Chapter 29
SAPPHIRE
I run down my stairs, the multiple fine gold necklaces I wear jingling as I go, pushing the strap of my dress up over my shoulder when someone knocks again. “Just a second,” I call out, before pulling open the door in a rush to find… Eli’s driver instead of Eli, as I had hoped.
Bummer.
“Good evening, Ms. Feelgood.”
“Hey, it’s good to see you again, Clark.” His brows lift; he’s impressed that I remembered his name.
I’ve never been chauffeur-driven anywhere until this weekend. Twice in the span of a few days is more than enough to make a girl expect this kind of luxury treatment every day.
“Mr. Hart is preparing dinner for you this evening,” Clark informs me, formally.
“Okay.” That’s thrown me off. Eli cooking for me tonight is hot. I love a man who can cook; if he can bake, even better.
“He wanted me to let you know that, or he would have picked you up himself.”
“Right.” That’s sweet.
“And he also wanted me to ask if you would like to bring Ghost with you if you have a cat carrier.”
“Really?” I exclaim.
“Yes, Ms. Feelgood. Mr. Hart thought that since you were away all yesterday, last night, and most of this morning, you might want to bring him along in case you’ve missed him. Mr. Hart also thought Ghost might not want to be alone for the evening either.”
I’m too stunned to reply. This is so unexpected. And kind.
Elijah Hart is not who I thought he was at first. Beneath his hard exterior is a man with a heart, a big one.
“He also mentioned that you might want to consider packing an overnight bag.”
Oh. Oh my.
His spontaneous decision has my brain working overtime.
“Right, well, yes, I… I can do that, I guess,” I stutter, getting tongue-tied, slightly embarrassed because he’ll know what that implies. Sex. Lots of it, I hope.
I’m glad I put on some sexy panties. I thought I was being presumptuous before, but now I know we’re on the same wavelength, it’s game on, I’m ready. However, that makes my heart race much faster than it was before.
The tension’s been building for weeks, months even, and when Cole and Eli dropped me off earlier, the small kiss goodbye Eli gave me left me wanting more. All of him. Now it looks like I’m getting what I wished for.
“Give me five minutes, Clark.” This is so exciting.
“Take your time. I’ll be here waiting for you whenever you’re ready to leave,” he says, pulling the hem of his jacket down to straighten it out—though there’s no need as his suit is flawlessly wrinkle-free.
I give him a polite wave. “Thank you,” I call to him as Clark returns to the car.
Closing the door with a whoosh, I then announce to Ghost excitedly as I run up the stairs, “Find your favorite toy, we’re going for a sleepover.” This is crazy. I’ve never taken my cat on a date or a sleepover before.
I dash around my bedroom quickly gathering my belongings.
A change of clothes, pajamas, hoping I don’t need them, skincare, hairdryer, and other random bits I might need.
Then I place Ghost into his carrier, and within minutes, I find myself in the back of Eli’s car with my small overnight bag that I packed in a hurry with my sleepover basics and my cat.
After a long time sitting in silence, I run my hands over the soft cream leather seats and ask Clark, “Does it cost a lot to rent a limousine?” I didn’t know Rolls-Royce made an electric limousine. I might hire one for the next business awards ceremony I attend.
“I wouldn’t know, Ms. Feelgood, Mr. Hart owns this one.”
Confusion makes me pull my brows together. “So he didn’t rent it for the weekend?”
“No, Miss.” Clark pauses to pay attention to the busy traffic that looks like mayhem ahead.
Once he’s through the worst of the congestion, he continues.
“Mr. Hart knows a lot of people. One of them is a good friend who works for Rolls-Royce. It usually takes several months for delivery, but this one was delivered last week, Ms. Feelgood.”
It pays to be rich.
My fingers tap against the leather rhythmically, considering if I should do a quick search to see how much a Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended costs.
No, don’t do it.
Another few minutes pass, my inner conscience pulling at me to check or not to check.
Screw it.
My fingers are typing the car’s make and model into the search bar on my screen before I can say don’t.
“Holy shit,” I gasp.
Over five hundred thousand dollars. For a car.
“Is something wrong?” Clark asks, peering at me in the rearview mirror.
“Nope, not a thing.” I put my phone into sleep mode, pressing my lips together to stop myself from saying Eli’s new car could feed thousands of people at the homeless shelter I volunteer at as often as I can.
The do-gooder in me is desperate to say something, while the other part of me is telling me to shut up. It takes all kinds to make the world go around, rich and poor.
It’s also my reminder that while I might now be considered wealthy, Eli’s wealth is next level.
I stare out of the window, watching the streets pass by in a blur, the temptation strong yet again to look up how rich Eli is exactly.
That’s crass. Don’t do it.
Do it. You know you want to.
Don’t, you’ll only want to run the other way.
Do it, Sapphire. Do it, do it… My inner devil keeps getting on my nerves, and the next thing I know, the screen of my phone is back on, and I’m googling Eli’s personal wealth. I know Hart Law’s revenue was billions last year but Eli’s…
I pull in a breath as the search returns an incomprehensible figure.
Oh.
My.
Fucking.
God.
“Five point eight billion,” I whisper, aghast.
“Did you say something?” Clark asks.
“Eh, no.” I keep my head down and read the search results, my eyes scanning the facts across the screen as my brain struggles to keep up.
Eli owns thousands of properties and land throughout the state and beyond.
He has shares in several well-known businesses, and he’s involved in apprenticeship programs through which he personally funds scholarships for underprivileged children, as does the firm, and he donates hundreds of thousands of dollars to at least a dozen others.
The list goes on and on. If there was a gold medal for having the ultimate résumé, hands down he would win.
My eyes skim the list of charities he donates to, and as I reach the last one, I feel foolish for making assumptions about him.
Elijah Hart of Hart Law bought and donated The Roseline Building, turning it into a homeless shelter that provides safety, food, and shelter to thousands of homeless people each year.
He’s not only kind, but also a pillar of the community and a gentle giant with a heart of gold.
“How long have you worked for Eli?” I ask Clark, my nose now probing deeply into Eli’s life.
“For Eli, four, but for the Hart family, eighteen.”
“Months?” I lift my eyes from my phone and lock eyes with Clark in the rearview mirror again.
“No, years,” he replies with easiness, his eyes crinkling round the edges.
He’s a loyal employee. “You must really love your job.”
Clark takes a right, then a sharp left before continuing toward the beachfront to where Eli must live, before he adds, “When I was eighteen, down on my luck and in trouble with the police every other week—trouble that Eli’s father, Daniel, bailed me out of more often than I care to admit, usually for free—he made me an offer one night.
A place to stay, a job, food, and clothes, on the condition that I break ties with the circle of friends I was keeping, to make new friends and build a new life. ”
“And you took the offer.” I smile at him with kind eyes.
“And I never looked back. Best decision I ever made, Ms. Feelgood.”
“Please, call me Sapphire.”
“Sapphire.” Clark’s slight head bob of approval seals our friendship.
I quietly say, “The Harts truly change lives.” Mine is no exception.
Eli has turned my concept of the ideal man on its head and revealed my own stubborn streak.
I resisted altering the staffing event plans, even if being more adaptable might have helped.
Still, I understand what strategies lead to the best results with people, and I’m proud I held firm.
Ultimately, he’ll appreciate it, as will his brothers.
“They’re the best, Sapphire. You got yourself a good one in Eli.”
“So it would seem.”
He even let me bring my cat to our date.
The more I learn, the clearer it becomes that I could fall completely for him.