“For a minute there you reminded me of Addison, only on a much smaller scale.”

“What do you mean?”

“She can have quite a temper when she wants to,” Fran said, running her finger along the edge of her coffee cup. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Look, you’ve been honest with me, so I’m going to be honest with you. Okay?”

“Sure.”

“Addison’s my employer, and even though she makes it difficult at times, she’s also my friend. I like her a lot, that is when I don’t want to throttle her, but if this is to work, then you need to know exactly what you’re getting yourself into where she’s concerned.”

“All right.”

“Joanna, she’s not happy, and that’s putting it mildly. She’s enraged she has to go through this farce to keep a company which is rightfully hers, and you have to know she won’t pull any punches when this happens. Addison values her privacy almost as much as she values her work, and this marriage will be an intrusion on that. One, I’m sure, she’ll have a tremendous problem dealing with.”

“You sure know how to propose to a girl, don’t you?” Joanna said with a twinkle in her eye.

“I’m not finished,” Fran said, leaning forward. “Addison also has no clue on how the other half lives. She grew up in the world of limousines, servants, and private schools, and had a grandfather who made sure she never wanted for anything.”

“In other words, she’s spoiled.”

Fran snorted. “Not like a sniveling, whiny child, but yes, she does have her moments.”

“She sounds absolutely lovely. I’m starting to understand why she couldn’t find a wife for herself.”

“Oh, Addison can be quite charming when she puts her mind to it, but only when it serves a purpose.”

Joanna’s left eyebrow arched upward. “Such as?”

“There’s no one better at talking someone into selling their business or their property than Addison, and if there’s a new piece of technology out there, she’ll be downright enchanting in order to get her foot in the door to obtain it. Basically, if Addison sees something she wants, she gets it, so if she fancies a pretty woman, straight or gay, married or single, she’ll turn on the charm and win them over. Unfortunately, those poor women have no idea that by the next morning, Addison won’t even remember their names.”

While somewhat surprised by Fran’s less than glowing description of her employer, Joanna was also quite tickled by Addison Kane’s apparent haughtiness and overblown ego, and it showed on her face. “Perhaps you should attend Miss Kane’s charm school because you’re definitely not making this arrangement sound appealing.”