She laughed. “How could I turn down a chance to hang out in the Drive-in Room?”
“I know it’s been a treat for me, as well.”
Their gazes locked again. Something warm seemed to grow in Ulrich’s eyes. Violet knew she was being foolish, but couldn’t help saying, “A trip to see your grandmother sounds like something I should do. Sooner rather than later.”
“I agree.”
* * *
CAROL HAD A LONG, serious talk with herself. She knew she’d totally overreacted to what had happened between her and Mathias. Finding out he hadn’t remembered about that night had been both good and bad. On the one hand, at least she knew he hadn’t been ignoring her. On the other hand, seriously? He’d forgotten that? Talk about unfair.
She’d been nearly on her way to dealing when he’d shown up with his ridiculous do-over suggestion. The man was a moron. Worse, he was breaking her heart. She didn’t want some weird, awkward “Hey, I owe you” encounter. She wanted what every woman wanted—to know that the man who was standing in front of her was totally and completely swept away. That he was weak with longing and found her the sexiest, most appealing woman on the planet. Instead he was offering her the sexual equivalent of “You got lunch last time, it’s my turn to buy.”
Not that she was going to try to explain that to him. There was no way—not without revealing too much and she didn’t want to risk that.
If only she could ignore him for the rest of her life. Or not see him. Only that wasn’t an option. Not only were they neighbors, their lives here intertwined. Exhibit A—she was on her way to a teleconference about Maya and Del’s wedding. Backing out wasn’t an option and she knew for a fact Mathias would be there.
Life certainly had a sense of humor.
She parked by Weddings Out of the Box. She’d deliberately come a little late, hoping not to get trapped in the conference room alone with Mathias. For once, her timing was perfect. Mathias’s car was already in place, as was her sister’s. As Carol got out, Silver pulled up next to her and they walked in together.
“I love brides who want to have fun,” Silver said as they headed for the conference room. “Maya’s pretty much given me free rein. I’ve come up with a couple of really great signature drinks.”
“Mojitos?” Carol asked, her voice teasing.
Silver shuddered. “No and no. Signature drinks can’t be labor intensive. Not unless you can do all the heavy prep in advance. No one wants to stand in line for twenty minutes just to get a drink. No mojitos. Don’t even think the word.”
“Sometimes you’re really bossy.”
“I know. I can’t help it.” She linked arms with Carol. “You love me anyway.”
“I do.”
They went into the conference room and saw that Pallas had already started the call. Maya waved at them.
“Hey, you two.”
“Hi back.”
Carol and Silver took their seats. Carol smiled at everyone, careful to keep her gaze moving so it didn’t linger on Mathias, even though lingering on him made so much sense.
She couldn’t decide if fate was on her side or not. Mathias gave her an absent smile, as if their most recent encounter hadn’t happened at all. Which was good, right? They weren’t alone and if he acted strangely, people would notice. So his disinterested nod was perfect and there was no reason to feel slighted or hurt.
She held in a groan. There were days when she had to question her emotional sanity.
“Shall we get started?” Pallas asked, pulling out her tablet. “Maya, I want to go over our progress since our last call. First, the flowers.”
The meeting went quickly. All the details were reviewed. Silver made her drink suggestions and then confirmed the catering menu. Violet opened a garment bag to show Maya the work she’d done on her veil.
“That picture you sent was perfect,” Violet said. “I matched the beading.” She waved at Carol. “Come, model.”
Everyone turned to look at her. Carol felt herself flush as she stood and walked over to her sister. Violet set the veil on her hair.
The tulle was anchored with a mini tiara that fit snugly. The edges of the veil had been decorated with tiny beads in a swirling pattern. Violet pulled the shorter piece down over Carol’s face and angled her sister toward the camera.
“What do you think?”
“It’s beautiful,” Maya breathed. “Exactly what I wanted. Carol, how does it feel?”
“Tight,” Carol admitted. “I have no idea if my head is bigger or smaller than yours, but you’ll want to put it on the day before the ceremony to see if it needs to be adjusted. Otherwise, you could walk down the aisle with a headache.”
“I’ll make a note,” Pallas said as she tapped on her tablet.
Violet removed the veil. “I won’t make you try on this,” she teased as she held up a small dress.
Maya clapped her hands together. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“It was easy.”
Carol took her seat while Violet showed the dress from all angles. As she’d gotten the measurements, she knew who the dress was for.
“Buttering up your future mother-in-law?” Mathias asked drily. “Smart lady.”
“I adore Sophie,” Maya told him. “And Elaine is my friend. I don’t have to butter her up.” She grinned. “Think of the pictures.”
Carol caught Pallas’s slight shake of her head.
“It’s not going to be like the zebras,” Carol assured her. “Sophie is mostly behaved.”
“I’ve hired a dog sitter,” Mathias added. “After the ceremony Sophie will be taken back to my place for an evening of dog play and treats.”
“That’s so nice,” Maya told him.
“My gift to the bride and groom. That dog could destroy a wedding reception in five seconds flat.”
Carol couldn’t help adding, “He’s right. She’s sweet, but has a nose for trouble. Plus, she’d totally eat all the food.”
“I’ll make a note that Sophie’s leaving,” Pallas said as she entered the information.
Carol leaned close and lowered her voice. “Relieved about the dog sitter?”
“You have no idea,” Pallas whispered back.
They went through the rest of the list.
“I can’t believe I’ll be seeing you all in person for our next meeting,” Maya said with a laugh. “I’m very excited.”
“Us, too,” Pallas told her. “If that’s everything, we’ll let you go.”
Carol was about to grab her purse and bolt when Maya said, “Carol, can you stay for a second? I want to talk to you about something.”
“Sure.”
Trapped like a rat, she thought, hoping Maya didn’t also ask Mathias to stay. But the other woman only waved goodbye to everyone as they filed out of the room.
When they were alone, Maya leaned close to the camera. “I heard about your Millie project and that Ronan is donating a piece to help raise the money.”
“I’m heading out to his place tomorrow to choose one. I have no idea what I’m supposed to look for.”
“He’s brilliant. I don’t think you can go wrong with anything he does.” Maya tilted her head. “When Del and I are in Happily Inc, we’d like to do a video about Millie and your quest to raise money for her herd. I don’t know if Mathias mentioned it, but we own a video production company. This is what we do, all over the world. We’d make something short you could use on your website. I’ve been emailing with your dad and he has some great ideas for where we could set up our shots. You’ve been really sweet to help with the wedding and this is my way of saying thank-you.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Carol said automatically.
“I want to. Del and I love our work. It won’t take long and we’ll have time.”
> “Thank you. That would be wonderful. We need to beef up our website so we can continue to raise money to support the preserve. A video from you and Del would really help.”
“Good. We’re looking forward to seeing you and Millie in person in a week.”
“Us, too.”
They ended the call. Carol sat alone in the conference room as she tried to figure out what had just happened. She hadn’t done much of anything to help with the wedding, so why would Maya want to thank her in such an extraordinary way? Did Mathias have something to do with it?
There was only one way to get an answer and right now speaking to him was impossible. She had no idea what she thought or felt, let alone what to say. The man made her insane.
The only solution seemed to be not to think about him. An impossible task considering he pretty much haunted her thoughts nearly every second of every day.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CAROL STOPPED BY the studio before heading up the mountain. She’d seen Mathias’s car still parked in his driveway, so knew he was home and it was safe. Okay, not safe, exactly. Just that she wouldn’t run into him—something she couldn’t deal with right now.
She pulled into the studio’s parking lot, then went around back where Natalie had told her she would be working.
The huge open art studio was nearly the size of a warehouse. There were high ceilings, lots of light, and several separate workstations. Mathias and Ronan took the far end—massive, dangerous-looking ovens dominated the space. Nick’s area was more in the middle. He mostly worked with wood—creating carvings that were so lifelike as to breathe. Natalie had claimed a small corner close to the double doors.
Carol walked in and found her friend sitting at a large drafting table. Natalie created beautiful mixed-media artwork, but instead of using acrylic or oil, she used scraps of paper and found objects.
Natalie looked up. Carol waved and walked over to sit in the spare chair by the table. She saw several small origami animals standing together. They were all in shades of dark pink and purple.
“Adorable,” Carol said as she studied a three-inch-high penguin. “Who are they for?”
Natalie seemed to hesitate for a second, then pushed up her glasses and smiled. “I have a friend with a nine-year-old daughter. She’s into pink and purple these days and adores animals.”
“They’re wonderful. She’ll love them.” Carol wondered who Natalie knew with a girl. None of their friends had daughters. Maybe it was someone she’d known from before she moved to Happily Inc.
“Thanks. So today’s the big day. You’re driving up the mountain.”
Carol wrinkled her nose. “I’m not going on a pilgrimage. I’m just picking out a piece of artwork for an auction. Which is why I wanted to stop by. You’re an artist with a great eye—any advice?”
“Anything of Ronan’s will sell for big money. He’s so gifted.” Natalie sighed. “I wish I were that talented.”
“You are! Look at the beautiful paintings you create.”
“Thank you for being my friend, but let’s get real. My stuff sells for maybe three hundred dollars. Ronan’s can go for three hundred thousand dollars. We’re not in the same league.”
“Beauty and creativity aren’t about money.”
“Maybe not but money helps pay the bills.” Natalie laughed. “It’s okay. Ronan’s used to others envying his talent, if not his brooding personality.” She reached across the table and picked up a small owl, then placed it in Carol’s hand.
“At the risk of mixing my metaphors, not to mention my animals, choose wisely, young grasshopper.”
“That’s not especially helpful.”
“Sorry. Ask Ronan what will sell for the most. No one knows what his buyers like better than he does.”
“Isn’t that insulting and crass? Shouldn’t I love the art for the sake of it?”
“Not when you’re trying to get the most money out of the sale.”
“Thanks,” Carol murmured, secretly wishing she was dealing with Mathias instead. They might be in an awkward phase of their relationship, but he was always easy to talk to. Even when he was making her crazy, she was comfortable around him. Ronan was a lot more mysterious.
“Wish me luck,” she said as she rose.
“You’ll do fine.”
Carol followed the directions Mathias had given her. Ronan’s house was several miles off the main highway. As the roads got steeper and steeper, she was grateful for the relatively warm weather and dry conditions. She would not want to make this journey when it was raining. As for snow—she didn’t think he lived high enough for that to ever be a real problem.
At about a thousand feet, desert gave way to lowland scrubs and small trees. At two thousand feet, she entered actual forest, no doubt watered by the huge underground aquifer that allowed the town to flourish.
She turned onto a private road and drove until she saw a huge stone house. The structure seemed to have grown out of the mountainside—no doubt because of a great architect, she thought as she walked to the front door. There were lots of windows and trees everywhere. She would guess the back of the house had amazing views of the whole valley.
Ronan opened the door before she could knock.
Like his brothers, he dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt. His coloring was lighter than theirs, but she recognized the smile.
“Hey, Carol. Thanks for coming up here to pick your piece. I would have brought a few down for you to choose from, but I didn’t know what you were looking for.”
“I’m happy to make the trip,” she said as he led the way through the house. “You’re being so generous.”
“I’m glad to help. I only wish we’d thought of this a few weeks ago. It would have saved you setting up all those little change collection cans around town.”
She had a brief impression of tall ceilings and large rooms before they walked out back. A covered pathway led to a studio. They entered a large foyer. She caught a glimpse a work space similar to the one back in town but instead of going in there, Ronan pushed open another door.
“I’ve been building the Millie fund for a while now, but it’s been slow going,” Carol said. “Being able to auction something like—”
Ronan flipped on a light. Carol hadn’t known what to expect. Storeroom in her mind meant shelves with things like paper towels and canned goods. This room was filled with tables covered with the most exquisite glass artwork. There were vases with flowers, abstract swirls, fish and horses and a few dancers. Everywhere she looked, she saw something more beautiful, more amazing.
Some were colorless, others vibrated with color. A few stood on the floor and soared nearly to the ceiling. Others were so small, she could hold them in the palm of her hand. She saw a collection of miniature animals that had an almost angled shape to them. It took her a second to realize they were glass interpretations of Natalie’s origami.
“Anything interesting?” he asked.
Carol turned in a slow circle, then stopped in front of Ronan. “I couldn’t begin to choose. Everything is too wonderful.” She thought about what Natalie had said. “Would it be too weird to ask you to pick for me?”
Instead of answering, Ronan walked over to a table and pointed to a tall statue of a crane about to take flight. The wings were spread, the head raised. She could practically feel the breeze generated by the movement.
“This one. It will have international appeal and will bring a higher price.”
Words designed to get her heart beating faster, she thought, but she couldn’t get past the magic inherent in his work.
“How do you do it?” she asked softly as she gently stroked one of the legs. “How do you make it move even while I know it’s not alive? Mathias did the same thing with the little Millie statue. It’s uncanny.”
&n
bsp; “Mathias showed you the giraffe he’s been working on?”
She turned back to Ronan. “He gave me one.”
Something flickered in his eyes and for a second she would have sworn he was going to smile. His expression returned to careful neutrality. “Creating the illusion of movement is a lot about technique and some about talent. I won’t bore you with the details. So this one?”
She nodded. “Thank you so much for your generosity. This is the most amazing gift.” She swallowed against sudden and unexpected tears. “Millie’s been lonely and I’ve been worried about her. This is going to allow us to get her a herd so she can have friends again.”
Ronan took a step back. “Ah, yeah, it’s fine. I’m glad she’s going to be happy. I’ll let Atsuko know which one you’ve chosen and get her some pictures.”
“Thank you.” She hesitated. “Do you need some kind of tax receipt? We have a nonprofit. It’s registered with the state and everything.”
This time the smile was fully formed. “Your dad already took care of it.”
“Oh, great.”
Ronan walked her back to her car. “You know your way down the mountain?”
“Yes.”
He stopped by her Jeep. “Carol, did you know that Ceallach is coming to Del and Maya’s wedding?”
The change in subject surprised her. “Sure. Your mom and dad are traveling. That’s why Mathias has Sophie. They’re going to be here at the end of the month.”
Ronan stared at something in the distance. “Make sure Mathias has put the pieces together on that. Having Dad around is going to be hard on him.”
“Won’t it be hard on all of you?”
“Yes, but we’re not targets. The parents will be staying with him.”
She stared at Ronan. “What do you mean about him being a target?”
He met her gaze. “Those bowls and dishes he makes? They’re not him. He’s hiding—something he would never admit, even to himself.” Ronan hesitated, as if deciding how much to say. “He has more talent than all of us. He was always going to be the famous one, not me. Then something happened and he couldn’t risk it anymore. Ceallach wouldn’t let him. No.” He shook his head.
Second Chance Girl--A Modern Fairy Tale Romance Page 16