Chapter 29 - Day 11 Next Time #2
On the other side, Sunny Isles and Miami stretched into the distance, buildings and water disappearing toward the horizon.
The view was ridiculous.
The house was ridiculous.
The man was ridiculous.
And then I remembered something.
Thursday.
At dinner.
I had tried to pay.
For both of us.
I had offered this man money.
I stared around the penthouse.
Oh God.
How silly of me.
I almost laughed.
Adrian glanced at me.
"What?"
"Nothing."
He narrowed his eyes.
I smiled sweetly.
I had tried to buy Adrian Vale dinner.
Apparently I had briefly lost my fucking mind.
I walked farther inside.
For all the white, the house didn't feel empty.
There were signs of Luke and Elena everywhere.
A purple cup on the kitchen island.
A backpack near the stairs.
A toy sitting beneath a piece of furniture that probably cost more than my monthly rent.
"Come see my room," Elena said suddenly.
Before I could answer, she grabbed my hand.
"Mine too," Luke said.
Apparently the penthouse tour had begun.
Elena dragged me down the hallway and pushed open a door.
I stopped.
Pink.
After walking through a home that looked like Adrian had personally declared war on color, Elena's bedroom was spectacularly, unapologetically pink.
Pink bedding.
Pink rug.
Pink cushions.
Even little pink details scattered across the furniture.
I looked at her.
"Oh my God."
She grinned.
"You like it?"
"I love it."
"Daddy let you do this?"
"It's my room."
Fair.
Apparently even Adrian Vale understood territorial boundaries.
"Mine," Luke said, already walking toward another door.
I followed him.
And stopped again.
Blue.
Not a little blue.
Luke laughed.
Elena appeared beside me.
"But our rooms are ours."
I smiled.
That explained it.
Adrian could have his enormous white architectural kingdom.
Apparently Luke and Elena had negotiated sovereign territory.
I moved closer to the glass.
"You can see everything from here."
"Almost."
Of course he said almost.
I looked toward another enormous wall of windows.
"How do you have any privacy?"
"Curtains."
I looked at the glass.
"All of them?"
"Automatic."
Of course.
I turned toward him.
"Do you own anything that requires normal human effort?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"My children."
Luke's voice came from somewhere farther inside.
"DAD!"
Adrian looked in that direction.
I smiled.
"Fair."
He carried the groceries toward the kitchen.
I followed.
Then I saw the terrace.
And stopped again.
"Oh, come on."
Adrian glanced back.
"What?"
"You have an infinity pool?"
Beyond the glass doors was a huge private terrace overlooking the Atlantic.
A rectangular infinity pool stretched along the ocean-facing side, large enough for swimming without swallowing the entire terrace. Beyond its disappearing edge was nothing but blue water and sky.
There was a proper outdoor kitchen and grill area.
Loungers.
Seating.
Plenty of open space.
And a large outdoor dining table.
Far below, beyond the building, was the private beach.
I looked at the pool.
Elena came running back.
"Can we swim now?"
I looked at the pool.
Right.
Swimming.
None of us had actually come prepared for that.
"I forgot my swimsuit."
She stopped.
Her face fell.
"Oh."
"You guys can swim."
"No," Luke said from behind her.
I looked at him.
"Why not?"
"We're doing barbecue."
Elena considered this for approximately two seconds.
"Then no swimming."
"You don't have to cancel because of me."
"We can swim another day," Luke said.
Another day.
The words landed somewhere I wasn't expecting.
Because after Tuesday-
I didn't know what another day with the Vale family looked like.
I looked away before my face could do something inconvenient.
"Okay," I said. "Barbecue it is."
Elena immediately recovered.
"Can we eat the cookies?"
Adrian answered without looking up.
"After lunch."
Her face collapsed again.
I leaned toward her.
"Your father is ruining this party."
"I can hear you," Adrian said.
"That was intentional."
Luke laughed.
I set the flowers on the island.
Then looked at them.
Right.
Decorations.
"Do you have a vase?"
Adrian looked up.
"Yes."
"Where?"
He pointed toward a cabinet.
I opened it.
Nothing.
"The other one."
I opened the next.
Plates.
I looked at him.
"Are you enjoying this?"
"A little."
I stared.
Adrian Vale had just admitted to enjoying something.
Remarkable.
Eventually I found a tall white vase tucked into one of the cabinets.
I filled it with water and arranged the sunflowers and red roses inside.
They looked surprisingly beautiful together.
Bright yellow.
Deep red.
Against all that white, they stood out even more.
I carried the vase outside.
The terrace was even more ridiculous once I stepped onto it.
Warm Miami air.
Atlantic Ocean stretching ahead of me.
The infinity pool reflecting the sky.
The city rising behind and around us.
I walked to the outdoor dining table and placed the vase in the center.
Then stepped back.
There.
Sunflowers and roses against white, glass, water and sky.
Elena came outside behind me.
She looked at the table.
Then at the flowers.
"Oh."
I looked down at her.
"What?"
She smiled.
"They did make it prettier."
I smiled back.
"See?"
She nodded seriously.
Then ran back inside.
I stayed there for another second.
Looking at the flowers.
The table.
The ocean.
I still didn't know if there would be pictures.
I didn't know if Adrian would allow one.
I didn't even know why the possibility mattered so much to me.
But the flowers were there.
Just in case.
The grill was already hot by the time Adrian started bringing everything outside.
I stayed near the outdoor kitchen with Luke and Elena.
Which, I quickly discovered, was a mistake.
Because apparently children interpreted barbecue preparation as eat whatever you can reach before your father notices.
Elena opened the cookie box.
I looked at her.
She looked at me.
Her hand was already inside.
"Daddy said after lunch," she whispered.
"He did."
She slowly pulled out a cookie.
I considered my responsibilities as an adult.
Then looked toward Adrian.
His back was to us.
I looked at Elena again.
"I saw nothing."
Her entire face lit up.
She took a bite.
And froze.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh my God."
I laughed.
"Good?"
She nodded violently with her mouth full.
Luke immediately appeared.
"What?"
"She made really good cookies."
"I told you I could bake."
Luke took one.
"Hey," I said. "Apparently we're committing crimes now."
He bit into it.
Chewed.
Then looked at me.
"These are really good."
"Thank you."
Elena looked toward Adrian.
"Daddy!"
Adrian turned from the grill.
"What?"
"You have to eat one."
"I'll have one later."
"No. Now."
I looked at her.
Brave.
Very brave.
Adrian looked at his daughter.
"Elena."
"You have to know if they're good."
"I believe you."
"That doesn't count."
Luke nodded.
"You have to taste it."
Apparently this had become a family intervention.
I stayed out of it.
Elena took another cookie and walked over to Adrian.
"Here."
He looked at the cookie.
Then at her.
She held it up.
Adrian sighed.
And took it.
I bit the inside of my cheek.
He took a bite.
Elena stared at him.
"So?"
He chewed.
Then his eyes came to me.
"They're very good."
Oh.
I wasn't sure why hearing it from him felt different.
Maybe because compliments from Adrian Vale weren't exactly distributed freely.
"Thank you."
His gaze stayed on mine for another second.
Then Elena turned back to me.
"Can you make cake?"
"Yes."
"Chocolate cake?"
"Yes."
"With chocolate frosting?"
"Yes."
Luke immediately joined her.
"Can you make one next time?"
There it was.
Next time.
I looked at the two of them.
"Apparently you've already decided there's going to be a next time."
"Yes," Elena said.
Luke nodded.
"And you have to make cake."
"Have to?"
"Yes."
I laughed.
"Very demanding."
Elena turned to Adrian.
"Daddy, Angelica has to make us chocolate cake next time."
I stopped.
Adrian looked at her.
Then at Luke.
Then at me.
The kids didn't know what those words did.
They didn't know that after today there were only three days left before I left Vale Architecture.
They didn't know there was no reason to assume I would ever be standing here again.
Adrian did.
His deep blue eyes stayed on mine.
Then he looked at Elena.
"If Angelica wants to."
Elena immediately turned back to me.
"Do you want to?"
I smiled.
"We'll see."
"That means maybe," Luke said.
"Yes."
Elena considered that.
"Okay."
Then-
"But chocolate."
I laughed.
"Obviously."
Adrian went back to the grill.
But not before I caught him looking at me again.
The afternoon passed strangely fast.
We ate outside.
Chicken.
Fish.
Corn.
Vegetables.
Fruit.
And several completely unnecessary things Luke and Elena had successfully thrown into the cart.
The white vase sat in the middle of the table.
Sunflowers and red roses.
The Atlantic behind them.
The whole thing looked-
Perfect.
Almost annoyingly perfect.
I thought about the picture.
Of course I did.
The four of us around the table.
The flowers.
The ocean.
Luke and Elena.
Adrian.
Me.
I could have asked.
I didn't.
Every time I even considered it, I looked at Adrian and immediately lost the courage.
This was his home.
His children.
His private life.
He had let me into it.
I wasn't going to push for something he might not want.
So the flowers stayed exactly what I'd told Elena they were.
Decorations.
And there was no picture.
Not one.
After lunch, we moved to the outdoor seating area.
The cookie box came with us.
This time legally.
Elena sat beside me.
Then closer.
Then somehow ended up pressed against my side while eating another cookie.
Luke sat on my other side.
Apparently I had become furniture.