He smirked at her and nudged her knee with his foot. “Yeah, but you mean it.”
She tipped her head slightly, her smile growing fond. “Yeah, I mean it. I like her, Hunter. I don’t understand why you’ve hung around Atlanta when you could go to Denver and get her.”
He sighed and pushed off the desk to sit beside her on the couch. “It’s complicated. She left without a word to me, and I haven’t talked to her in four weeks. I’ve tried, but she won’t answer or respond. I can’t go invade her personal space. She would hate that.”
“I think hate might be too strong a word,” Audrey mused, making a face.
He gave her a look. “Don’t get my hopes up, kid. I’ve done what I can to get her name out there so she has work, and I have some allies in her office that keep me updated every now and then. I think, if enough time has done the trick, maybe someday she’ll talk to me again. Then I can get somewhere. Or get closure. Whichever.”
“Oh, buddy.” Audrey sighed heavily, putting a hand on his back and rubbing softly. “You are one tormented soul.”
He snorted and raised a brow at her. “Didn’t you say I needed to learn to be more patient?”
“I did,” she allowed, patting his back. “You are also intense, so you might want to work on that.”
He smiled softly but didn’t answer that. He’d heard about his intensity, and it had been a source of pride for him. He liked that he was intense and could get somewhere with it. He’d never considered that it might be a negative, that there could be a downside to it. Was his intensity the reason it was taking Mal so long to forgive him?
Would she forget him instead?
“What did she say when you told her you were coming to see me?” he asked softly.
“Oh, I didn’t tell her that.” Audrey laughed, shaking her head. “No way.”
He turned to look at her more fully. “What did you tell her?”
“The truth. That I was going to Florida to see some girlfriends and go to the beach. I had a layover in Denver and changed my flight to see her.” She gave him her impish grin again. “I just left out the part where I was stopping to see you for a few days first.”
Hunter grinned, wanting to laugh at the irony. “You were never dishonest,” he said softly, an echo of former days rushing through his mind.
“Nope. Just not completely forthcoming.”
“Semantics.”
She shoved at his back with a laugh. “You are such a dork.”
He pulled his sister in for a hug, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. “How did she look?” he finally asked, almost holding his breath.
Audrey looked up at him, her eyes searching his for a moment. “Good. She looked good. And I think… I think you might be able to get her back. She wouldn’t have agreed to see me if she hated you, right?”
He hugged his sister tighter. “I don’t know, Audrey. I just don’t know.”
ChapterNineteen
A week and change later.
The Hancock building was one place Mal could honestly say she’d never been before, and it seemed a shame at this moment. They were at the top of the building in the new 360 Chicago, and the surrounding Chicago skyline and scenery were breathtaking in the fading light of sunset. What was once glorious transformed into something magical when the night came and the city lights were all aglow. She’d never been that much of a city girl, but that view might have convinced her.
She came early, as arranged, to get a fair number of pictures before the guests arrived and the room became overcrowded, and it was a good thing she did. There was so much to see and take in that she barely got it done before the guests had arrived. It would be impossible to get it all, but she could try.
The room was gorgeous with its view alone, but the decorations tonight set it at a completely different level. The lights were tinged gold, and all the table decorations and place settings were golden themed, in honor of pediatric cancer awareness. Elegant and tasteful floral arrangements were scattered about the room and on tables, and the whole place seemed to sparkle.
Jenna and Tom greeted her at once, looking just as blissful and happy as the day they got married. Jenna was a vision in a royal blue mermaid gown with a sweetheart bodice covered with a sheer and elaborately detailed neckline and cap sleeves. With her hair in a loose chignon and gold details and jewelry, she looked like a vibrant goddess or queen of some spectacular and imaginary kingdom far, far away. Mal told her as much.
Jenna laughed, kissed her cheek, and then winked. “Not entirely a goddess, sweetie,” she murmured and then turned to show her that the gown was backless. On some people, it would probably have been shocking, but on Jenna, it was perfect. She kept herself so fit that it almost made sense for her to show off her back.
Mal smiled and shook her head. “This is amazing,” she said gesturing to the room around them.
Jenna’s smile would have lit the room on its own. “I’m so excited. I can’t believe how well it turned out. The room only sits about a hundred comfortably, so we had a donation battle, and only those who donated the most could come. It’s barbaric, I know, but everyone else is coming to a much bigger event at the Field Museum in a month. Come to that one too, won’t you?”