundy silk tie—
His frown dissolved. “Okay, I’ve heard of impulsive shopping, but this is…” He laughed.
“I hope you don’t mind me bringing it back with us in the limo… You’re not allergic to cats, are you?”
He waited until the waitress set down their plates, thanked her and gave Ronnie a bemused look. “No on both counts,” he said. “I had a cat when I was a kid. He was round and orange, so I named him Pumpkin.”
“Cute. Same as Ginger. She’s got the most adorable coloring…” Ronnie smiled, her gaze shifting to Red’s hair, and when she looked across at him, she realized he had noticed.
“Are you thinking Ginger and I might be related?” he said, eyes narrowing. “I don’t have any kids, feline or otherwise, and I intend to keep it that way.”
Ronnie’s smile froze momentarily before fading. So Red Brannigan II didn’t want kids. Was it because the responsibility would interfere with his jet-setting lifestyle, or was it simply because he was too self-centered and enjoyed freedom and relationships with no ties? Her gaze flitted over him. He was smart, handsome—no, damn handsome—and wealthy, but whoever ended up with him would have to be happy to have him alone,
