Chapter Four
Camila left her house a bit early on the day she was supposed to go to Samuel’s place to meet him for coffee. She still didn’t have any directions, but she knew where his family house was, so she figured if she could get a taxi to send her there, she could call him while she was outside and wait for him to get her. Only, things didn’t go the way she expected.
When she made it out of her apartment building, it was to find a black Mercedes parked on the curb with a man standing beside it. It was a surprise, but she’d been prepared to pay it no attention, until the driver asked if she was the guest Samuel Kane sent him to pick up. Samuel actually sent a driver for her.
It made her feel a little giddy. No guy had ever done that for her before, and maybe it made her easy, but she already felt dazzled.
The back door was opened for her and she slipped inside. There was a partition behind the seats in the front, and it was up, so once the driver got in the car and it started to move, it was as if she was completely alone. It was a new experience for her, and she turned down the window to have a clearer view outside, since the windows were tinted dark. People-watching, or just looking outside at passing scenery while she was in a car, was a hobby of hers. With everyone having cell phones, mp3s and access to the internet these days, it was more common to find people engrossed in their devices instead of watching the world pass them by, but Camila wasn’t like that.
She only felt sad that she had to leave her camera today, since it was more something casual than an official meeting. She didn’t want to think of it as a date, since Samuel didn’t outright say it was a date, and she didn’t want to get ahead of herself only to be disappointed later.
Maybe Mom had it right and I should have stayed away. It would be bad if I got the wrong idea and embarrassed myself.
Camila had dressed nice again, and now that she was in the car on the way to his place, she regretted wearing the peach colored dress to the interview, since it was one of her better dresses. She got lucky and managed to find something in the back of her closet, a simple, black dress with a modest neckline that was fitted around the top and flared out from the waist, reaching to just below her knees. Paired with silver, strappy sandals, some silver jewelry and a gold clutch she had, she thought she looked okay. She’d also tried something with her hair, putting it up in a loose ponytail, letting a few wisps come out of the hold to frame her face. She thought the style suited the dress and jewelry well, but it had taken her about an hour to get ready this morning.
She sighed to herself and leaned back in the seat. She really was taking this too seriously, but it was hard not to. Even without any deeper meaning, getting any sort of invitation from Samuel was something amazing.
The car headed toward the outskirts of the city, to roads that led away from the large skyscrapers. Buildings got scarce, then placed further apart, and bigger. This must be the rumored area where the upper crust lived. Camila had wondered if they’d go all the way to the Hamptons, but it was in the wrong direction. Still, she got to see so much more lush green than she’d ever expected to within this short distance from the city.
After a while, the car slowed, then turned down a smaller road. Camila only got a look from the side before the car completely turned onto the road and she couldn’t see anything ahead, but it led to a pair of large gates. It took a minute for the car to arrive at the gates, and there was a short stop, just a few seconds, then the car was moving again, even slower, and the gates closed behind the car. Camila fisted her hands in her dress and bit her lip.
She was at Samuel Kane’s main house. The place he must have lived in with his parents before they passed away, where he was probably raised. As far as she knew the Kane siblings still owned the original house, and…she actually got to be here?
Could she…possibly be the only one?
Don’t get ahead of yourself,she reminded herself. Getting all worked up by herself would lead her nowhere, anyway.
The car came to a stop, and Camila straightened out her back. She wasn’t sure what to do for a moment, open the door for herself, or wait for the driver to do it? Was he even planning on opening it for her? As she dithered, the door was pulled open, and she scrambled to step out. She stumbled a little when her feet touched the ground, and felt her face warm, but thankfully managed to right herself quickly, and could only hope not too many people saw.
“Thank you,” she murmured toward the driver, who just gave a slight nod and got back into the car.
Camila took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, and faced forward. The Kane house was, of course, impressive. It was large, a sprawling mansion with about three floors, though that didn’t account for if there was attic space in the building, and she was thinking there could be with the space between the third floor windows and the roof. She stepped forward carefully and made her way up the front marble steps.
She came to a stop at the front door, but before she could wonder whether to knock or find something that looked like a bell to ring, the door was opened. Two men, one on each side, were holding the double doors open, and another stood right in the middle of the open doors. He bowed slightly, turned to the side, and gestured her inside with a gloved hand. All three men were in white shirts, with black slacks, vest, tie and shoes. She imagined they were workers in the house, and they were all dressed in uniform, too.
“Madam,” the man that gestured her inside said. “Mr. Kane has been waiting for you, so if you would please come this way?”
Camila dazedly followed after the man to the direction he led. The foyer was wide, and connected to the rest of the house through archways. She was led through the middle one, then to the right. They stopped at what looked like a parlor, with several seats arranged around the wide room, clustered around small, glass topped coffee tables. There was a chandelier above, and large windows with the curtains pulled back that let in a lot of bright light into the room. The place was tastefully decorated with paintings and other art pieces, a few lamps and flower arrangements.
It was like a scene straight out of a movie, or one of those books about royalty or…just anything out of her league that she couldn’t imagine she would ever get to see in real life.
“Mr. Kane will be right with you, Madam,” the servant that brought her there said.
Camila barely heard, or noticed that the man had left already. She was looking around the room with fascination, interested particularly in the art pieces around the room. Her eyes fell on one particular painting, tastefully done, and she wondered if she knew the painter. She’d been an art major in college, after all, even though her focus was mainly on photography, she still got to learn plenty about all forms of art.
“You’re here.”
The voice came from behind her, and it was the same as before, low and deep, and even from a distance away, it made her insides tighten and her heart flutter. Slowly, Camila turned around, and she saw him. Samuel Kane, in all his glory, descending a spiral staircase as if he was some sort of prince, with one hand on the railing.
Something is different,she thought, even before she saw him. His voice sounded a lot livelier than their first meeting, too, but seeing how he looked was an even bigger surprise.
She didn’t have anything against the look he’d had on when they met last time. It was modest, but chic, though still, nothing that popped out too much. The man in front of her might as well have been a different person.
Since he was above her coming down, she eyed him from his feet, and the blue sneakers he was wearing were particularly eye-catching. His long legs were encased in dark jeans that were loose around the calves, but tight around his thighs, and she even noted a few artificial rips. The only thing recognizable on him was the white t-shirt, and over it he had a black blazer, with a blue scarf hung loosely around his neck, along with a few silver and gold chains. On one wrist, he had several leather and silver bands, and on the other wrist he had a gold watch, not to mention the silver and gold rings on his fingers.
The biggest shocker for her, still, was seeing him smiling. It was as if he’d turned from the reserved ex-soldier she’d met to a peacock, and she could feel her eyes widening and jaw dropping in her surprise.
“I trust your drive here was uneventful?” he said, arching an eyebrow, a corner of his mouth raising a bit higher, and she could feel her heart skip a beat. “You’re a bit earlier than I expected, there was hardly enough time to finish preparing, but I can't say I’m disappointed.”