by Lexi Wilson
I stopped and looked up at the skyline, realizing that she’d actually picked a pretty damn good time to ask.
“See that building up ahead?”
She pointed to the shop across the street, some grocery store. “That one there?”
I shook my head, then took her hand and pointed it up, up, until it was pointing at our true destination – the half-finished tower that rose up in the distance.
“That one right there.”
Her eyes went wide, her finger still pointing ahead.
“Wait, are you serious? We’re going to gup up into that?” She was surprised, sure. But there was something else to her tone.
I recognized it right away as fear.
“We are,” I said. “Sound good?”
She cleared her throat and glanced down. “Um, yeah. That sounds great.”
Something was amiss. “Are you sure? I’m more than happy to think of something else for us to do.”
She quickly shook her head. “No – it’s fine. Better than fine, actually – I can’t wait.” Amber followed this up with a big smile, one I recognized right away as somewhat insincere.
I wanted to know what was going on. Was she worried about breaking in or something like that? Because I had access to the building as part of an arrangement with Carlyle.
But Amber wasn’t the sort of woman to advertise what was wrong with her. So, I made the decision to take her word that nothing was wrong.
After a few more blocks, the two of us taking pictures all the while, Amber and I stopping in a candy store so she could pick out some treats to bring back to Jamie, we reached the building.
She and I approached, and I flashed my guest pass to the foreman of the construction team on the bottom floor. He nodded and let the two of us head in after giving us both hard hats and bright orange construction vests.
We arrived in the half-finished lobby.
“Welcome to the Acropolis. This is going to be one of the most incredible hotels in the world,” I said. “And it’s the kind of building I’m going to be doing when Horvath starts working with Carlyle. And you’re going to be right there with me on the ground floor. So to speak.”
She smiled at my lame pun before turning her attention to the work under construction.
“This is incredible,” she said, wonder in her voice.
“But this isn’t all. I want you to see the presidential suite. Come on.”
I took her hand and led her to the elevator.
And I couldn’t help but take in a deep breath.
“You smell that?” I asked. “The scent of wood in the air, the sound of clanking and cutting – this was my life when I started at Horvath.”
She took a moment to appreciate the ambiance as the doors opened and we stepped inside.
“I can’t believe you started at the bottom,” she said. “That’s so impressive.”
“I don’t even really think of it as the bottom,” I said, the doors shutting. “This is good, honest work. My foreman hired me when I was just some kid off the streets. I busted my ass, worked for years with my hands, saving up every dollar I could to help Natalie get through college.”
“You’d do anything for her, wouldn’t you?” she asked.
“Anything,” I said. “She means the world to me.”
And I wasn’t screwing around.
We went up, up, and the still-under-construction tower had plenty of spots where we could see the city as we rose over it. Amber took my hand as we went up, gripping it tightly.
But with each passing second, I got the sense she wasn’t holding my hand out of affection – but of fear.
And she was shaking.
Something was wrong.
“Are you OK?” I asked.
“Fine,” she said, her tone sharp.
That was something else about Amber – she was a tough woman, and not the kind to open up about weakness.
I was that way too, and understood completely.
“This is going to be the tallest hotel in the UK,” I said as we reached our destination. “Five-star all the way, nothing but glamour and luxury. And I can’t wait to take you here on opening night.”
It was a bold thing to say, sure. I was suggesting that we’d be together in a year or so when the Acropolis was completed.”
But she only nodded, her eyes fixed forward.
Before I had a chance to say anything else, the doors opened. The presidential suite was all the way at the top, and was far less complete than some of the other floors.
“Now,” I said, stepping out onto the partially done floor. “There’s kind of a drop, so you’re going to have to step carefully.”
“I can see that,” she said, not putting one foot out of the elevator.
“Come on,” I said. “The view is incredible.”
“I can see it from here,” she said. “Looks nice.”
“It’s nothing compared to what’s out here. Here-“
I extended my hand. Amber regarded it apprehensively for a moment before finally taking it.
“Just step over the gap,” I said.
“Like ‘mind the gap’,” she said, allowing herself the first smile I’d seen since we’d arrived. “That’s what they say, right?”
I grinned. “Exactly like that.”
She took a deep breath and lifted her foot, seeming to be a little more at ease while she held my hand.
I made sure to hold her tight, the breeze from the unfinished windows blowing through the room as we made our way to the edge.
“Here,” I said once we arrived. “Look at this.”
Despite whatever was going on with her, Amber could appreciate the view. It was a sweeping three-sixty panorama of London, the view for miles and miles and miles into the distance. A bright-blue sky stretched over us.
“This…this is beautiful,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I don’t mean to talk myself up,” I said. “But if all goes well, I’m going to be taking over this city the same way I’ve taken over LA. And I’d love nothing more than for you to be right there with me through it all.”
She turned to me, a smile on her face. But instead of responding, she simply glanced down over and over.
I realized what it was.
I couldn’t believe I hadn’t sooner.
“Amber,” I said. “Are you afraid of heights?”
“Yes!” she shot out, as if totally relieved that I’d brought it up.
I laughed. “Sorry, but I had no idea. Come on.”
I took her by the hand and led her carefully back to the elevator. Once we were inside, she let all the air out of her lungs.
“Oh my God,” she said. “My heart was racing up there.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked. “I wish I would’ve known.”
She shook her head. “Because it’s stupid,” she said. “When I was a kid, I went up onto the roof of my house even though my parents hated when I did that. And one time I went up there and got cocky, ended up tripping on some leaves and nearly falling off. I screamed, and my dad came out to see me dangling down from the gutter. Ever since then I’ve been totally scared of heights.”
“Noted,” I said. “I’ll make sure all surprises from here on out are on ground level.”
She smiled. “That’d be much appreciated.”
We went back to the lobby and out to the front of the building.
“Mind hanging out for a moment?” I asked. “I have something I want to talk to the foreman about.”
“Sure,” she said.
I trotted over to the foreman and asked him a couple questions that had been on my mind about Carlyle protocol. Amber was off in the distance, looking around the site and keeping herself busy.
But as me and the foreman spoke, I caught sight of something.
On the floor above Amber a small pallet of wooden boards hung precariously over the side. A breeze picked up, causing them to tilt and slide off – right over
where Amber stood.
I broke from my conversation, rushing over to Amber and yelling out.
“Move!” But she only looked up at me with a confused expression on her face, as if she couldn’t hear me.
The boards slid down more and more, and no one was near enough to do anything.
Except for me.
I reached her just in time, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her out of the way. The boards slammed down onto the ground, a cloud of dust kicking up where she’d been standing only a moment before.
She was safe. But it’d too damn close.
Chapter 21
AMBER
I wasn’t going to lie about it – that was scary as shit. My heart was racing all the way back to the hotel. But once the shock wore off and it was clear I hadn’t been hurt, I felt much better.
“That was fucking ridiculous,” said Nick when we were back in the room “That dumbass foreman deserved a hell of a lot less than I gave him.”
After the dust had settled – literally- Nick had gotten into it with the foreman he’d been talking to. Some unkind words had been exchanged, and Nick was clearly still steamed about it.
“I think he got the message,” I said.
“Someone could’ve been killed,” he said, anger in his voice. “You could’ve been killed.”
He opened his mouth to say something else, but froze, shaking his head as if the idea of talking about me like that was too much for him to bear.
I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down with my touch.
“Nothing happened,” I said. “Something almost did, but you saved me. I can’t even begin to thank you for it.”
He sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Well, if I end up working with them I’m going to make damn sure some new rules get put into place. I was there for a half hour and I could see a dozen things that needed changing.”
I checked my watch, seeing that it was a little after noon. I went to the bar and grabbed a pair of beers, cracking them open and handing one to him.
“Just what the doctor ordered,” he said, raising his bottle and tapping mine with it. “Cheers.”
“Cheers to a great trip,” I said. “Near-death experience and all.”
He laughed. “You’ve got a great attitude. I have to give you that.”
He put his arm around me and I nuzzled into his shoulder.
Despite how nice it all was, I couldn’t shake the fact that there was something happening between the two of us, something that neither of us was talking about.
But before I had too much of a chance to think about it, Nick’s phone rang. He picked it up and looked at the screen, quickly rising up from his seat when he saw who it was.
“It’s them,” he said. “Hold on.”
He went out onto the balcony and, beer in hand, I watched him talk with the group. He was so good at keeping his emotions in check that it was hard to see what was going on out there.
But when he came back into the room, he was positively glowing.
“We did it.”
And there was nothing else that needed to be said. We celebrated with a little drinking, a little lovemaking, and a wonderful late lunch out. Then it was time to head back to the airport and back to our lives in LA.
The flight passed quickly, with both of us going over all the new information sent by Carlyle. Some of it was all in legalese, words that I couldn’t make heads or tails of. But plenty of it had to do with meetings that’d be coming up over the next few months.
It was looking like we were going to be very, very busy.
“You did a hell of a job,” he said, about halfway into the flight.
“Are you serious?” I asked with a smile. “I barely did anything other than eat room service.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” he said, his tone stern. “You were right there where I needed you, when I needed you. I hired you for a reason, and it’s looking like you’re giving me another reason to trust my instincts.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
Still there was the…other thing that was going on between us. He turned his attention back to his work, but it was still on my mind.
I thought about Marcus, my ex. I didn’t have any feelings for him, of course – how could I after what that prick had done?
But it made me wonder if I was coming on too strong, like some kind of desperate divorcee.
Was that what was happening? I checked myself, but it didn’t add up. I really liked Nick, despite how much of a cocky asshole he could be.
Hell, maybe because of how much of a cocky asshole he could be.
Sure, in the back of my head I was looking for someone good for me and Jamie, a solid man in my life who could take the pressure of me and Nan, who would be tough enough to stand up and do what needed to be done.
But it wasn’t just that motivating me. Nick was handsome, he was smart, he was ambitious.
And sure, he was damn good in bed, which didn’t hurt matters any.
But he was also my boss. That wasn’t exactly a little detail I could overlook.
We were both so busy during the flight that we didn’t even have time for other stuff, as enticing as it might’ve been to join the mile-high club with him.
When we landed it was late into the evening, and I was eager to get back home and check in on Jamie and Nan. A car awaited us at the airport, and when we pulled to the house Nick got out to walk me to the front door.
“You’re taking tomorrow off, of course,” he said with a slight smile.
“And what if I feel like working?” I asked.
“Then you’re more than welcome to come to the office and sit there doing nothing, because I’m sure as shit taking the day off.”
I laughed. “Fair enough.”
When we reached the door I unlocked it and Nick opened it for me.
“I’d come in and say ‘hi’ to the family, but something tells me now’s not the time for that.”
“I’ll be sure to pass that along,” I said.
“Well, goodnight.”
“Same to you.”
I waited for…I didn’t know what. He gazed into my eyes, and I was halfway certain he was going to kiss me.
But he didn’t. Instead, he let the moment hang in the air before smiling and heading off.
I had no idea what was going on between us. Obviously, we were into one another. But the exact situation was totally unclear.
And I was starting to get a sense he liked it that way.
The car waited for me to get into the house, and when I was inside I watched as it pulled away.
Despite how strange the situation was, despite how much I wanted a clear answer on what was going on between me and Nick, I couldn’t help but smile.
And I was so eager to see my little girl I couldn’t even think straight. I rushed to her bedroom, opening the door slowly peeking in.
She was there, sleeping soundly, her face calm and beautiful, her chest rising and falling.
As much as I wanted to run over to Jamie and cover her face in kisses, to hug her so hard she squeaked, I thought better of it. The girl needed her sleep, after all.
Instead, I stepped over and gave her a single kiss on the forehead, Jamie rolling over and tucking her face into her pillow in response.
Being a single mother was hard at times. Hell, it was so hard I some days I had trouble facing the morning. But seeing my little girl sleeping like that, safe and happy, made it all worth it.
Nan’s door was shut, and I made a mental note to do a little more work around the house over the next few days to make up for the extra effort she’d had to put in during my trip.
And once I was back in my bedroom, the trip caught up with me. I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.
“Mom’s back!”
I opened my eyes just in time to see Jamie flying toward me, jumping into bed and throwing her little arms around my shoulders.
“Hey, kiddo!” I said
, not able to imagine a better sight to wake up to.
Nan appeared in the doorway, smiling as she leaned against the frame.
“I think she’s happy to see you,” she said.
“And I’m happy to see her, too. Say kid, I’ve got the day off, so how about I make us some pancakes for breakfast?”
“Yeah!” she said, her eyes lighting up.
I picked her up and put her on the floor, the three of us making our way to the kitchen.
“Or,” said Jamie. “We could call Mr. McQuaid and he could bring us more French toast.”
I laughed. “Mr. McQuaid’s probably sleeping. We both had a long few days.”
“Trip go alright?” asked Nan.
There was a glimmer in her eye, and I could sense she was asking about more than sightseeing.
“No complaints.”
Nan started on coffee and I collected the necessary ingredients from the cupboard.
But Nan stopped short midway through filling the coffee pitcher with water.
“Oh!” she said. “You got a package.”
“Wait, what? A package?”
She nodded gesturing to the coffee table in the living room. “I set it over to there for you. Were you expecting something?”
“I wasn’t, actually.”
The box was a simple brown cube, totally non-descript. I stepped over to it and picked it up. It didn’t weigh much at all.
“Is it for me?” asked Jamie, smiling as if it was a simple fact that she deserved to have unexpected presents mailed to her.
“Nope, but I’ve got some stuff that is.”
The package made me uneasy. I couldn’t put my finger on why.
“Hey, Nan? Would you mind getting the bag out of my suitcase on the bed in my bedroom? There might be some stuff in there Jamie would be interested in.”
“Sure,” she said. I got the impression she was just as curious about the package, but knew I might need some privacy to open it.
Once they were gone, I grabbed a nearby pen and opened up the tape.
I wasn’t ready in the slightest for what was inside.
There were pictures, pictures of me and Jamie and Marcus, my ex. The pictures were taken over the course of several years, some of Jamie barely older than a baby, some at her age when Marcus left.