Chapter Twenty-Six
Hope
I needed a break. Needed to get out of that room, away from the miasma of Vanessa’s cloying perfume and poisonous words. Needed to remind myself that for better or worse, Griffen and I were married. At least for the next five years. And even if we weren’t, he’d never go back to Vanessa.
I strode down the hall, ignoring Griffen as he called my name, reaching the front door in time to see Vanessa’s car pull away. Savannah came up beside me. “That was fast,” she commented dryly.
“Griffen says she’s banned from the property. Once we get real security in, that is.”
“Good news. I never liked her. But I don’t have a penis and a fat bank account, so she’s never bothered to be nice to me.”
I burst out laughing. Savannah caught my eye and giggled along with me. Staring at the now-empty driveway, I tried to shake off a sense of foreboding. “I’m going to go upstairs for a little while, unpack and see if I can do any damage to that gigantic closet. Is there anything you need help with before everyone shows up tomorrow?”
“Nope. Cross your fingers that the interview with the cook goes well. After that, I have a few more interviews with maids, and if those work out we’ll have a skeleton staff.”
“That sounds great. Give a shout if you need me. I’ll be upstairs.”
“Lunch is in an hour,” Savannah’s voice followed me as I jogged up the curving staircase to the second floor.
Walking into the master suite was a balm to my aching soul. Savannah had done a brilliant job reproducing the feel of my apartment, and I longed to throw myself on my soft velvet couch with a book and a cup of tea and forget everything outside the door.
There was too much to do for that. Sawyer Enterprises had been neglected for too long. I’d take a quick breather up here, but then it was back to work until Griffen had a handle on things.
I couldn’t throw myself on the couch with a book, but I could have a cup of tea. Silently thanking Savannah for her brilliance in setting up the snacks and drinks, I opened the cabinet in the corner, popped a pod for tea in the machine, and peeled open the cellophane on one of the brownies.
The sticker showed a candy-pink hand-drawn heart with the words Sweetheart Bakery in the center. My mouth watered in anticipation. Sweetheart Bakery was a town staple, the go-to place when anyone wanted a treat. Everything was great, but Daisy’s brownies were divine. We’d bonded over my love for her baked goods, but with everything going on I hadn’t seen her in over a week. I’d have to find time to stop in. Later. First, the closet.
I took my tea, half a brownie, and as many shopping bags as I could carry to the closet. Putting everything else out of my mind, I folded and stacked and hung and sorted. I left most of my old clothes in the boxes I’d packed before Griffen and I went to Atlanta. I didn’t hang up a single ugly suit.
The master closet was huge. My side was at least as big as my bedroom in my old apartment, and though my shopping bags had practically filled the back seat of Griffen’s Maserati, the contents barely made a dent in the closet. That was okay. I could always go shopping again, and I was covered for a while.
All I had left were the bags from the lingerie shop. Deep in the corner of a closet, I’d found a section of shallow drawers designed for storing lingerie. The top drawer was actually for jewelry, with velvet trays and a lock on the drawer. I’d have to see if I could find the keys. Not that I had much jewelry to put away aside from the ring on my finger. I wasn’t planning on taking that off. Not until I had to.
I gently removed the tags from bras and panties, the midnight-blue silk nightgown and matching robe. It wasn’t until I got to the blush-pink camisole with cream lace and matching thong that I stopped, smoothing the delicate fabric between my fingers and wondering if I would find the courage to put it on. Under my clothes, sure. Maybe.
But the camisole wasn’t meant to be worn under clothes. It was meant to be worn alone over bare skin and very quickly taken off. Could I do that? My cheeks felt hot. How could I be embarrassed thinking about sex when there was no one here to see me? I needed to get over it and stop being such a baby.
I needed to do what Alice and Lily had suggested. Just put it on, let Griffen see and then—
“What do you have there?”