Chapter 9
Nine
A s was often the case when I was nervous about something, the time flew right by. Before I knew it, it was time to return to Harrington House.
As I drove, a tiny seed of hope and excitement started to grow.
Could this actually be happening?
I was the girl whose dreams were held just out of reach, not the girl whose dreams were handed to her on a silver platter.
I took a deep steadying breath as Harrington House came into view.
It was almost seven by the time I pulled into the deserted car park.
It was a warm evening and as summer was right around the corner, there was still a lot of light despite the hour.
Still, I hoped the plot wouldn't be too far from the house.
I didn't fancy traipsing around the woodlands with a man I barely knew once the night started closing in.
I parked up and, like yesterday, I couldn't see Riley anywhere.
I checked my appearance in the mirror and neatened my ponytail.
I hadn't bothered to change, and my shorts and bardot top were probably too casual, but it beat wearing my sister’s clothes again.
I hopped out of the van with a confidence I hadn't felt yesterday; I was in my own clothes and this subject matter was a little more in my element.
Elliot descended the steps as I approached.
"Hi Elliot." I gave him a little wave. "How are you? Has the car been fixed? Are you sure I can’t pay for it?"
"Miss O'Connell." He didn't extend a hand to greet me, instead keeping them clasped in front of him like a security guard. "Mr Tell had the car replaced so there's no need to pay for the damages."
I had no idea how much a car like that cost but I imagined it was at least twice what I made in a year.
Before I could ask him where Riley was or why he was here without Mr Tell, Angie exited the house, a Chanel handbag on her arm and her car keys in hand. Her eyes narrowed when she saw me.
"Hello again." She smiled that same I'm-the-world’s-nicest-bitch smile.
"Hi Angie, it’s nice to see you," I lied, wondering where the hell Riley was.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her sharp eyes raking my appearance from my cheap shoes to my DIY haircut.
"I was invited." I smiled. If she thought she could rattle me she was an idiot.
Her eyes narrowed further. I could have sworn she was trying to melt me with her gaze. "Well, make the most of it," she sneered before gliding off to her sleek BMW. That had to be a company car. How could a PA possibly afford a BMW and Chanel?
"I don't think she likes me very much," I whispered to Elliot. He had remained impassive throughout my chat with Angie. I was pretty sure the man was made out of stone, but at my comment I saw just the tiniest hint of amusement behind his hard gaze.
"I don't think you help the cause, Miss."
I grinned and followed him as he ushered me up the steps towards the house.
He led me through the tangled labyrinth of half-finished rooms before exiting onto the back patio. Decorative stone walls lined the edge until they were separated in the middle by wide stone steps leading down to the grounds.
"So, how come you're here tonight?" I asked as we crossed the patio. “I mean, I didn't think Mr Tell would be here," I amended, realising how rude that question sounded.
"I just go where I'm told," was all I got in reply. "That's where the plot is that Mr Tell mentioned." He pointed down the sloped lawn towards a second set of steps I could barely make out, almost completely hidden by a cluster of old oaks that stood there.
"Thank you," I answered but he was already walking away, giving me no time to ask if Riley was already down there.
Alright, he was a man of few words. I could respect that.
I trod carefully as I made my way down the slope. It had rained two days previously and the grass was a little damp and slippery. Still, the air smelled sweet, like coconut milk, and as the sun set a little further, the world began to take on a slightly orange hue.
The steps were old, cracked in places and broken off entirely in others. They led me down through the trees and I felt like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, or Mary stepping through the ivy-covered door into the secret garden.
I emerged through the trees and found myself in a secluded spot, completely hidden from the house. It was a large stretch of space that curved around to the right and rounded itself off.
Mr Tell couldn't truly want to give me this much land to work with, could he? I'd expected something much smaller.
My toes started to tingle with excitement as I was flooded with ideas. Maybe a pond over in the corner? I could create a reading nook out of the natural slope in that hill there. I looked at the blank space and envisioned the haven I could create.
"O'Connell."
I almost jumped out of my skin, spinning around to face an amused-looking Mr Tell.
"Jesus, you scared the crap out of me!" I put my hand on my chest where my heart was trying to bust its way out.
"Are you alright?" His voice was rich with amusement.
I scowled at him, annoyance overtaking any fear I might have had about being tricked into coming to a secluded spot by a man I barely knew.
The rational part of me was telling me to get the hell out of there, but my feet seemed to have grown roots and sunken into the earth.
"Yes, I'm fine," I snapped. "What're you doing here? Where's Riley?" He didn't answer me. Instead, he just gave me a small smile, not looking at all guilty, but immensely pleased with himself.
"Oh, you sly bastard." I was such an idiot. He pushed his hands into the pockets of his deep grey suit and I could see him once again trying not to smile.
"You look different today. Do you consider that appropriate attire for a business meeting?" I followed his gaze down to my casual clothing. Next to him, I looked ridiculous.
"Probably not, but I'm not exactly an appropriate person."
He eyed me for another moment. It was the same look he'd given me yesterday, as if I was an alien. I crossed my arms in front of me and stared right back at him.
"So, what do you think?" He gestured at the sparse plot but didn't take his gaze off me.
What do I think? I thought he was an underhanded cad for tricking me into meeting him again but I also thought I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing how easily he could rile me. So, I smoothed out my face and refocused on the reason I’d come here in the first place.
I turned away from him and began to pace the space. I could feel him watching me as I took it all in. Apprehension weighed heavy in my chest. Opportunities like these were like gold dust, and gold dust could be blown away by the slightest of breezes.
I turned back to him. He hadn't moved, hands in his pockets, steel-grey eyes fixed on me.
"All of it? You really want to give me all of it?"
"All of it," he confirmed, "and I wasn't lying about Riley.
He really will oversee this and you will be paid.
Beyond this moment right now and beyond approving the final design, I won't interfere in this project at all.
It'll be completely yours. If you'll agree to do it.
" He was serious, or at least he seemed it, though I imagined that Mr Tell was an excellent liar.
"I'll do it. But only on the condition that you don't pay me for the work. I'm not qualified and just this opportunity is payment enough."
"You don’t want money?” He looked confused. I expected him to fight me on that but once again, he surprised me. “Fine. If that's what it takes."
I felt a thrill of triumph. I'd gotten him to concede something to me! But it only took a moment for me to realise that he might have conceded a point, but he'd won the game. He'd wanted me here, alone, and here I was. He'd wanted me tied and indebted to him and I'd just done it.
With the deal done, an entirely different air came over him. He gazed at me intently, as if he was trying to figure me out. I took a breath, and his eyes flashed at the hitch in my throat, noticing my vulnerability. He looked like a lion that had just realised its prey had a lame leg.
Memories of his mouth hovering over mine in that stairwell poured through my mind. I took a step back and pulled my eyes away again, forcing my wayward thoughts back to the reason I’d come here tonight.
"Is there a spec for this space already?" I asked, my voice sounding shaky even to my own ears.
"Yes, Riley had one but he's happy to throw it out. I assume you have ideas." He cocked his head as he gazed at me, as if he was trying to get inside my head to steal those ideas for himself.
"Yes, I have ideas."
I crouched and dug my hand into the ground, pulling out a clump of soil and playing with it. Ever since I was a little girl, I'd loved the feel of earth; its damp warmth, the smell of it that seemed to root my very soul to nature.
I allowed the dirt to trickle through my fingers, and when I looked up I found him staring at me with such intensity that my breath caught in my throat.
"Thank you for this. You truly have no idea what this means to me." I barely got the words out. I didn't want him to see me wanting something from him so much. I got the feeling he would use that kind of vulnerability against me.
He, of course, said nothing.
I stood and brushed the dirt from my hands.
"I have to ask you though, why are you doing this for me? There are thousands of people with the same passion as me who are far more skilled than I am."
"Because I saw you on the rooftop when you looked out at the landscape. You lit up, and I wanted to see that light again."
I stared at him—this cold, aloof man who had just said something so e arnest . "You don't even know me."
"A part of me knows you." He took a step towards me and, in an instant, the atmosphere felt charged, every fibre of my being suddenly on high alert. "A part of me that I didn’t even know existed. You're calling to me, Lola. I felt it when I first saw you."