“So is this what you do with all your time? Sail around on your yacht?”
“Not exactly. I have many business interests that take me around the world.”
“Such as?”
“Financial interests. Investments. But my companies run well on their own and I can afford the best people. That leaves much of my time open for personal pursuits.”
“Again, such as?”
“Boating, obviously. Diving, of course. The acquisition of antiquities. Hunting.”
“Really? What do you hunt?”
He looked down and smiled into his glass. “Large game.”
“Sounds interesting, and dangerous.”
He looked up at her, his expression serious. “It can be deadly.”
Somehow she got the idea he was talking about something other than deer hunting. She’d like to know more.
But it wasn’t her business to know more about Dalton. All she had to do was use his boat and his money.
“Must be nice to be able to do whatever you want.”
“It is. Maybe if you find Atlantis, you’ll be in the same position.”
She clasped both hands around the chilled glass. “It’s a dream of mine to be that successful.”
“It means that much to you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Freedom. Prestige. The ability to hunt for treasure without worrying about how to fund it. Obviously you’ve never had to worry about money, so you don’t understand what it’s like not to have it.”
“You grew up poor?”
She shrugged. “Not exactly poor, but not rolling in the dough, either.”
“I couldn’t find any information on one Isabelle Smith, archaeologist. So maybe you should tell me about yourself.”
She figured he’d check her background, even wondered if he’d accept this venture without knowing much about her. “My mother was an archaeologist. I learned everything I know from her.”
“Was? Is she retired?”
“Dead.”
He reached across the table and laid his hand over hers. “I’m sorry.”
“It was a long time ago. She became ill suddenly and passed away.”
“Any siblings?”
She paused for a second, remembering the practiced speech. “None. My father died before I was born, so it was always just my mom and me. When my mother died, I inherited the family business, so to speak. Now I’m all alone.”
Dalton stared at Isabelle, trying to mask his disbelief. She’d just lied to him about having no other family. First using a fake last name, then denying that she had a sister.
“It must be tough to do this by yourself, with no support. No husband or boyfriend, I assume?”
Her lips lifted. “No. I don’t have time for that.”
“Everyone has time for that.”
Dimitri set plates of food down in front of them.
“Fresh seafood and pasta? How did you know those were my favorites?”
“They’re my favorites,” he said, picking up his fork.
He watched her eat. She wasn’t tentative, digging into her food with gusto. Good girl. A woman on the hunt needed energy, and he was glad she wasn’t hesitant about eating in front of him.
Her appetite extended beyond food, too. She had a hunger for knowledge and discovery that intrigued him. She didn’t seem shy, and she liked to talk. At least about archaeology. Throughout dinner she discussed her work at length, especially her research into the possibility of the existence of underwater temples in the sea, and what it could mean to find them. He sensed true enthusiasm in her words, though he wondered about her motivation.
He pushed his plate away and took a swallow of the Chardonnay Dimitri had provided during their meal. “And what will you do with your find should you, in fact, discover the underwater temples?”
Isabelle leaned back and picked up her wineglass, swirling the liquid around. “I’ll be famous.”
“And wealthy beyond your imaginings.”
“Yes.”
“Does that excite you?”
