Hmm . . .
Something to really get him talking.
Something that will appeal to him.
I got it.
“If you had a boat, where would you go?” A simple question with room to elaborate.
“I do have a boat. A yacht, if you care to be correct about the terminology.”
Oh, huh.
“You do?” I ask, feeling surprised. I mean, of course he’d have a yacht, he’s a billionaire who lives near the ocean. Why wouldn’t he have a yacht? That would be like . . . uh . . . like a knight without a horse. Sure, that works. Well, and a sword, of course.
“Yes, my brothers and I actually share it because we thought it would be stupid to all have yachts, especially since we don’t go out on it all that much.”
Common sense.
“Okay . . . so, if you could go anywhere on your yacht, where would you go?”
“Alaska.”
“Alaska?” I ask, feeling even more shocked with that answer. “Why Alaska? I thought you were going to say something like the Mediterranean, you know, because in my head that’s where all the rich people go.”
“Alaska, because it’s breathtaking up there. The cascading mountains capped in snow, the blue waters, the tall pines, and wildlife.” He nods. “I’d spend my time there, exploring.”
“Hold up, are you telling me you’re the kind of man who sheds the suit and puts on a pair of hiking boots?”
“Is that your second question?” he asks.
“Consider it 1a,” I say with a grin.
The smallest of smirks pulls at the left corner of his mouth before he says, “I do enjoy hiking.”
“That wasn’t on the list of things you like to do for fun.”
He shrugs. “Well, it’s one of the things I like to do. There are some decent trails around here, especially up in the hills. The boys and I try to get a few hikes in on the weekends during the month. We haven’t been in a bit because of life. But, yeah, I’d take the yacht to Alaska and go hiking, whale watching, camping.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Time,” he says. “Time is always the factor.”
“But you could retire right now, you have enough money for more than a lifetime, so why keep going?”
He cuts a piece of his steak and pierces it with his fork. When his dark eyes meet mine, I feel my breath catch in my chest. The intensity throws me for a loop. “We can’t just stop what we’re doing. A lot of people depend on us for a living. For their livelihood. Until I feel comfortable enough to find someone who could take care of the business while we were gone, I’ll work for the people who work for me.”
An outsider looking in, listening to Huxley and his clipped tones and short-worded answers, would think the man has no heart, but then he gives you an answer like that. He has all the money one person could ever need, he could jet off somewhere and be done with ever working again, but he sees that he owes people his time, because they’ve given him theirs.
That hits me harder than expected.
“That’s a very kind answer, Huxley. You’re making me think there’s a heart under that pressed shirt after all.”
“It’s there when it needs to be.” He takes a drink of his water and asks, “Best place you’ve ever gone on vacation?”
“Ooo, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. We didn’t really go on vacation growing up. My mom didn’t have the money, but when she did save enough on occasion, we used to have a fantastic day at Disneyland. Mom would spoil us. We’d get there early before the park opened, have all the food we ever wanted, ride the rides twice, sometimes three times, and then stay until the park closed. Some of my best memories are of going to Disneyland. The only vacation we’ve ever been on was when we went to the Redwood National Park. We went camping. We aren’t wilderness ladies, but it was fun. We attempted to cook food over a fire, lived off s’mores, and played cards the entire weekend, when we weren’t marveling at the trees. It was a lot of fun.”
“Sounds like it. I’ve always enjoyed camping.”
“Let me guess—with your brothers.”
He nods. “Yeah, we do everything together.”
“I’m sensing that. You know, I’ve never been formally introduced to them, but I’m guessing they know all about me.”
“They do.”
“Well, maybe Friday I can get a proper introduction.”
“I can arrange that.” He bites into his steak and I watch as his firm jaw moves up and down. Okay, for some reason, that seems sexy to me. Yup, I think I might be losing it. “Your turn to ask a question.”