Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
ADAM
“ I t’s bad, Adam,” Jim says through my phone.
“Just say it,” I reply.
“We’ve lost LuxeLife. All we have left is Verve Tech.”
I rub my forehead with my hand. This is worse than I expected.
“I just got off the phone with Isabelle,” he continues. “She said you haven’t come to a decision about the movie yet.”
I’m shocked into silence. Isabelle made it very clear that she didn’t want to do the movie with me.
“But I really think this is the career move you need to make next,” Jim says. “Just think about it.”
I don’t say anything, which isn’t too abnormal for me. But this time, it’s more out of confusion than disinterest in the conversation.
A knock sounds on my door.
“I’ll call you later,” I say to Jim and hang up the phone, setting it on the desk. “Yes, Lionel?”
“It’s not Lionel,” Isabelle’s voice rings through the door.
My head snaps up to the door, which is still closed.
“It’s Isabelle,” she says .
“Yes, I figured as much,” I reply.
I look around the office. Do I go out in the hall to speak with her? Or do I invite her in? I thought it was pretty clear two nights ago that I don’t want her here. Why is she now knocking on my door?
“What do you want?” I ask instead.
She’s silent for a moment. “I wanted to apologize.”
“For what?”
“For coming into your office.”
I stride over to the door and quickly pull it open. Isabelle jumps back, still in her pajamas but now with a robe pulled tightly around her waist.
I don’t say anything. I cross my arms over my chest, watching her and waiting. I can’t let her see how much her presence affects me.
She swallows hard. “I just want to…ugh, why are you so scary?”
My eyes widen. “I’m scaring you right now?” I wasn’t necessarily trying to look scary, just…unaffected.
“Yes! You’re standing there, all menacing and growly?—”
“I’m not growling,” I protest.
“I didn’t say growl-ING. I said growl-Y. You look like you’re about to pounce on an innocent little bunny.”
I snort a laugh.
“Hey, there’s a smile. Now it’s easier.” She smiles back at me, but I can read the uncertainty in her eyes. “I wanted to apologize for coming into your office. I don’t think I ever said the words ‘I’m sorry,’ and I do recognize that what I did was wrong. I shouldn’t have come in here when you specifically told me not to.”
I’m stunned speechless. She has been feisty and strong-willed, attributes I actually admire in her. Which makes this apology seem even more sincere and meaningful. If I’ve learned anything about Isabelle over the last few days, she doesn’t speak unless she truly means it or feels it in her heart.
I don’t want to tell her that it’s okay, though. It’s not okay that she was trespassing. But all things considered, I can sort of understand why she did it.
“Thank you,” I finally say. “I accept your apology. And I forgive you.”
She nods once. I can see her shoulders drop in relief.
An awkward silence fills the space between us. “Did you speak with your father?” I finally ask.
She nods again. “He seemed relieved to hear from me. Apparently he even filed a police report.”
“Yes, he told me,” I say with a smirk. “But he reassured me that he had already called them and let them know you were all right.”
“He also said that he got me an interview with Inside Scoop,” she says. A wide smile spreads across her face. “It’s my first one. You said we have Internet now, right? It’s tomorrow morning, but I can do it on Zoom.”
I fight the grin that threatens to appear on my face. Her enthusiasm is so endearing. And I remember how excited I was when I got my first interviews leading to my very first role in Operation: Sand Dune . “Yes, we have Internet.”
“Yay!” she squeals.
I can’t help it. The smile breaks free. She tracks it, her eyes lighting, but I pull back into a scowl. “Your father seemed unaware that you refused to do the movie with me.”
Her smile drops and she looks sheepish. “I, uh…yeah, I didn’t tell him yet.”
I raise a brow at her, challenging her to admit that she’s possibly changing her mind.
She rolls her eyes. “Fine. Maybe…I was a little rash to say that I wouldn’t do the movie with you. ”
“Oh?” I lean against the doorway, my arms still crossed over my chest. “And who’s to say I’d be willing to do it with you?”
She raises a brow at me, mimicking my challenging stare. “I think we both know you’re desperate.”
Desperate, yes.
But also…
Maybe I’m hoping to spend more time with her, even once we’re free to leave the castle.
I shrug a shoulder, nonchalant. “We’ll see. Now that I know it’s back on the table, I have some things to consider.”
“Oh, whatever.” She pushes my shoulder playfully, then her mouth drops open. “Dang. You really do work out.”
I open my mouth, just to shut it again. This woman knows how to steal the words from my mouth.
She holds my gaze, waiting for me to speak, but nothing comes to mind. She clears her throat and looks back inside my office. “Well, I guess I’ll let you get back to it. I was going to build a Snow Hulk with Theo this morning.”
I don’t want to be finished spending time with her, which is the only explanation for the words I speak next. “Do you need some help?”
“Building a…Snow Hulk?” she asks, her brow furrowed.
Stupid, Adam. I seem like an overeager child. “Yes, well, I’ve had plenty of experience making snow animals here. I figured you could use some help.”
She parts her lips, blinking a few times. It’s odd, I know, but I can’t help myself.
Finally, a smile lights her face, and the warmth in my chest is all the reward I need. “Yes. I’d love your help.”
Twenty minutes later, our unlikely trio—Theodore, Isabelle, and myself—trudge through the snow. The weather is beautiful: clear skies with crisp, cool air. The signs show the snow melting, but it’s still not clear enough for Isabelle to drive. I’ve never been more grateful that we don’t have a snow plow up here. This storm is one of the worst we’ve seen in years, though.
“This is a good place for a snowman,” I say, heading over to a clearing on the right, just in front of the rose garden. Hopefully soon the weather will warm up enough and my mother’s favorite flower will bloom again.
“Snow Hulk ,” Theo corrects me.
“What exactly is the difference between a snowman and a Snow Hulk?” Isabelle asks.
“A Snow Hulk looks like this.” Theo stands, legs apart in a squat and arms flexed down toward his stomach. He adds a loud growl for effect.
“Ah. Of course.” I nod in understanding. “Why don’t you start gathering a pile of snow for his legs?”
“Okay!” Theo scampers off into the snow.
Isabelle looks over at me in surprise.
“What?” I ask.
“I haven’t really seen you interact much with Theo,” she says. “I thought…I don’t know what I thought.”
“You thought I’d be annoyed by his presence and want nothing to do with him?”
She presses her lips together. “More or less.”
I watch Theo in the distance, considering how much to share with her. Isabelle did just apologize for coming into the office, a gesture I wasn’t anticipating. Maybe I can give her a piece of myself.
“I don’t mind small children.”
There. That’s something.
She stands and stares, waiting for me to elaborate, and when I don’t, she shakes her head with a small smile and walks over to Theo. I follow, stopping a few feet behind her.
“Do you live close to here?” Isabelle asks Theo.
Theo shrugs. “It takes a long time to drive here. Daddy complains about the drive every time we come.”
“I don’t blame him,” Isabelle replies.
“They live in Brookhaven,” I supply. “It’s just down the mountain.”
“Oh, that’s not too far then,” she says. “I passed that town on my way. It’s so cute.”
“It is picturesque,” I agree. “My aunt lives there, and we visit her often.”
“Your aunt?” she asks.
“My father’s sister. She never married and she’s…well…”
“She’s crazy,” Theo pipes in, not taking his eyes off the snow. “That’s what Mama used to say.”
“Used to say?” I repeat. “What does she say now?”
“Nothing. Mama doesn’t live with us anymore.” Theo still doesn’t look up at me, just keeps making a bigger ball of snow.
I look over at Isabelle for confirmation.
She nods slightly, stepping closer to me and speaking softly. “Brigette said his mother left him and his father, and he hasn’t seen her in months.”
I turn my attention from Isabelle back to Theo. A pang fills my chest at the thought of what he’s going through. What a strange bond the three of us have—all motherless, but at different points in our lives and for different reasons. Theo, unlike Isabelle and myself, has a mother who decided to leave his family. Isabelle and I lost mothers who would have given anything to be with us longer. But no matter what, we all miss that critical piece of our lives.
And once again, I’m reminded that Isabelle has integrated herself into the lives and hearts of the staff. Meanwhile, I live here and can’t tell the difference between Graham and Greyson.
But maybe I can change that. After all, that’s what my mother did. Once the castle was built and our staff chosen, she sat down with each of them to find out about their families and their lives. It’s why the employees consider this to be their home, as well, despite the fact that I don’t connect with anyone—aside from Lionel. And even that is a tentative relationship.
In an attempt to take the first step, I trudge over to Theo and start building a ball of my own. “So, what do you like about the Hulk?” I ask him.
I hear Isabelle approaching behind us, then she joins in and packs snow herself.
“He’s strong,” Theo says. “He gets all the bad guys.”
“Mm, yes,” I agree. “I like that about him, too.”
“He’s a good protector,” Theo continues. “And he gets mad sometimes, but he learns how to control it.”
“That’s very wise of you,” Isabelle says.
“Yeah, Daddy likes Hulk. He says I can learn lessons from him. Sometimes I get mad, and Daddy says it’s okay to be mad, like Hulk, but I have to learn to control the mad feelings and use it for good things instead of bad.”
I keep packing snow, but I never realized how much I had in common with the Hulk. And apparently Theo, as well.
We work for the next half hour on our Snow Hulk, which proves to be more difficult than anticipated. Getting the “Hulk Smash” pose is tricky, but thankfully the snow is wet and a little more moldable than powder. When we’re all done, Brigette comes outside and admires our handiwork. Theo wants to take a few pictures next to his creation while making the same pose. As Brigette snaps pictures on her phone to send to Theo’s father, Isabelle and I head back inside.
“That was fun,” Isabelle comments. The tip of her nose is turning red, her cheeks glowing. She’s so full of life, it’s hard to be unhappy around her.
“It…was,” I agree. I don’t want to leave her company, though. I’ve been in solitude for months, and now I want to spend every second with her. “What are you doing now?”
“Getting ready for the interview, I guess? Maybe I should call my dad to rehearse with me.”
“There’s no need,” I blurt. “I can help you.”
“Oh, really? Would you mind?”
There’s nothing I’d rather do , I want to say. Instead, I just shrug. “It’ll be a way to pass the time.”
“Okay!” Her eyes light with excitement, making my heart beat a little faster. “Let’s get changed and I’ll meet you in the study.”
“It’s a…plan,” I say. I almost said “it’s a date,” but I caught myself in time.
Because it’s not a date.
Right?