Chapter 14 There Was Hope
THERE WAS HOPE
“Hi,” he said when he saw her walking toward him.
He’d come down to meet her outside, then bring her up himself. Otherwise he’d have to give her name to the front and he’d rather not.
At least not yet. She most likely wouldn’t want it either.
“How long have you been standing here? I hope not long.”
“I came down a minute ago.”
With his baseball hat on again. At this point he had hat head, but it was better than drawing attention to himself.
At times he just wanted to blend in.
He could do that more on the island.
Wrong, he really couldn’t, but since he didn’t work on the island, he was left alone more times than if he ran into people in Boston.
Acquaintances who wanted to gab his ear off, find out what was going on, or just gossip.
Women who wanted to flirt or hit him up for some time alone. He’d cut back on that in the past few years and was more selective.
Business associates who wanted to kiss his ass.
It was tiring.
And no one would play a violin right now for him either.
“What did you want to do today? I made sure I had comfy shoes on, just in case.”
He looked down at her sneakers. Not the ones she was running in, but still the athletic variety. The same as him.
Neither of them changed their clothes either. He was tempted but thought she’d think more of it if he had.
He was treading water here, waves could come up and knock his ass down if he made one wrong stroke.
“I thought we could explore the city. Have you walked the Freedom Trail yet?”
“I have walked it but haven’t really checked anything out on it. It’s more about walking the area to find out where things are. That’s bad of me, isn’t it?”
“Nope,” he said. “We can do it together. Want to go up and get some water first? Though a lot of places have it for you when you stop in.”
“They do?”
“It’s a walkable town. People are all over it and businesses, or most of them, have jugs of water and cups as you enter. Even dog bowls at places.”
“That’s what I get for not going into places.”
“Let me show you my place,” he said, turning. Then stopped to look at her. “Unless you’d rather not. Up to you.”
“I’m okay with it if you are. You know, your employee seeing it.”
“Not today,” he said. “What did we say?”
“Sorry. I feel as if I have to remind myself of those things for the boundaries.”
Which told him she was wrestling with this as much as him.
And that also meant that there was hope. Dangerous, complicated hope, but still hope.
He’d never been one to raise the white flag and wasn’t going to just yet.
“Remember what I said. Monday through Friday is one situation. Today is Saturday. Try to think of it that way.”
She smiled, her light brown hair blowing in the soft breeze, her hazel eyes clear and searching his for the truth of what he said.
It wasn’t as if he could do much more than talk and he was trying.
Time would lay it out better, but he wasn’t sure how much patience he had for that.
“I’ll try. I’d like to see your place.”
He held the door for her, walked to the elevator, held his phone up to read the bar, then hit the button and waited.
“I’m on the fifteenth floor. I don’t normally take the stairs but have.”
“I’m on the fifth,” she said. “I’ve done it a few times coming down more than going up.”
The elevator doors opened, he got on, put his phone up again, then hit his button.
The ride up was quiet. The tension was more than he’d anticipated.
Nora’s eyes were locked on the steel door in front of them. At least they were alone.
The ding of their arrival almost had her jumping out of her skin and he wondered how much of a mistake this was.
“I didn’t realize how loud that was. I must be used to it.”
“Sorry. This building is gorgeous. That’s what is going through my mind. Just walking into the lobby. I could see so much in the distance. You’ve got a pool here.”
It was hard not to see it from the entrance as it was in the back at the end of the hall.
“I don’t use it much. I’m not into community pools or hot tubs. I use the gym a few times a week to lift, but go when I know it’s not too crowded. In the winter I’ll spend more time as I’m doing cardio.”
“I bet you get bothered a lot too,” she said as he opened the door.
“I do. You probably get hit on the whole time you’re in a gym.”
He knew he’d want to. It wasn’t his style and it always made him laugh at the idiots who thought a woman showed up there hoping for the attention while they were sweating their ass off.
Sure, there were the fair share that came in for appearance, put in their time, barely broke a sweat, giggled, chatted and hoped to land the eye of someone.
He’d rather keep his eye on the chick dripping when she was done. The one who was on a mission like him, then out the door.
That was more appealing. The ones who didn’t want the attention.
“It happens,” she said. “But I don’t engage. I get in and out. Who knows, maybe I should have been more open to it and I wouldn’t have been single as long as I’ve been. I just always assumed anyone who did that, did it all the time and it’s not the type of man I wanted to be with.”
“That’s it,” he said. “And here I am being rude standing here. Got two bedrooms right here. They both have a bathroom in them, one is my office.”
She popped her head into the rooms as they moved down the hall. Both rooms were average in size. Small for a home, but average for a condo. Nice sized windows with a view of city buildings, which was more important to him. Especially knowing he worked in one of them.
“It’s a lot of natural light.”
“I like that,” he said. “I had it growing up so wasn’t going to compromise. Down this hall is the primary suite.”
He didn’t go down it, and she kept moving. No reason to make them both uncomfortable.
“This is nice,” she said, going into his open living area. “That kitchen. Tell me you cook.”
He laughed. “Despite what you might think of my grocery shopping this morning, I do cook and enjoy it.”
His kitchen took up one wall completely, then had an island with four chairs, a six-person dining table after that, then right into his living room with floor-to-ceiling windows.
The corner unit was more and he was willing to pay for it.
“I love cooking,” she said. “More so in the past few years. Even just cooking for one doesn’t bother me. I eat it leftover.”
He wanted to suggest they cook together later, but they needed to just get through the rest of the day and it wasn’t even eleven in the morning yet.
He opened his fridge, pulled out two bottles of water and handed one over, then they left.
“Let’s hit the Freedom Trail.”
Two hours later, they’d stopped in to about half the sites, some just a quick glance and out. He wasn’t in the mood to do that all day and didn’t think she was either, rather just exploring different areas.
He pointed out great food spots, stores, entertainment.
“I’m starving,” she said. “Quincy Market good?”
“We can get something quick and find a seat on a bench if you want.”
He would have rather gone to a restaurant, but this was better.
It was still laid back and fun, not tense for her and sure the hell not for him.
Not with her bumping into him a few times while they walked around other people. Or him placing his hands on her side or shoulders to guide her away or balance her.
She was on the smaller side and seemed to get nudged more than him.
“I want a lobster roll.”
“You can find them anywhere,” he said. “One of my favorites. Hot or cold?”
“Cold,” she said. “If I want hot lobster, I’ll sit down with a bib on.”
He laughed. “That I’d like to see.”
“You’re not going to,” she said. “Because I make a mess and end up flinging food everywhere trying to get it out of the shell.”
He moved them through the crowds. They got in line, ordered their rolls, got some chips on the side, then walked a few minutes to find a seat outside with their drinks.
“Having fun?” he asked.
“I am. Thank you for this. I’m sure you’ve done it more times than you can count.”
“Not like this. When we were younger, I’d come down with friends or my brothers. We’d walk for hours, maybe act like idiots, get food and go back home.”
“Where did you grow up?”
“Beacon Hill,” he said.
She lifted her eyebrows. “Not surprising.”
“My father’s brother has a house there too. Actually, my Uncle Scott is older and he got the family house. Or they agreed that is what would happen. I don’t know the details and never asked. It’s a big old Victorian. Over a hundred years old. My father bought another house not far away.”
“I can only imagine what that had to be like. There aren’t many actual standalone homes in Boston, are there?”
“Not like other cities. Or they’ve been converted.
Normally you have to go to the outskirts.
It’s only about two miles from my parents’ house to the office, but my father drives.
We laugh it takes him thirty minutes most times when on the island it’s less than five and that’s hitting a few lights. Without lights even less.”
“That’s how it was in Vermont. I like I can walk faster than drive, but it still takes longer than before.”
“I’m not used to anything else.”
“You didn’t want to live on the island?” she asked. “Like your brothers?”
“No. Eli always knew what he wanted to do and where the casino was going, so of course he’d live there. Egan could have gone either way. He’s got a condo in Boston near the docks. Takes him about fifteen minutes driving to get there. He and Lincoln used it a lot when they were both single.”
“Lincoln?”
“Egan’s best friend and another pilot. But both of them live on the island full time.
Two helicopters are kept there, two at the docks now.
He’s got three full-time pilots and two part-time ones.
Between tours and private charters to New York City, Philly, and DC, they are running around the clock it seems now. ”
His brother had turned that business into more than he’d thought would happen. Ethan got his tiny percentage of ownership the same as Eli, but not much.
Pretty soon he’d have his first business to himself. Sort of. His father and brothers would be part of it because that was how they operated.
Still in the works and something he’d have to talk to Nora about.
Not today though.
“I’ve never been on a helicopter before.”
“You will,” he said. “And our private jet.”
“I will?” she asked, turning her head. She had mayo on the corner of her mouth.
The urge to run his thumb over it to wipe it away wasn’t as strong as leaning his mouth to hers to lick it off.
Yep, mind out of the gutter.
“Blair told you there could be travel with the job, right?”
“Yes. I don’t have a problem with it. I didn’t realize it’d be in helicopters and private jets.”
“That’s normally how I travel, depending on what is going on and where. The jet is owned by my father, my Uncle Scott, and Charlie Bond. So their kids use it also. Not often, but it happens.”
“I know some of the family tree. Not a lot, but my father talked of it when I was younger. Before moving here I did some research. Just thought it’d be neat to know since the Bonds are so much a part of Boston.”
“It can get confusing and overwhelming,” he said. “A good number of my family live in Boston, but the majority seem to be on the island now. Or at least splitting their time.”
“But not you? Do you own property there? And you can tell me to mind my own business. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. No. I don’t own anything there. I can stay at my parents’ place, which is massive and normally empty. Or I stay at the casino since I’ve got some stake in that.”
Her face flushed as she chewed. Good, she was thinking of that night the same as him.
“How often do you go to the island?”
“Not as much as I should or would like,” he said. “I went last weekend because my mother wanted us all together for dinner. I took the ferry over and that takes more time, but I think I needed to leave Boston behind too, so it was all good.”
“I’m ready to take it on, not leave it behind,” she said.
“That’s what I want to hear.”