“Damn. You don’t believe that, do you?”
“It took me a long time to get over it or to stop blaming myself. I started collecting more rocks and crystals when I could, hoping to find one that could repair them, to make it even better than before. Meanwhile, the other kids, except for Lissa, thought I was strange. Finally, one day my father explained that they were just stones. It was about the time I was eleven. I realized I didn’t care. I liked rocks, and so I kept at it. I started painting fantasy landscapes for fun, and they always had geodes and crystals. Then, I decided to create my own life-like art using the same look.”
“And so you painted that mural?”
“I’ve done several like that actually. And I did a table top.” I wondered if I should show him into my room and thought, what the hell? “Would you like to see them?”
“Yes, of course.” He turned and followed me across the room. “You’re very talented. I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said as he walked past the wall. “You’d make a killing in New York with this. Crystals are hot there. Katrina wanted to sell them in the café. She originally wanted a whole metaphysical vibe, but I talked her out of it. She’d love this.”
I waved him into the small hallway with me, and we stopped at the door. “This is my room.”
“Okay,” he said, stepping closer. He put his hand on the door beside me, and just as he was about to lean in for a kiss, I twisted the knob, and we both sort of stumbled inside.
My bed had a gauzy canopy, and there were large pieces of driftwood nailed to the wall with succulents and air plants, all thriving heartily. Across the room from my bed was my antique vanity that had nothing but crystal towers and a large selenite moon lamp, along with my diffuser.
“This is nice.” He walked over to the bedside, and at the foot was a large geode tabletop I had made to look like a slice of blue agate. “This is really nice. Is this real?”
“No, I made it. I did the same thing as on my wall.”
“But it’s so smooth.” He ran his hand over the top. “This is really amazing.”
“Thanks. I couldn’t get the other wall this smooth after adding the real stones, but it’s easier on a flat surface.”
“You are gifted. Have you gone to school for this?”
“No, I could never afford college, and besides, my father passed away, and I had to go to work to keep the house. I paid for it in a year, and then it was mine.”
“Well, it’s certainly something to be proud of, Sage. How come you didn’t tell me you are an amazing artist?”
“I guess I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I mean, I don’t make my living doing it or anything.”
“Would you like to?”
I sighed thinking about Lissa. “Did Lissa put you up to this? She’s always trying to tell me what I need to do with my art. She thinks I need to go into business.”
“She knows good talent when she sees it. I can’t say I blame her. You could make a nice living off of these if you had the right clients.”
“I wouldn’t be able to find them around here. I’d have to be in a big city.”
She had a point, and I didn’t know why I didn’t see it sooner. “I could always hook you up with the proper connections.”
That had me retreating. I walked out of the room, and he followed me back to the living room, where I paused and offered him a seat. “I don’t know about that. I’m not a professional or anything.”
“I beg to differ. You have a beautiful style. It’s classy.”
“Classy?” I belted a belly-laugh. “Me? Come on. I work at a lumberyard with a bunch of men who think they’re sailors. I’m not some city girl laced with sophistication.”
“You’re so much more than you think, then. Because I know that any business with you and your art would be a success.”
“I don’t know if Camden is ready for me, much less the world.”
“You hold yourself back.”
I hated to even bring up money, knowing he would probably whip out his checkbook. “Owning a business is not for everyone.”
“If it’s money, I could—”
“No, you’re not using your money to do anything. I’m good. I like life how it is. I mean, yeah, it’s not glamourous, but I’m happy. Isn’t that enough?” I wasn’t looking for his opinions really, just to remind him why he came out to Camden. “Isn’t that why you retired, so you could be happy?” I sat on the couch and patted the cushion beside me.
As he walked around to join me, Jasper jumped up into my lap, demanding attention.
“That’s not why I moved out here. I mean, to be happy, yes, but also to follow my dreams. So, what are your dreams?”
“For a handsome man to come and sweep me off my feet. Or just sit on my couch with me and tell me how pretty my crystals are.”
“They are beautiful, just like you, but that’s not what I mean.”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m boring.”
“If you had all the money in the world, what would you want to do?”
“It’s not a matter of money. I have my own little nest egg set back from when my father passed away, but I don’t know.” I hadn’t ever really wanted to go to college, and I liked living the quiet life.
“Tell me. Do you ever take time off work?”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d taken a day off from work. Leaving early was common, but only because I usually had to run errands for my boss, but time off? “As in vacation?”
“Yeah. Don’t you have some time off for one?”
“Chuck’s always trying to get me to take some time away, but he and the others wouldn’t know what to do without me. I get their lunches, pay their bills, cash their checks. I take care of them.”
“I’m sure they could manage. I want you to go somewhere with me.”
“Back home to New York?” I had always wanted to go.
“Sure, why not? There are some things I want you to see. We could make an extended weekend out of it if you could get Chuck to manage without you.”
I stroked Jasper’s fur. “I don’t know what to do with my cat. Lissa usually feeds him if I go away, and she’s on that business trip with Christian.”
“I’ll pay to kennel him. He looks like he could use a vacation too.” Jasper gave him a look and then turned up his nose.
“He’s not keen on that idea.”
“Come on. Get someone from work to check on him. It’s just for a short time. One night, maybe two. He could probably feed himself in that time. Besides, he looks like he could stand to miss a few meals.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
Greyson moved over closer and took my hand. “Please?” He gave me a pleading look. “Let me live my dream of taking you to New York with me.”
When he gave me those eyes, it was hard to refuse. “Where will we stay?” I didn’t want to stay with his friends, and it wasn’t because I didn’t think I’d like them, but I wanted to have a bit of privacy with him.
“Any hotel you want, although I have access to the top suite of the DeVant building if you’re interested. It’s a small apartment owned by my former boss. Full luxury and totally private.”
It sounded like a good time. I’d always wanted to go to the big city and stay in a fancy suite. “Is there room service?”
“I could order you anything you want from the city and have it brought to us. The sky’s the limit. Besides, I want to show you the city. I’ll call Chuck myself if you want.”
“No, don’t call Chuck. I’ll handle it. When do you want to go?” I got out my phone and looked for Chuck’s personal number in my contacts.
“How about a few hours?”
“A few hours?” I put the phone down. “You want me to call my boss and ask for time off with nothing but a few hours’ notice?”
“You’re a good employee, are you not?”
“I am, but damn. He’s not going to be happy.”
“Fine, first thing in the m
orning.” He eased back against the cushion and gave me a disappointed look. “Unless you don’t want to go—”
“Of course, I want to. Tomorrow does sound better though. I’ll at least have time to get ready.” I thought of Lissa being gone and wished I could call her and talk to her about what to pack. I didn’t even know what to use for luggage and wondered if my large duffle would work.
“So, we’re going?” He gave me a look like he absolutely wanted to be sure.
I took a deep breath. I hadn’t planned on this happening, but I had been envious of Lissa going someplace exciting. Now, I could too. And with the sexiest man alive. “Yes, we’re going!”
25
Greyson
I headed out to Sage’s house the next morning to pick her up. On the way, I thought of how close I’d been to staying the entire night and hated that I missed waking up in her arms. If it hadn’t been for the trip, I would have, but if I was bringing her to New York, I had a lot of plans to set in motion, as well as packing my bags and securing the house.
With Christian gone, I felt a little insecure leaving the house, but before I drove away, I went to the Abbots’ house and asked if they could keep an eye on the house while I was gone. Mrs. Abbot was especially sweet and said she’d pass the word along, but with our properties so far apart, it wasn’t likely that they’d be able to see if someone did decide to rob me.
As I got in the car, I called Katrina.
“Hey, Greyson,” she said, picking up the phone on the first ring. “Are you missing me already?” Her sarcastic tone was followed by a breathy laugh. “You better have a good reason for calling this early.”
“The sun is nearly up. I expect the other half of my café owner to be up and motivated by now.”
“You can’t be serious. And why do you sound so chipper? You were miserable here just weeks ago. Who is the unlucky girl this time?”
“Come on; I told you I’m turning over a new leaf, and it’s the same girl, believe it or not.”
“You are with the same girl for more than two weeks? Wow, that’s an impressive record. How many do you have on the side?” I had never had anyone on the side when I was with Katrina, but I did have someone shortly after. Like the same day.
“New day, new leaf.”
“Old dog, I call bullshit.”
“No, it’s true. I think I finally found my soulmate.”
“Your soulmate?”
“Could be, but I didn’t call you to pour my heart out about the woman I’m seeing. You’ll meet her soon enough. But I wanted to ask—”
“Wait. Back up. You said I’m going to meet her?”
“Yes, today, as a matter of fact. That’s why I’m calling so early. I thought I should warn you I’ll be back in town and stopping off at the café. I wanted to ask you about the art idea you had for the shop.” I hoped she still remembered our conversation since the attack. She was pretty drugged up after being pistol whipped.
“Yeah, I remember. I also remember you didn’t sound too impressed and didn’t know if it would be a good idea to clutter up the café with amateur art.”
“Hm. Did I say that?”
“Yeah, you did. But let me guess. The new girlfriend is an artist, and she’s amazing, and you wanted to help her out, so you told her she could bring her art to the Big Apple and put it in our café.”
“I haven’t told her yet. And before you go thinking this is just a ploy to hook this woman, I want you to know I’m very serious about her. I think she’s the one. Besides, she is super talented and different than most around here, which is why I think her brand of art would sell if it had the right exposure.”
“Well, you sound very passionate about her and her art, so I’d be willing to give it a try. But are we talking about letting other artists come in or just your girlfriend?”
“We can talk about that when I get there. I want Cassie in on this as well, so I thought we could all get together for dinner.”
“Sounds good.”
“Hey, I’m at her house to get her. I’ll call you when I land.” I would have the DeVant car waiting for us, and the plane was already on this end at the airport. It was nice being an advisor for DeVant and still getting the perks.
I walked to the door, and before I could knock, the door came open, and she called out as she stepped away, trying to put on a necklace under her hair, “Hey, come on in. I’m just finishing getting ready. Chuck is keeping Jasper for me, and he’s going to be the shop cat while I’m gone, but I’m still getting ready from dealing with his sendoff.”
“It’s okay, and you look beautiful.” She couldn’t have much left to do. I’d helped her pack most of it the night before.
“I just wanted to put on this necklace. And then I have to find my shoes.” She struggled with the necklace again and made a sound of frustration. “I can’t get this.”
“Let me do it.” I took it from her. The necklace had a large purple stone. “This isn’t one of those grounding stones, is it? I don’t want it to bring the plane down.” I stepped behind her as she lifted her hair. Then I secured the clasp with ease.
She rolled her eyes and then stepped away. “It doesn’t work that way. Besides, this is amethyst, and it’s calming and protective. It’s also my birthstone.”
“That’s February, isn’t it? Pisces or Aquarius?”
“Pisces. Can’t you tell?” She laughed. “I bet you learned that from a girlfriend.”
“Yes, another woman taught me that. She was my aunt, Marisol. She’s beautiful, lives in Arizona. You’d love her.”
“Is she like me?” She walked over to her couch and sat long enough to slip on her shoes.
“Yeah, and she’s also a lot like my mother, her big sister.”
“So, you’re saying I remind you of your mother?”
I hadn’t really thought about it, but aside from the red hair, she did. “Yeah, I suppose. You both have that beautiful-soul quality about you.”
“I’m ready,” she said, grabbing her handbag. “I’m also very nervous.”
“Don’t you have a stone for that?”
“Very funny.” She pulled out a little pouch from her cleavage, and inside were several stones.
“Tell me about them on the plane?”
“If you really want to know.”
“I do.” But I also had a pilot on standby, and he tended to get really pissed off when I was late.
She locked up the house, and then we got in the Jeep and drove it to the airport. With little time off to make the trip, I thought flying was best. I didn’t want anything to eat into our time together, and while a long car ride would have been plenty to get to know her, I was counting on more time in the city together.
I hadn’t told her the reason why I had asked her to come, and I hoped that she would keep an open mind and give my idea a try. She needed to put herself out there a little, especially if she ever wanted to improve herself. I didn’t really think she wanted to work at the lumberyard for the rest of her days, and this would afford her a big opportunity to make a lot of money. She could also improve her education, which would be so valuable.
After the plane landed safely, she was much more at ease, at least until we walked into the DeVant building.
The place was busy as usual, with people working and moving about, most surprised to see me back in the building and greeting me with hellos. “They all know you,” she said.
“Yes, I worked here and I’m still on the payroll as an advisor, remember?” I said with a laugh as one of my receptionists, Amy, walked by.
“Hello, Mr. Young,” she said with a sultry tone. I’d been up the blue skirt she was wearing more times than I could count, and I gave her a quick smile that reminded her to mind her manners.
Sage was unfazed by Amy, and that was a relief, but it was obvious she’d never seen anything like the DeVant building before. “This place is huge. And you say your best friend is Eric DeVant. Like the name on the side of the building?”
>
“The one and only. I was his father’s righthand man, and for a short time, I had complete control of this company.” I looked around and noticed that my attendants with the luggage were taking the side service elevator, so our bags were already on their way to the suite.
“Who has control now?”
“Eric, but I do own a small portion of the company too. It was a gift. We both stay in the shadows to assure things are run right, which is why I still have access to everything DeVant.”
“Wow.” She stopped before she got on the elevator and looked up at the tall ceilings. “You mean you gave all of this up to go to Camden and build your dream boat?”
“And to find the love of my life.” I took her hand. “Come on. Let’s get up to the suite before I’m ambushed. The last time I stepped foot in this place was for my going-away party.”
“I bet that was something. Could you show me around the building?”
“I will later when most everyone is gone. I’d do it now, but we have an appointment.” As she let out a long breath, she let me lead the way to the elevator as she continued to take it all in.
I hoped it wasn’t too overwhelming for her. When she got into the elevator, she gripped the handrail, her eyes widening as she realized the walls were glass. The view of the ground below had her mouth agape. “Does it do this all the way to the top?”
I laughed. “No, just to the third floor. It’s a lovely view, isn’t it?”
She reached for me, and I kept a protective arm around her, which made her smile. “It’s amazing. Whoever designed the building really had the view in mind.”
“Eric’s dad was a tough man, but he appreciated beauty.” I looked into her eyes. “But it’s not the best view. I’ve got that.” I brushed her hair back from her face, and she turned her eyes up. Just when I kissed her, we reached the third floor, and the door opened.
“Come on.” I took her hand, and we stepped out into the upper lobby which was busy this time of morning with people coming in for appointments.
We walked down the hall and to the elevator that would take us to the suite. When we stepped into the elevator, she breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness it’s not glass, although that was one hell of a view. I can’t believe there are this many people working for DeVant. This place is huge.”
Caught Up In Love Page 15
