Chapter 16
Elliot
I'd planned to return to Chicago tomorrow for Monday's board meeting. But immediately after my moment of weakness with Mira, I called my pilot and told him to prepare for takeoff. I never should have stopped by her office. I didn't need anything from her, but after leaving my meeting with Noah and Tessa, I couldn't stop myself from approaching her. It was as if a siren were calling me.
That woman is an anomaly. The fact that I can't fit her into a category only increases my interest in her. Everything about her is strange, from her vintage outfits to her pins. She is nothing like the professionals I usually deal with.
My particular interest in her infuriates me, as does the brainless way I behave in her presence. Between this mess I've gotten myself into with my alias and the fact that Mira is starting to get under my skin, I need some distance from whatever is interfering with my objective judgment.
Relief washes over me the moment I step into my penthouse overlooking the Chicago River. This is my quiet corner of the world, far from distracting women and employees who can't understand when I want to be left alone. They say home is where the heart is, but for me, home is wherever I can find peace and quiet. That is true peace in my eyes.
After showering, I eat a delivered meal, then watch the Friday-night football game with a beer. Suddenly, my phone vibrates on the coffee table.
Mira: I know you don't like being thanked because you're shy and everything, but that drawing is INCREDIBLE. I just left my meeting to a standing ovation.
My plan not to think about Wondervale for a few days goes up in smoke. I'm setting my phone down when a second message appears.
Mira: Okay, I'm exaggerating a little. But everyone really did applaud.
I bite the inside of my cheek as if that might erase my urge to smile.
Me: Has anyone ever told you you're unbelievable?
Mira: Of course. Unbelievably Awesome is my middle name.
Me: I think you're crazy.
The next text appears before I can draw another breath.
Mira: If you're not sure yet, I'll have to take it up a notch, because I never do anything halfway.
This time, I can't hold back my laugh. It's a sound I'm not used to hearing.
Me: I can see why Elliot hired you.
Am I really going to talk about myself while pretending to be someone else?
Mira: And I can see why he hired you.
Apparently, the answer is yes.
Mira: I'm good at buttering people up, you know.
I give a bitter smile. This is what I was waiting for. I knew it was too good to be true.
Mira: In case you missed my subtle hint, this is the part where I make my request.
Me: Your request? I didn't think we were already at that stage in our relationship.
My text earns me a GIF of a man laughing into his coffee mug. I'm so accustomed to people whose laughter sounds fake that I've forgotten what it's like to genuinely amuse someone.
Mira: So, what would you think about forming some kind of partnership?
My response is instant.
Me: No.
Mira: But I haven't even explained my proposal yet!
Me: Sorry. My bank doesn't accept Monopoly money.
Appalled with myself, I pinch the bridge of my nose. Why do I say such lame things to her?
Yet I get three laughing emojis in return. Go figure.
Mira: You're pretty funny.
Me: I don't think anyone has ever told me that before.
I groan when I reread the text. My alter ego is a real loser. Not so different from me, actually.
Mira: That's weird, Grant. Maybe you need new friends who appreciate your sense of humor.
Friends? What friends? The higher you climb the ladder of success, the harder it becomes to form relationships. Maybe that's why I enjoy my exchanges with Mira. It isn't her specifically, but rather the freedom to let go and be myself...
Mira: Fine, forget the Monopoly-money idea. I'll do better: I'm willing to pay you in food and drinks, or whatever you want.
Before I can type a response, her next message lights up my phone.
Mira: Do good-quality pencils count as valid currency in your department? I have a gift card for the local art store that I borrowed from my mother.
My chest tightens strangely. An alarm goes off in my head, but I ignore it.
Me: How do you borrow a gift card?
Mira: Now that you mention it... let's call it a donation.
Is she serious? And why am I smiling at my phone? I immediately pull myself together and clench my teeth.
Me: I can't help you. I have too much work.
Good. Get yourself out before it's too late.
Mira: Oh. Yes, of course. I understand. Elliot mentioned that the animators are very busy working on new movies right now.
An odd sensation twists my gut, and it has nothing to do with what I ate. I don't know where it comes from. All I can think about now is escaping this conversation.
Me: I have to go. Ask Elliot if he knows anyone else who could help you.
I try to make it clear that I'm ending our exchange without saying so outright. I hope she understands in writing; it isn't easy. To silence my thoughts, I turn up the television.
A few minutes later, my phone vibrates against my thigh.
Mira: I'll come back with a better offer tomorrow, once I've worked everything out.
Me: Just don't go selling a kidney.
Fuck. It's as though I have no self-control whatsoever.
Mira: Of course not. The kidney is Plan E. I still have three other options before I get to that.
I tip my head toward the ceiling and curse. How the hell did I end up joking with a woman who doesn't even know my real identity?
And worse, why am I starting to enjoy it?
My presentation to the board goes off without a hitch. Even my father has no comments for me. He limits himself to a few logistical questions about my schedule. I expected more from him, and his apparent calm only makes me brace for the worst.
He's up to something. I'm sure of it. I just don't know what.
"Something's wrong with Father," Adrian says as he sits behind his desk later.
"I noticed it too. Today's meeting didn't go the way I expected."
I take the seat diagonally across from him. I'm stuck alone with my older brother because Nico has disappeared yet again.
"He didn't say a word about the will. I feel like he's hiding something from us. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm keeping an eye on him. It's only a matter of time before he shows his hand."
At that moment, Audrey pushes the door open with her elbow, carrying two coffees and a bag containing our breakfast.
"Do you really need to eat that much, Mr. Vale? Your doctor said to watch your cholesterol. You're getting older."
Adrian is thirty-six, which is hardly old.
"Have you been looking at my personal records again?" he shoots back.
His assistant hands me a cup and then my sandwich.
"And how am I supposed to compile information for your prospective brides without access to them?"
"Easy. You don't," he replies curtly.
"How is the wife hunt going?" I ask.
Audrey's face splits into a broad smile as she sets my brother's breakfast before him. Despite my brother's best efforts to remain professional, his gaze slips down to the young woman's skirt. She doesn't even notice.
"I can tell you I've had more dates with women in the last month than your brother has had since I started working for him."
As Audrey places the plastic-wrapped silverware on the desk, Adrian's eyes never leave her. And I felt bad about kissing Mira!
I cough to get his attention. Adrian snaps out of his trance at once.
"Audrey meets the candidates for an initial assessment."
"And they say romance is dead!"
"What do you expect me to do? Fall in love at first sight, the old-fashioned way?" he scoffs.
The idea is ridiculous, admittedly. After everything we went through with our father following our mother's death, none of us intends to fall in love. If the Vale brothers learned one thing, it's that love is a useless emotion that makes you weak. It clouds your judgment and has the potential to destroy your entire existence.
When my father was in love, he was the best of men. But while nursing a broken heart? He became disgusting. Pathetic. He was so consumed by his suffering that he tore down his own children because he couldn't stand to see them happier than he was.
No, thanks. I'll take my chances staying married to my work. The divorce rate is considerably lower.
"Since Mr. Vale has no time to waste, I'm the best person for the job," Audrey explains as she takes the chair beside me.
"It's true that after all these years, you know him better than anyone."
Adrian reaches for the paper bag in the middle of the desk, pulls out Audrey's breakfast box, and places it in front of her.
Of all the strange things I've seen today, this is the strangest.
"Cut the crap and tell me what's really happening at Wondervale," Adrian says irritably.
I give my brother my full attention again. His shoulders are tense. Why is Wondervale bothering him so much?
Probably for the same reasons it bothers you...
I launch into my real report on the past week, naturally avoiding any mention of my attraction to one of my employees.