Chapter Forty-One
R ose followed my line of sight. “Very dashing.”
I shoved another morsel of fish in my mouth and chewed, glancing away and then back again, not being able to resist seeing where he went, see which table he joined. I glanced around at all the glamorous guests, trying to match him with someone.
Greyson was caressing his jaw, squinting as though trying to figure something out.
Then he saw us.
He brightened and headed our way, seeming to be equally surprised to see me. As he effortlessly strolled around the tables, I watched the crowd to see if I caught any jealous glances.
As he approached, my face blanched. I was both happy and nervous to see him. The last time we were in each other’s company had been the hottest experience of my life—in his Obsidian Suite.
Strange how civilized we were acting now.
I wasn’t sure if I should stand and give him a welcome hug or not show any affection. He was obviously meeting someone. What if it was a date? What if he reluctantly accepted my affection?
I didn’t think I could handle that. What if everything we had shared had been merely a brief affair? Perhaps our chemistry had gotten the better of us and we’d been swept up on a wave of passion.
“Willa,” he said, and then gave my aunt a polite nod.
“This is my Aunt Rose,” I said, sounding breathless. “We’re having lunch.”
“I can see that.” He gave me a cute smirk and smiled at my aunt. “A pleasure, Mrs. Cole.”
“Pleasure is all mine.” Rose reached for his outstretched hand.
“How’s the food?” he asked.
“Exceptional. We recommend the Atlantic Pan-seared Cod.”
“Thank you. Maybe I’ll try it.”
Rose peered up at him and took a long hard look, assessing him carefully.
My throat tightened. Talking was going to be a strain.
An uncomfortable silence ensued.
This wasn’t me—I was the outgoing one. The confident one, the woman who leaped right in and grabbed opportunities without hesitation, and yet…
Again, he scoured the room. “I’m meeting a client.”
“That’s exciting,” said Rose. “May we ask why?”
“It’s business,” he said, making sure I understood his meaning. “That’s all.”
“Were you commissioned for something?”
“I’m an architect.”
“Remember I told you he designed this hotel, Aunt Rose,” I said, finding my voice.
“Well, it’s quite astonishing.” Rose smiled at him.
“Thank you.” He gave a modest nod.
“What are you creating for your new client?” she asked.
“Confidential, I’m afraid, but after it’s built, I can share some of the details.”
“A big building is hard to hide,” she said, amused.
“You’d be surprised.”
“Have you ever been asked to design something underground?” I asked.
“No comment.”
We all laughed at that, but I was intrigued, wanting to push for more, wondering if he’d been swept up in the billionaire bunker designing business.
“Sit down, Greyson,” Rose said confidently. “You’re meeting with us.”
He looked confused and so did I.
“Rose Cole,” she clarified.
Greyson narrowed his gaze on her. “R.C.C.”
“Yes, dear, do take a seat.”
This didn’t seem real, that of all the men she would invite it would be him.
Interestingly, her middle name was Charlie, my brain reminded me of this as my heartrate took off at the fact Rose had invited Greyson to lunch—with me, or us.
He remained standing, brows raised as though in denial this was happening. “You commissioned me?”
Hearing that made me stare at Rose.
She ignored his question. “You mentioned you couldn’t join me for lunch, but you were happy with coffee.”
“A quirk,” he admitted. “Or tea, probably a better choice.”
She smirked. “Greyson, I imagine you were nervous that your client might be…boring? Obnoxious? Tedious?”
Aunt was playing with him.
I decided to help Greyson. “You prefer meeting for coffee or tea, instead of lunch, because it feels more casual and doesn’t demand the commitment of a long meal.”
“Boring, obnoxious or tedious will do,” he threw in. “But that is not you. Mrs. Cole, it’s an honor. What you’ve achieved in the last century is extraordinary.”
“Are you trying to make me feel old?”
“No,” he said, cringing. “You’re Cameron and Henry’s aunt and…” He looked at me in awe.
Rose pointed to the seat opposite her. “Have you eaten?”
He shook his head and slid into our booth. “That does look delicious.”
“Want what we’re having?” she invited.
“Sure.”
Rose signaled the waiter and had soon ordered another entrée.
We were both still in shock and intrigued by my aunt’s exploits. I could never have been upset with her; she was just too grand and commanding, too insightful for me to ever second guess a decision.
She set her knife and fork down. “How’s the design going?”
When he hesitated, I found my voice again. “Greyson, I can’t believe you’re designing something for my aunt.”
Rose turned to me. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Oh, it was a surprise, all right.
She continued regardless. “Greyson designed Cole Tower. You are also a good friend of my nephew, Cameron.” She zeroed in on him.
I shook my head, confused. “He’s designing a house for you?”
“No, darling, for you.”
“What?” Greyson and I both said the word in unison.
She rested her hand on mine. “Once I heard you moved to Cali, I got right on it. It was going to be a surprise, but this guy here takes forever.”
“It’s complex,” Greyson said in his defense. “Especially the elements you hoped to see.”
She leaned back. “Tell Willa about it. You have my permission.”
He nodded. “It’s predominantly created from glass. During the day you’ll be able to see outside, but no one outside can see inside, maintaining privacy.” He looked worried. “I may have to tweak some elements now that I know it’s for you, Willa.”
“How do you mean?”
“Make it more personal.”
“I’m grateful for anything you do,” I said, still trying to fathom this gift. “Does Cameron know about this?”
“Yes, of course,” Rose said. “I told him not to let you buy anything. Apparently, Greyson takes about three months on a project like this.”
“That’s reasonably fast,” he said. “We should review the blueprints, make sure it’s everything you want it to be. Obviously, a big change would slow things down, but I want you to be happy there.”
“This is the most amazing gift I’ve ever been given.” I flung my arms around my aunt. “This is incredible, thank you.”
She hugged me back, delighted with finally being able to share her secret.
“You didn’t need to do this,” I told her. “It’s too much.”
She squeezed my hand. “I want to see you happy.”
Greyson’s plate of food soon arrived, and we all ate, making polite small talk.
Rose reached into her handbag and pulled out her phone. “Anyone checking their phone during lunch is a neanderthal,” she said, checking her phone.
That made me laugh.
Greyson smiled. “You can probably get a pass on anything pretty much anywhere.”
“And what about you?” she asked him.
“I tend to move around the world unseen.”
“Such a modest man.”
“I’m not one for the spotlight,” he said thoughtfully.
Rose motioned for the waiter to bring over the check.
“Please.” Greyson reached for the check, but Aunt Rose was too fast.
“That’s very generous of you,” said Greyson.
“You work for me now,” she said, making it a joke. “Business lunch.”
“It was so good to see you, Aunt Rose,” I told her.
She leaned in and kissed my forehead tenderly. Then she pushed up and eased elegantly out of the booth.
I went to grab my Birkin.
She raised her hand to stop me. “Stay and talk about your new home.”
I looked at Greyson, hoping he would be up for that, and he gave me a warm smile.
Rose studied my face, looking serious again. “Willa, you are forbidden from ever re-entering Pendulum.”
My jaw dropped and I stared at her, aghast. I felt a sudden rush of annoyance at my brother for sharing this bit of information with our aunt—the woman who I imagined could never know about those places.
“You may, however,” she continued, glancing at Greyson, “consider somewhere like Chrysalis.”
“Chrysalis?” I recalled that was Cameron’s kinky club, and in so many ways probably still was—off the record.
She gave a nod, and a warm smile, like she hadn’t just delivered that statement without blinking.
Greyson got to his feet and stood before her in a show of respect.
Rose looked at him with affection. “What is it they say about you? You’re the man of glass.”
He arched a brow, intrigued and amused, his cute dimple appearing with his warm smile.
“No,” she corrected herself. “It’s master of glass—that’s what they call you. Because of the way you breathe life into a design using mere glass. Your work captures a connection between the natural world and what man creates.”
“Glass is an expression,” he said, almost absentmindedly, as though disappearing into his own thoughts. “A language of its own.”
That seemed to impress her.
They both took a moment to admire each other, a mutual respect that went beyond their achievements—as though having a silent conversation I wasn’t part of.
“Oh, dear,” I muttered to myself. “Everyone around here sets the bar impossibly high.”
Aunt Rose smiled at me affectionately. “You’re my beloved chandelier, Willa. Radiant, brilliant and completely untouchable.” She threw a look toward Greyson as though to watch his reaction.
He agreed with a nod. “Willa’s complexity draws people in, but she remains beyond reach.”
“Not sure that’s a good thing,” I mused.
Rose leaned over and kissed my forehead again. “See you soon.”
I started to respond but no words came out. She’d been here when I really needed her and that was more than I could ever have asked for. She’d always been the one I could talk to, the one who “got” me.
She strolled out of the restaurant, leaving me alone with Greyson. He took a seat again and gave an approving nod. “So that’s where you get it from.”
“I do take after her.”
“In the nature of transparency,” he said. “I came by Cameron’s place yesterday to thank you for what you did, finding the footage that cleared me.”
“Well, you could still have paid someone to do it.”
“Thank you, Willa.”
I smiled, feeling nervous. “What did you mean by transparency?”
“I didn’t come in to see you yesterday because I saw Hugo there.”
I met his gaze. “Me talking with him?”
“Yes.” He leaned forward. “Just make sure you’ve given this some thought.”
I gave Greyson the look that comment deserved. “Hugo asked me to go back to New York with him. I let him know that was never going to happen. While he was here, I had my locks changed back in the city. He can’t return to what used to be our home. Cameron flew him back on the jet, accompanied by Shay.”
“Shay?”
“Yes, we’ve had Hugo sign an NDA. He was reluctant, but did it because…”
“Because…Shay.”
“Exactly.”
“You’re not…?”
“Hugo is out of my life for good.”
His shoulders relaxed. “I just want you to be happy.”
“I want the same for you.”
“You’ve helped the investigation along. We’re dealing with what we discovered on the footage.”
“Dealing with her murderer?”
“We’re gathering more evidence first.”
“This puts Pendulum on the map.”
“It does.”
“Which is what you didn’t want.”
“Too late now.”
“I wonder how Aunt Rose knew about Pendulum.”
“I think we both know the answer to that.” He caressed his brow, seemingly thrown by having had lunch with the great Rose Cole.
She always did leave an impression.
“The other place she mentioned?” I asked.
“Chrysalis.”
“Tell me about it.”
He shook his head, refusing. “It has some impressive chandeliers.”
Perhaps Rose had always known I was like Cameron. That somewhere like Chrysalis would be a place I could truly explore my sexuality within a beautiful setting, while pairing me with a man who navigated that world with the wisdom to fulfill my desires with dignity.
A chandelier within glass…
“The snow globe,” I whispered, heart in my throat with the realization. “It came from her.”
“Snow globe?”
“A gift.” And now I knew who it was from. “Aunt Rose.”
Rose had known about Pulse360 from the very start. Because that is where she had delivered the snow globe, to my desk on my first day.
“I think she liked me,” Greyson said, and his boyish grin looked adorable.
Perhaps the snow globe was her way of letting me know that I, too, would be drawn to kink. Was that her granting me approval, removing all guilt and embarrassment from my mind over thoughts of exploring my darkest fantasies? Because she knew I was far too sensitive to even try.
Rose understood me beyond words.
I returned my focus to Greyson, who was eyeing the dessert menu. “When was the last time you visited Chrysalis?”
He gave me a playful, sweet smile. I saw an intimate understanding in his eyes, their brilliance hinting at an invitation. “Why?”
“Just wondering.” I gave him a cheeky grin.
His expression softened. “Maybe after all this is over, you might like to go to dinner, just you and me.”
I met his gaze. “Are you asking me out on a date, Greyson?”
“I am.”
“Like a date, date?”
“Would you like that?”
Elation made my face flush, and I couldn’t resist giving him a bright smile.
“Your smile, it wrecks me,” he said, shaking his head.
“In a good way or a bad way?”
“In a world full of chaos, you’re the one thing that feels perfectly right.”
Reaching over, I rested my hand on his.
He raised my hand and kissed my wrist. “So this is what it means to feel alive.”