I didn’t know whether or not that would be true, or if she’d pick her new man of the moment over me. She’d done it before. I didn’t even blame her for it. She’d been looking for love for a long time, and my father sure hadn’t provided any.
But that didn’t mean I could subject myself to being a pawn in her search. Or worse, a trophy offered to the man who finally pinned her down for good.
Halfway up the stairs, I heard the front door close behind them. They didn’t slam it, but closed it as softly as a gunshot muffled by a suppressor.
And silence reigned once again.
Six
Grace was late.
I stood, hands in pockets, surveying the city from the lofty height of the roof. The wind up here was fierce, and once the helicopter had been started again, it would be even worse. I’d waited for a few minutes for Grace before climbing down from the cockpit. She’d never been late to work, and I was becoming agitated. I had to be at the gathering early to give a speech. I hated fucking speeches, but for this cause, I’d do it. I’d do whatever they asked of me.
Besides leaving Grace behind.
She might’ve decided not to meet me. It wasn’t a work day, and I hadn’t really requested her presence. I didn’t know how to do that. We weren’t dating, and any time I offered her something as small as my umbrella, she tossed the gesture back in my face. So I commanded.
This might end up being the first time I’d ever been stood up.
I debated calling her, then decided I’d give her a few more minutes. I’d built in extra time for our departure. I had a helipad on another of my holdings that I planned to land on near the site of tonight’s gathering, but air travel required extra clearances.
At least the weather had cleared. A hint of rain still scented the air, but last night’s storms had passed, leaving behind puddle-laden streets and a clear moonless sky. Our trip wouldn’t take long. I probably shouldn’t have bothered with the helicopter for such a short flight, but what good was having money if you couldn’t have some fun now and then? I wasn’t trying to show off. Grace had loved to swing so high as a child and had gotten such delight from a simple thing. Maybe she’d enjoy this too.
If she turned out to be afraid of flying, though, I’d be truly fucked.
Without any other options to pass the time, I flicked open that infernal coloring book app. Stupid thing. I didn’t even like it.
The door to the roof banged open five minutes later. Grace hurtled through the doorway, her hair flying wildly around her shoulders, and a complaint on her lips. Then she caught sight of the helicopter and clutched her throat.
“I—what is this?”
“This is a modern convenience called a helicopter.” The devil on my shoulder made me grin. Or maybe it was just relief that she’d actually shown up.
“I know that. Why is it here? We aren’t—no. Why would we?”
“Because it’s a quick, convenient method of travel. No traffic,” I said lightly, holding up my phone. Luckily I’d discreetly exited out of the coloring book app with my thumb. “Handy because you’re late.”
“I’m sorry. I lost track of time.”
Her flushed face and bright eyes—revealed by the roof’s powerful lighting—made me frown. Her rosy cheeks could’ve been caused by rushing. The glow that settled around her like starlight, however, could not.
I moved toward her. “Where have you been?” What have you been doing? And with who?
I had no right to ask her. She was a free woman, just as I was a free man. We had no hold on each other. Yet the idea she might’ve been with someone who put that look in her eye—
“My studio.” Her throat bobbed and she tucked a piece of flyaway hair behind her ear. “I’ve been working on this piece forever and it just wouldn’t come together, but today somehow it did. It was like this fever came over me…” She bit her lip and shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand.”
I did understand, all too well. I’d understood it all the nights I’d been driven to sketch, and sculpt, and design for my own pleasure first, long before it had become the way I made my living. Now my artistry, such as it was, was responsible for the paychecks of all those I employed. Flights of fancy weren’t permitted.
Except on the showcase level of Carson Covenant Inc. And in my sketchbook. And hell, in that ridiculous app she’d told me about, where the whirls of colors competed with black and white designs that made me want to shade outside the lines. To fuck a beautiful girl whom I could never, ever have and to take a helicopter ride over downtown Boston on a clear night, just because I could.
Because she would be at my side, and she would enjoy it too.
I stepped closer. “What piece did you complete?”
She tugged on the sides of her short jacket, pulling them down as if they could protect her from the brisk wind. Beneath it she wore a long, floaty dress made of melting blues and greens that perfectly matched her eyes. The dress whipped around her calves, but she didn’t seem to notice, focused as she was on me.
“I didn’t complete it yet. It’s an angel. Made of panes of colored glass, bound together with copper and wire. I’d originally wanted it to have a light behind it, something to make the glass shine. But I realized it should be hung in a window, so that it could reflect the light that already existed.”