by Parker, Ali
“Are you kidding?” He was frozen in place, his drink hanging in his hand that was still halfway between us from when I’d handed it over. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m serious.” I motioned for him to take a seat, walking over and lowering myself into mine. “I’ve been thinking about this for much longer than you realize. You’ve been a valuable asset to the company, and you’ve done more than your share.”
“Okay, but to hand it over to me? Why?” He frowned in concentration, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing or saying. “Don’t get me wrong, I’d love the opportunity and I’d do my damn best to do you proud, but why would you turn over the reins?”
“It’s time. I have more money than I’ll ever be able to spend even if I had several lifetimes to do it in.” I sighed, taking another sip of my drink. “This office was never my endgame. My father knew it too. He respected you, Elliot. I know he would support my decision to turn over the reins to you.”
“You think?” He sipped his drink and watched me as I nodded, raising my glass to him.
“You’re the best man for the job, if you’ll take it. I didn’t want to tell you before you got here, but I’ve already had the paperwork drawn up. Everything is ready for your signature.”
Elliot’s gaze slid from mine to my raised glass. “Well, fuck. Of course I’ll take it, but this deserves more than a toast.”
He grinned widely as he stood up and opened his arms. “Give me a hug, you fucking schemer. This is more than I ever could have imagined.”
“You deserve it.” I gave his back a hard thump as I clasped his hand in mine and we exchanged a hug. “I’m not giving it up right now, I still have work to do. We’ll be working together very closely from now on though, and when the time is right, all of this will be yours.”
I extended my arms out to gesture at my office. Elliot looked around, the grin never disappearing from his lips. “Shit. I can’t believe this is really happening, but okay. I’m all in, boss. When do we start?”
“Have a seat, my friend. Let’s get started.”
Chapter 36
Valerie
The airport was crazy busy. Passengers with wheelie bags ran past the coffee shop where I was sitting, while others were moving at a more relaxed pace or stopping to scan the area for a place to sit.
I drank it all in, wondering about each one of these people and what their stories were. After everything Halsey had told me at the showcase the night before, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking. It was like he’d sparked something in my brain, and now I was wondering if I’d always been wrong in my outlook on life.
People weren’t all annoying pricks or meddling snobs. Every person had a story, a reason why they were the way they were. I remembered often looking at customers at the restaurant, feeling mostly disdain for all of them because of the way they treated me.
I wasn’t that person anymore, though. For better or for worse, I’d changed over the last couple of months. It had happened slowly, but it had definitely happened. If I looked back now at the girl who Fulton had met and given that huge tip to, it was difficult to imagine what he had seen in me that had made him want to help me.
I wasn’t entirely convinced that I would have wanted to help the person I was back then. Apparently, though, Fulton had an eye for what lay beneath the surface. I still couldn’t believe he had been the one who discovered Halsey Skye and had turned a disinterested, homeless artist into a local hero. Halsey was celebrated in the community he lived, and his success had given way too many initiatives like the gallery we had partnered with.
Fulton was responsible for all that in a way, and he’d said he’d felt a sense of responsibility toward me too. Seeing everything he had done for Halsey and what was happening in that community because of him, it was hard to believe that the same man had taken an interest in me.
It made me wonder if I’d judged him too harshly, if I should have heard him out instead of shutting him down. It didn’t seem like he was the kind of person who thought of people as charity cases.
It was more like he looked at the world in a different way. He somehow had an uncanny ability to see things in people they might not even know is there themselves and took it on himself to help them bring it out. Why he did it or how he’d developed the ability, I didn’t know, but I couldn’t deny that it was there. I also couldn’t deny that he obviously wasn’t doing it for the fame, notoriety, or thanks.
Both Adam and Halsey had been helped by Fulton, and neither of them resented him for it. If anything, they worshiped the ground he walked on, but they did so quietly because they knew it wasn’t what he wanted.
He hadn’t mentioned helping either of them to me, and I wondered how many others like them—like us—that were out there. Fulton hadn’t done any of it for personal gain, he’d simply done it because he could. He was good like that, it seemed. Maybe it was a way for him to connect to the art world he missed so much but couldn’t be a real part of.
It made me feel just a little bit awful about the things I’d said to him. He’d gone behind my back and did something I had expressly told him not to, but maybe he hadn’t deserved to be accused of the things I’d accused him of.
As far as I could tell, he’d never asked for anything from any of the people he’d helped. He hadn’t asked me for anything either, except to let him explain. A man like him who had done so much for so many people, and I wouldn’t grant him the one request he’d made of me.
It made me feel like a rotten, selfish person. I knew I’d had a reason to be angry, but the way he looked at me wasn’t the way a person looked at someone they pitied. It wasn’t the way a man looked at a girl he’d only wanted to fuck to keep himself busy while he was in town.
I’d tossed and turned all night after the showcase, thinking about how passionate and animated he’d been when he took me into that first gallery. The hurt in his eyes when I’d told him I didn’t need his charity. How happy he had been to see me that day on the beach when I sought him out to apologize.
I’d remembered a hundred little things about him, things that made me feel like he’d let me in on the secret of who he really was. I felt like I’d seen and gotten to know the real Fulton, only to throw it all back in his face.
The truth being that he was, based on all the evidence I had, a truly good fucking person. One of the few in the world who went around performing random acts of kindness, and I’d been the one person he’d let get to him.
And I had gotten to him. I knew that with as much certainty as I knew what my name was or that I hated string cheese. It was hard to admit to myself, but it was right there staring me in the face.
There had been such tenderness in his eyes when he’d told me he had to go back to Boston, such sorrow. Then there was stark, heart-wrenching pain in his eyes just before I’d turned my back on him when I’d broken up with him.
I’d always heard people referring to eyes as the windows to the soul, but thinking back to Fulton’s, I realized that with him, it was so true. He was such a controlled, guarded guy but he’d allowed me to see how expressive he really was.
A small sob fell from my lips before I even knew it coming, never mind stopping it. Taking in a big gulp of air, I pulled out my phone and called Olive. She would understand how I was feeling, and hopefully, she’d be able to talk this through with me.
“How was the event?” She practically squealed when she answered. “Was it amazing? I bet it was. I bet you did such a good job.”
“It was.” A small smile came to my lips. “It really was, Olive. It was great.”
I told her everything, every small detail from what the canapés were to how well the artists had done. “Almost all the pieces were sold. It was such a humbling, wonderful experience. I want to do more work like that, badly. I love my job with Adam, but nothing could compare to this.”
As I said the words, I realized how true they were. I wanted to do something with my life that rea
lly meant something, and this was it. It was art and helping people, and that was incredible. Is this how Fulton feels?
In a moment of stunning clarity, I thought it must be. The realization tilted my world on its axis and when I blinked, it was like everything had finally righted itself. Olive was still raving about the event, unaware that I had just experienced a moment of revelation that I had a feeling was going to change my life even more than it had already been changed.
“Did you meet anyone famous?” she asked. “You mentioned there was some big-time artist attending. Did he show up?”
“He did.” It seemed almost serendipitous that Halsey Skye would come up right when he did. “He gave me a lot of food for thought.”
“Well, I think it sounds like your life is becoming amazing,” Olive gushed.
“I agree, it is. Thank you for believing in me. I never would have made it this far without you.” I wasn’t usually the type to get all soppy, but I felt like it needed to be said. “Thanks for not giving up on me, Olive. I appreciate you putting up with me all these years.”
“It was my pleasure.” I could hear the smile in her voice, but when she spoke again it was gone. “You know, it sounds like a thank-you is needed for someone else as well. It wasn’t just me who believed in you and never gave up on you.”
“I asked him not to get involved, I don’t know if I can get past that.” Every time I thought I was starting to, it was like the alarms in my mind started blaring. My recent revelation, however, was muting the alarms now, and I still didn’t know if that was a good thing. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to trust him again. I asked him point blank the night before my interview if he had anything to do with it. He looked me right in the eye and told me that my personality had gotten me the interview and would get me the job.”
Olive paused for a long minute. “I know that you feel like he betrayed you, and I’m not saying that he didn’t. All I’m saying is that it’s a good thing he got involved. Look what’s become of you because he did. Is it really that bad that he helped you when you asked him not to?”
“That’s the question of the month.” I sighed, my ears perking when I heard the announcement that the boarding was open for my flight. “I’ve got to go. They’re calling my flight, so I’ll see you later. Thanks for talking this through with me.”
“Anytime,” she said. “Have a safe flight. I’ll see you when you get home.”
We hung up and I collected my stuff. I didn’t have much, one carry-on suitcase sitting on the floor next to my chair and my purse. A light jacket was hanging over the back of my chair and I shrugged into it, shouldering my purse.
All the way to my boarding gate, Olive’s comments kept playing in my mind. Everything good that was happening in my life was happening because of Fulton. I was holding a grudge over something that had been the catalyst to me doing something with my life that I really loved.
Without Fulton’s intervention, I wouldn’t have gotten the job with Adam. I might have eventually gotten a job doing something similar somewhere, but that wasn’t guaranteed. It couldn’t be guaranteed, because what both Olive and Fulton had said was true.
There were too many people and not enough jobs. I’d had no relevant experience and nothing behind me that proved I’d ever even shown an interest in the world I’d been trying to become a part of. Was it possible that my attitude about the whole thing had been wrong?
I got in line with the other people heading to Florida, inching along at a snail’s pace as people presented their tickets and identifications before being allowed into the tunnel leading to the airplane. All along, my mind kept racing, questioning.
When I got to the front, I already had my ticket and identification ready, but when the attendant held out her hand to take them, I pulled back. She gave me a strange look, cocking her head. “Ma’am? I’m going to need to check that.”
“No.” I shook my hand, tightening my grip on the handle of my suitcase. “That’s okay. I won’t be boarding this plane.”
Chapter 37
Fulton
“The new security system is looking good,” I said to Elliot, lifting my eyes from the report file lying on my desk. “I’m really impressed. It’s a shame that we had to get robbed to implement it, but I’m really glad we’re doing it now. It’s going to be excellent for the business going forward, being able to add this state-of-the-art security to clients.”
“Absolutely. You mentioned there were some details you wanted to discuss with me that you’ve been working on. Do you—”
Elliot was cut off by Daniel entering the office. Unlike the last time he’d come in without knocking, he didn’t look frantic this time. Instead, he was wearing this devilish smile and his eyes were shining with something that looked way too much like mischief.
“There’s a woman here to see you, sir.”
Elliot frowned, tapping on the screen of his phone to wake it up. “There’s nothing on the calendar. We don’t have any meetings scheduled.”
“Oh, no. This isn’t a meeting, Mr. Timms.” The corners of his lips turned up, making him look like the cat who had gotten the cream and the canary. “It’s a personal visit, I believe.”
My eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about? And why the fuck do you have that look on your face?”
Elliot exchanged a glance with Daniel and seemed to put two and two together before I could. Both of them started chuckling and Elliot whispered under his breath. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“What?” I glared at both of them, but neither said anything. They watched me with amusement dancing in their eyes. “You’re assholes. Both of you. Fine, I’ll go meet with the mystery woman, but it better not be a fucking salesperson here to talk me into new household insurance.”
“It’s not,” Daniel assured me. “I handle your personal insurance and you don’t need new household insurance. Trust me.”
“I do, even if I don’t know why right now.” I stood, doing up both buttons on my jacket. “We’ll pick this up later, Elliot. I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time.” His voice was thick with barely contained laughter. I was surprised when he stood up, too, falling into step behind me. “I think we can just pick this back up tomorrow. Don’t worry about it.”
I tossed him a look over my shoulder, slamming to a stop when I realized who was waiting for me in the outer office. Elliot sidestepped deftly like he was expecting that exact reaction from me and avoided colliding with my back.
He smirked as he passed me, then reached out a hand to the visitor. “You must be Valerie. I’m Elliot. Don’t be too easy on him, okay? He just called me an asshole.”
I heard him talking, but I couldn’t concentrate on what he was saying. I was too busy trying to process that she was here. Valerie was standing in my building. In Boston. Right in front of me.
What the…? I wanted to take her into my arms, hold on to her so tight that our bodies fused together, and I couldn’t let her go ever again. Instead of doing any of that, though, I just stood there. Staring like a fucking idiot. Smooth moves, asshole.
Valerie looked amazing, even more beautiful than I remembered her being—if that was possible. Her black hair was soft and straight, one of the longer locks at the front tucked behind her ear. Gorgeous hazel eyes were soft, uncertain but determined.
She was wearing a gray pencil skirt with a tight black shirt that was perfectly fitted, a gray jacket that matched the skirt draped over her arm. On her feet were a pair of sky-high black heels. There was a suitcase standing behind her, a small wheeled type that made me realize with a start that she must have come straight here from Seattle.
“Valerie?” Her name fell from my lips like a prayer. “What are you doing here?”
She shifted her weight, meeting my eyes with a tentative stare. “I wanted to talk to you. Have you got a minute?”
“Daniel, clear the rest of my day. I’m taking Valerie to an early dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I d
idn’t take my eyes off of Valerie’s. I couldn’t even if I tried.
In my periphery, I saw him giving me a salute. “Consider it done, sir.”
“Very well.” Finally working my way through the shock of seeing the very last person I’d have expected to be waiting for me at my office, I moved toward her.
It took everything I had not to reach for her hand, or to cup her cheeks, or to touch her at all—even if it was just a poke to satisfy myself that she was real and really here. Since I couldn’t do any of that, I tucked my fingers into my pockets and inclined my head in the direction of the door.
“You coming?”
She nodded, reaching for the handle of the suitcase. I pressed the corners of my lips in and waved her off. “No, I got it. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you.” Her voice was too quiet, almost like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be using it at all. When we got into my car, I could practically see the steam coming out of her ears from how hard she was thinking.
I was dying to know what she was doing here, but I didn’t want to push her. Clearly, she was working through something in her head, and I gave her the space she needed to figure out what to say or how to say it.
The restaurant I drove us to was small and quiet, a hole-in-the-wall burger joint I loved. Everything about it was simple and plain, but the food was good and the beer was cold.
We grabbed a table in the back, neither of us saying anything while we got settled at our booth. There weren’t many people in the restaurant, since it was still a little early for the dinner rush. The tables around us were empty, providing at least an illusion of privacy.
We were still in public, and if anyone really wanted to, I supposed they’d be able to eavesdrop even from the other side of the restaurant, but those were the breaks. I hadn’t wanted to drive Valerie to my place, afraid it would seem pushy or presumptuous. I didn’t even know why or for how long she was here yet.