I got out first.
“Have a good time,” Bob said. “I’ll be back around one o’clock. Sound good?”
I nodded. “Perfect.”
Senna took Lily’s hand and helped her out of the back of the car. Then the two girls stepped up onto the sidewalk beside me and looked at the capitol building.
“I haven’t seen it this close before,” Senna said.
“Really?” I asked.
She shook her head and never took her eyes away from the building. “No, I’ve never had a reason to. And when it’s in your own city, I don’t know, it seems a lot less exciting, I guess. Less of a destination and more of a part of daily life.”
“It’s impressive,” I said.
“It is,” Senna agreed.
Rising from the center of the building was a large dome boasting pillars and windows. The style was Italian Renaissance Revival, and it was unlike anything I’d ever seen back home in Orlando.
“There are so many windows,” Lily said, staring up at the building as she stood between us.
“I think there are more than nine hundred,” I said.
“Nine hundred?” Lily asked, her voice full of awe and disbelief.
Senna looked at me out of the corner of her eye. “Someone did a bit of research before picking us up, it seems.”
“You caught me.” I chuckled. “Yes. Over nine hundred windows. And four hundred rooms. The capitol building stands on twenty-two acres of land that it shares with dozens of monuments and statues.”
“Like what?” Lily breathed.
“Like,” I paused, scratching my chin, “a monument to the heroes of the Alamo.”
“The Alamo?” Lily asked, cocking her head to the side. It was a foreign word to her, and she pronounced it with deliberate slowness like she was trying to get used to how the word felt on her tongue. She looked back and forth between Senna and me. “What’s the Alamo?”
Senna finally tore her gaze from the capitol building. “The Alamo is in San Antonio. A battle took place there a long time ago.”
“Battle?”
“Like a small war. With cowboys.”
“American heroes,” I said.
Senna nodded toward the building. “Are we just going to stand here, or are we going in?”
“In! In! In!” Lily cried.
I laughed. “I guess that answers that.”
We crossed the street, hopped up on the sidewalk, and followed a diamond cut path up to the front doors of the capitol building. Warm amber light was glowing from inside, and when we stepped in, we were hit with a wall of air-conditioned air that was a nice reprieve from the dry morning heat outside.
Lily looked around the grand entrance. “Wow!”
There was no other word to encompass how small the place made a man feel. The ceiling soared high overhead. People milled around everywhere, employees and tourists alike. There were those dressed in suits. Janitors pushed brooms around the floors in the wake of guests on tours. Children ran all over the place, their laughter bouncing off the walls and the dome high above, which was marked with a star and capital letters inside every point, spelling out TEXAS.
“Do we have to check in for a tour?” Senna asked.
“Nope. We can explore on our own time. I booked us VIP passes.” I plunged a hand in my pocket and pulled out three printed badges I’d had done up yesterday afternoon before Senna even called me to tell me she could make it. I could feel in my bones that she was going to say yes.
I’d attached each badge to a string so we could wear them around our necks. Lily jumped gleefully in place as I put hers over her head. “Don’t lose this, all right?”
“I won’t,” she said, grinning.
“All right, where do we want to start? The old court room is to the right, I believe. And on the second floor somewhere are the Chambers of Legislature. Which I would definitely like to check out.”
“Let’s start there then,” Senna offered.
“You’re sure?”
She nodded. “Positive. Lily, let’s go. Don’t wander off, okay? This is a big place, and there are a lot of people here.”
Lily scampered over to her mother and took her hand, and then the three of us made our way deeper into the building to ascend the cast-iron staircase flanking the right side of the rotunda. On the other side was a matching set of stairs that people were coming down.
We arrived on the second level and made our way down a hallway. We stepped into one of the Legislature Chambers within minutes, and I was greeted with a sense of grandness, the likes of which I’d never seen.
The ceilings were two stories high. The main level in which we stood was for legislature employees and counsel, and up front, in a grand seat situated in front of the American Flag, was where the Governor would sit.
“Damn,” I breathed.
Senna elbowed me in the ribs.
“Uh, wow, I mean,” I amended quickly.
Lily hadn’t even noticed. She was too caught up in looking around the room. Her eyes were wider than I’d ever seen them, and she took a step forward to peer at one of the desks. There was a table in front of every chair. I imagined the people who came here had to do a lot of note taking in order to do their jobs properly.
Overhead was a balcony of more seating open to the public during session. It was similar to that of a theatre, with inclined seats that all faced inward and lined the outer edges of the room.
“I can’t believe I’ve never done this before,” Senna said under her breath. “It’s magnificent.”
“And still used daily,” I said. “It’s not like it’s just a piece of history. It’s both. History that is still being used today.”
We stayed in there for a while. Lily wandered deeper into the room as other people came in behind us, marveling at the sheer size of the space.
Senna was watching Lily.
I clasped my hands in front of myself. “Can I ask you something?”
She glanced at me. “Sure.”
“Have you always felt the same way about large corporations, or did your dislike for them start when it impacted your business?”
She gave me her full attention. “No, I’ve always resented them for squishing the little guy under their foot.”
“You don’t think they serve a purpose? That small business and big industry go hand in hand to grow a healthy economy?”
Her blue eyes flicked back and forth between mine, and she ran her fingers through her short black hair. “In some cases, sure. But with things like a massive mall, when there is clear evidence that malls are dying out, it seems reckless to me. And greedy. This giant thing Woodbury has built might go down the toilet in fifteen years. People are shopping online more often than not. When they do go into a brick and mortar store, they’re looking for something they can’t find online. And in a lot of cases, they’re looking for an experience. That’s something you can’t get in these big box stores or chain retailers that fill up malls like Woodbury.”
“You’re not wrong.”
She blinked at me. “Pardon?”
I chuckled. “I said you’re not wrong.”
Lily came bounding over to us. She threw herself at her mother and caught on to the hem of Senna’s shirt. “Do you know what would be so much fun here?” Lily gushed.
“What, bunny?” Senna asked.
A mischievous smile washed over the little girl’s face. “A game of tag.”
Senna laughed. It was a sound I hadn’t heard before. It reminded me of the sweet songs of birds in the morning. “I don’t know if the people who work here would want us playing tag in their building, bunny.”
“Unless of course, somebody paid them some big bucks to accommodate us,” I said.
Senna peered over at me.
I swerved around her and tapped Lily’s shoulder with my middle and index finger. “You’re it!” I barked before turning on my heel and bolting down the line of desks toward the front of the legislature room.
The chorus of laughter that exploded from both girls behind me had me grinning from ear to ear, and seconds later, Lily’s sandals were slapping on the floor as she ran after me.
Chapter 18
Senna
Lily and Zach ran around the Legislature room like deranged chickens, shrieking as they went and drawing far too much attention to themselves for my comfort level. I kept my head down and admired the room while pretending I did not know the two hooligans goofing around in the most prestigious building in all of Austin.
I also pretended that the way Zach was with Lily didn’t make my heart flutter.
Her laughter was loud and genuine as he raced between seats to chase after her. I hadn’t heard her sound this joyful in ages. If I had to put a timeline on it, I’d guess since her last birthday when some of her best friends from day care came to the house and we ate cake, played games, and had a magician put on a child-friendly show in the backyard.
Of course, there should be that sort of laughter on a child’s birthday, but not only on their birthday.
Lily shot out from between two desks and hurtled past me toward the door and out into the hallway. Zach, who was grinning like a school boy, tore after her, using the doorframe to swing himself around and out into the hallway.
Their laughter echoed down the hall and back to me as other tourists shot dark looks over their shoulders, then bowed their heads together, undoubtedly whispering about how rude and obnoxious the child and the man were.
I followed them out and down the hall.
I walked at a slow pace, admiring the art on the walls and the black and white photographs from when the capitol building was first constructed in the late eighteen hundreds. I wondered if this behavior from Zach was as genuine as Lily’s laughter.
Or was this all just part of his master plan to get Lily Living to sell out and move so his company could put in their parking lot?
It was hard to tell. He seemed to be enjoying himself. A lot.
And I had to give him credit where credit was due—he was keeping his word. We hadn’t talked business, and that, in itself, was impressive. He was here on company time, and he wasn’t crossing the line he and I had both set in stone when we first met.
Although the copious quantity of flowers he had delivered to my shop was a bit much, I couldn’t deny that I liked having them there. Or the reminder of the lengths he’d gone to get them for me. Or how much attention he’d paid to—
I shook my head. “Stop it, Senna. You’re doing it again.”
Justifying it all.
Zach was a corporate tycoon. He was the enemy.
I had to remember that at all times, even now when he was walking back toward me, hand in hand with Lily, chest rising and falling as he struggled to catch his breath. Lily was huffing and puffing too, and by the time they reached me, I could see how flushed her cheeks were and how bright her eyes were.
“Are you two having a good time?” I asked, not bothering to hide my own smile.
Lily nodded and looked up at Zach. “We got in trouble.”
“Trouble?” I asked, crossing my arms and looking at Zach.
He chuckled and then held up his hand. He bent over, placed both hands on his knees, and took a dramatic gasp for air. “Hold up. Lily is too fast. I’m dying.”
There was one thing I knew for absolute certain about Zach Hammel. Despite what he was saying at the moment, the man was in peak physical shape. There was no way my six-year-old had tuckered him out that quickly.
I nodded at Lily. “Does this mean you won?”
Lily giggled. “I think so.”
Zach nodded, still bent over and taking ragged breaths. His perfectly slicked-back, brown hair had fallen out of place, and a strand hung down in his forehead, giving him a more rugged look. “She won—fair and square. What are you feeding this kid to make her run so fast?”
I indulged myself in a giggle of my own. “Mostly pizza, Brussel sprouts, and chicken fingers.”
Zach straightened up and shot a confused look in Lily’s direction. “Brussel sprouts? What sort of sociopath are you?”
The word “sociopath” was lost on Lily, but she laughed nevertheless. “I like them. Especially the way Momma makes them.”
“And they’re good for her,” I added.
Lily grinned. “And eating good food makes you feel good.”
“And makes you fast,” Zach added, running his fingers through his hair to tame the strand that had fallen loose from all the hair product. It fell across his forehead almost instantly as his hand dropped to his side. “What else do you two want to see in here?”
I crossed my arms. “I wouldn’t mind going back to the rotunda. I read a plaque back there that said it’s also called the ‘Whispering Gallery’.”
“Why?” Zach asked.
“Because the voices of those inside carry throughout the dome, and apparently, you can hear what almost everyone is saying, depending on where you’re standing.”
“Sounds cool,” Zach said, looking down at Lily. “What do you say, Speedy Gonzales?”
Lily let go of his hand and shot off down the hall back in the direction we’d come.
Zach chuckled, and we started walking down the hall side by side. “She’s a pretty cool kid. I mean, I haven’t been exposed to many children, but something tells me not many of them are like your girl.”
“No, they’re not. She’s a special one.”
“Does she understand what I do?”
I frowned. “How do you mean?”
Zach was quiet for a minute. The heels of our shoes clicked on the floor, and Lily, who had already made it to the rotunda, stood at the railing around the dome and peered down at the first floor below.
“I don’t want her to think I’m here to swindle you,” he said.
“But that is why you’re here, isn’t it?”
He licked his lips. “I don’t see it that way.”
“Then tell me how you see it. I’m curious.” I wasn’t lying. Maybe there was something he could say that would help me make sense of this strange predicament—of being attracted to the man who would be my financial undoing.
He took his time trying to pick the right words, and when he spoke, he seemed to be making sure that everything he said was what he wanted it to be. “I’ve always seen myself as someone who goes in and helps struggling business owners and shows them other options. Yes, I work for Woodbury. And yes, there are companies out there just like them that will take advantage of people like yourself. And the shitty thing is that there are some business owners who don’t know any better and will settle for the first offer that comes their way. In the process, they end up losing their business or selling it for less than what it’s worth, and they make it too easy for these multimillion-dollar companies to come in and do a clean sweep. To extinguish them. Just like that.” He snapped his fingers to signal the finality of the whole process. “And that isn’t what I want to be a part of.”
“So help me understand. You think Woodbury is different from those companies you speak of?”
He looked over at me and smiled, but it was a weak smile. “I think they have the potential to be, yes. I think if there are other guys like me out there, fighting for both sides to win, it’s possible to have a big development company that does a hell of a lot more good than it does bad.” He laughed. It was almost an embarrassed sound. “Does that sound like a foolish pipe dream?”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “It sounds like a pipe dream for sure. But it doesn’t sound foolish.”
We reached Lily at the railing. She craned her head to look back at us and then whispered under her breath, “I can hear everyone down there.”
Zach dropped to a crouch and pressed his face to the wooden slats in the railing. Lily grinned and did the same, and they both stayed like that, listening intently, while I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the banister.
Was everything Zach just said a bunch of well thought out lines strung perfectl
y together to sway me in his favor?
He was smart enough to pull it off. I had no doubt about it.
But I didn’t get the feeling that he was playing a game with me. Sure, he’d taken me and Lily out, and sure, he was working for who I deemed “the Bad Guys,” but Zach himself didn’t seem like a bad person. On the contrary, he seemed like a genuinely good guy.
Sure, he seemed to have an affinity for expensive things, which made me suspect he might be a little materialistic, but that was the only quality I’d seen in him that gave me big, bad, corporate vibes.
Aside from that, he was kind, genuine, and funny. And so good with Lily.
A man couldn’t fake being good with children. He just couldn’t. Zach was effortlessly good with her.
Lily smiled up at me. “Can you hear them too, Momma?”
I nodded. “I can.”
I stopped thinking so much about Zach and his intentions and focused on participating in the event at hand with my daughter. I crouched down on her other side and gripped the railing posts. Lily pointed down at a couple looking at a picture of a previous governor who, from this distance, I couldn’t make out.
Their voices wafted up to the dome to meet our ears. They were a young couple, and they were arguing.
At first, I couldn’t tell what they were so heated about. The girl, a young woman who couldn’t have been older than twenty-two, had her arms crossed and her chin lifted with her face turned slightly away from him. The guy, the definition of a college football player, had a hand on her shoulder and was trying to talk some sense into her.
“Why does this have to be an issue every time, babe?” he asked.
“It’s not an issue. You’re making it an issue.”
“How am I making it an issue? I asked what you wanted, and you told me to choose. So I chose.”
“Yeah. And you specifically chose what you knew I wouldn’t like.”
“I did not. You like Greek food. We had it two weeks ago at your grandmother’s birthday dinner.”
“Well, whatever. I don’t want it.”
I covered my mouth with one hand and started giggling.
Good Luck Charm: A Single Mother Romance Page 11