Chapter 12 Grace
Grace
After a day inspecting every inch of Corbyn House and much of the grounds, my blisters have blisters.
I should have worn something with a more practical heel, but as determined as I am to keep Duke at arm’s length, I want him to want me as much as I want him.
Because yes, I do still want him. Katarina be damned.
From what I’ve heard so far, she’s taking advantage of Duke’s natural instinct to protect those who need it.
The more I get to know this man, the deeper I’m falling.
When we’d been brainstorming yesterday, Duke could have sat there and agreed with all my suggestions, but he’d challenged, he’d pushed and he’d offered ideas of his own.
We make a good team, and as I face the shadowy Griffins for the first time, I’m grateful to have him by my side.
“We found an old plan of the original formal gardens,” I tell Maddie as we unpack the Chinese take-out food she and her husband brought with them. She’s tall, blond and stunningly beautiful, but not nearly as intimidating as I was expecting from the former lady of the manor.
Hunter Griffin by contrast is just as scary as I feared.
He’s handsome, yes, but his muscular frame paired with the tattoos peeking from his open shirt collar suggest he’s not a man to be messed with – even if he is presently doing something as mundane as opening up boxes of egg rolls and fried rice.
I focus on Maddie. “And we were thinking it might be possible to restore the gardens to how they looked when the house was built… If it’s OK with you that we dig up the lawns?”
“Sounds like a great idea,” she says while opening a cupboard to grab a stack of plates.
I’ve been surprised at how much of the furniture and contents she didn’t want to take.
“I don’t know if you noticed the paintings we left in the drawing room, but there’ll be one there that shows the gardens as they used to be. ”
I have to stop myself from rushing off to find it, and catch Duke suppressing a grin because he knows exactly what I’m thinking. I’ve been like an excited puppy all day, flitting from room to room, ditching one concept after another as fresh inspiration strikes.
“We haven’t quite settled on our vision for the interior yet,” I continue, rattling silverware as I quickly set out serving spoons on the marble kitchen island.
I don’t want to keep the Griffins too long. They’ve had a long day too and we’re their last stop before their private jet whisks them back to Chicago. It’s currently sharing a hangar with one of the Moncrief’s private jets because these are the kind of people I hang out with now apparently.
“We were thinking of bringing elements of the garden inside too with living walls. Spa treatments should be about freeing yourself from the hustle and bustle of modern life and reconnecting with nature,” I tell Maddie, going through the mental list of things I’d like her opinion on.
“We were toying with the idea of having a waterfall of plants cascading down from the staircase in the foyer, and maybe an actual water feature too.”
I catch Maddie glancing at her husband and something passes between them. Fearing I’ve crossed a line I can’t see, I stumble on.
“Or, an alternative would be for us to make the history of the house the focal point. We could paint friezes in the foyer and in the orangery too. It has the most light and that’s where guests will spend their downtime relaxing after treatments,” I say as Duke comes up behind me.
His large frame engulfs mine, and I don’t mind one bit. Nerves have got the better of me and I’m making a mess of my pitch. If the ground won’t swallow me up, Duke’s presence can do it instead.
He rests his hand gently on my back as he leans across to steal a crispy wanton from one of the boxes. As he pulls back, he whispers in my ear. “Breathe.”
I do as I’m told and force myself to slow. “We’d still have lots of greenery in the images, but we’d include figures too. Your family members, from the first generation right up to the present day.”
Maddie almost chokes. “Please god, no,” she says. “There are some ghosts best left in the past.”
“No Corbyns?”
She makes a face. “As far as I’m concerned, the paper mill is our legacy, not the family. We have a checkered history, and I for one, wouldn’t find it in the least bit relaxing coming face to face with certain ghosts.”
“She wouldn’t come at all,” Hunter says more bluntly.
“Got it. No people.”
“But I do like your nature idea,” Maddie says, her smile softening her words. “I can’t wait to see what you do to the place.”
“We’re surprised you’re at the concept stage already,” Hunter adds. “Rory mentioned you only took the project on this week.”
“Hmm, hmm,” I say and it comes out as squeak. Partly because I freeze every time he talks to me, but I’m even more nervous now I know Rory’s been talking to the Griffins. About me. I scramble for something coherent to say. “I only moved to Chicago last week.”
“You’re from Philadelphia, right?” he asks.
Yes, Rory has most definitely been sharing the gossip. My throat closes up.
“It’s hard moving to a new city,” Maddie comments, saving me from answering. “I was fortunate enough to be swallowed up by the very protective Griffins, and I didn’t have a lot of family or friends to leave behind in Brimstage. How about you?”
“Friends, yes,” I say, making a mental note to message Brooke about my latest adventures. “And I think my mom’s still there, but we’re not close.”
I’m aware Duke is watching me. We hadn’t shared our life histories back in Philadelphia, and while I can appreciate now that he was concealing his identity, it was a joint decision to keep our one-night stand uncomplicated.
Duke mentioned he had siblings, and I only know he has three brothers and a sister from the information that’s publicly available. He knows almost nothing about me.
“I was an only child, one too many in Mom’s opinion,” I continue. “Dad ran off when I was a baby and Mom abandoned me when I was twelve. It was my grandma who brought me up. She died when I was twenty-two, and the only real connection I have back home now is the house she left me.”
“That’s why you fought your ex so hard to keep it,” Duke muses, his gaze holding mine.
There’s a comfortable silence between us – until I become aware of two pairs of eyes observing us carefully. I clear my throat. “I’m renting out the house for now,” I say to Maddie. “Just in case things don’t work out in Chicago.”
“They’ll work out,” Duke says in a tone that won’t be brokered. “Once you’ve wowed everyone with what you’ll do here, the DeVere agency won’t let you go.”
Maddie’s eyes light up. “Ooh, have you had the pleasure of meeting the architect yet, Grace? I wouldn’t mind working with him.”
Hunter had been loading food onto his plate, but pauses. “What the hell does that mean?”
His tone is menacing, but Maddie simply tuts at her husband and turns back to me. Her grin is more of a smirk.
“He’s… How can I put it…?” she says dreamily, making Hunter’s neck cord with tension.
She tips her head from her husband to Duke.
“I mean, I love a muscular man who can throw me over his shoulder, but there’s something to be said for those unassuming guys who don’t need bulk to have a presence. Don’t you agree, Grace?”
If it’s an attempt to rile her husband, it’s working. I swear I can hear his molars crunching, while Duke holds back on his reaction, waiting for me to offer my opinion.
After feeling so anxious, I need some light relief.
Oh, hell, why not join in Maddie’s fun? “You must mean Olly,” I say, knowing the shortened name will grind Duke’s gears.
“And you’re right. He does have a way about him that’s not…
overpowering?” I lean in closer to Maddie as if she’s the only one meant to hear. “And he’s single.”
“When the fuck did he tell you that?” Duke’s growl is unmistakable. If it wasn’t obvious before that he had more than a professional interest in me, it is now.
“Within about five minutes of meeting me for some reason,” I say, piling spare ribs and dumplings onto a plate.
“It sounds like Noah needs to go over DeVere’s company policies a little more thoroughly with you. Dating a co-worker is a big no,” he says, emphasizing the last word.
“You didn’t seem that bothered about your company’s policies the other day,” I remind him, jutting out my hip as I face down his scowl. “I’m willing to bet there’s something in there about not–” I seal my mouth shut so fast I almost bite down on my tongue.
Duke’s gaze is smoldering, reflecting the heat of my embarrassment. He’s daring me to finish that sentence. Meanwhile, Maddie and Hunter have abandoned their sparring with each other and have matching grins.
The plate I’m holding teeters and I grasp it in both hands.
“If Max isn’t going to join us, he still needs to eat,” I say curtly.
Duke’s partner in crime has been our shadow all day and has posted himself outside the main entrance.
His devotion to duty gives me the perfect excuse to escape. “I’ll take him this.”
“I’ll come with you,” Maddie says, quickly setting down her plate and grabbing some silverware and a beer from the fridge.
As we leave the kitchen, she gives me a fist-bump. “You and I need to be friends,” she says. “I can’t wait to introduce you to my sisters-in-law.”
“Rory mentioned one of them is pregnant,” I reply as we continue down an oak-paneled corridor.
“That would be Quinn.”
“I love babies,” I say. “Or to be more precise, I love crocheting baby clothes and toys. It helps me relax.”
“Ooh, could you make something for Quinn? I’ve been wondering what to get them and handmade gifts are extra special,” Maddie says as she directs me through a door. “This way’s quicker.”
“I could make a soft toy, maybe a baby griffin?” I suggest. “Oh, but isn’t the baby due soon? I don’t know if I’d be able to finish it in time.”