“I still have it. Her birthday is in two weeks, but I know she is going to love it.” He felt like Pinocchio lying to her and was grateful she’d never meet his sister. It was a totally incongruous gift for her. But it had won him a few minutes of conversation and a minor introduction. “I was wondering if we could get together when you come back through New York on your way to Paris. I was going to tell you that I need some fashion advice for my sister, which is true actually. But to be honest with you, I’d just like to have dinner with you, or lunch if you prefer.” She sounded hesitant, and he could feel her retreat. She was extremely skittish. She hadn’t had lunch or dinner alone with a man for anything other than business in years, and certainly not in the last year since she’d been widowed. She was too traumatized to want to date.

“I’ll be back the day after tomorrow. I have meetings with some new designers I want to include in our spring line next year. One of them is at lunchtime, so that won’t work.” She was dead silent for a minute while he waited, not wanting to push too hard or abort the mission either. “I suppose I could do dinner,” she said cautiously, as he slowly exhaled. The gods had smiled on him after all.

“That would be wonderful. What time works best for you?”

“Anything. I’ll be finished with my meetings around six. Eight o’clock? If you don’t mind, I like simple restaurants best. I don’t want to go to some fancy restaurant where everyone stares at me.”

“I agree. That doesn’t sound like fun to me either. I hate eating when people stare at me,” he said as though it happened every day, and she laughed. “How do you feel about burgers? Or Chinese? Thai? Indian? What’s your preference?” He didn’t want to take her to a restaurant she hated, and he was happy she liked simple restaurants, not elaborate ones where a headwaiter and half a dozen servers would be hovering over them listening to every word.

“I love burgers, and you can’t get decent ones in Paris, not real ones.” She sounded young as she said it.

“Perfect. I know just the place. Wear whatever you want. Best burgers in the city and I guarantee no one will stare.”

“Should I meet you there?” She sounded unsure, and he didn’t know what her security arrangements were.

“What’s easiest for you?”

“I have a driver who can bring me.” He gave her the address so she didn’t feel crowded if he picked her up at the hotel. It might be too much for her for a first meeting. As he hung up, he couldn’t believe how lucky he had been. He nearly did a jig when he left his office. He couldn’t even call it a date, and what right did he have to date Theo Morgan? But she had agreed to see him again. He felt incredibly lucky that she had accepted his invitation.