“Saul thought so, too. He claims her keen sense of intelligence on business matters reminds him of me.”
Cobra chuckled. “You sound surprised. Why? She is, after all, your granddaughter.”
Richard leaned back in his chair. “I believe that I made a number of mistakes where Allison is concerned.”
Cobra heard the despondency in his voice and slid back down in the chair. “How so?”
“I lost my son just two years after I lost my wife. Grief compounded on grief. A part of me thinks I should have given in to Allison’s aunt’s request for full custody of her at the time. But I refused. After losing my wife and son, I didn’t want to lose my granddaughter, too. However, when Allison arrived, I didn’t know what to do with her. I could see that she was hurting. It was understandable—she’d just lost both her parents. Still, it was hard enough for me to deal with my own grief, and I couldn’t take on hers.”
“Is that why you shipped her off to a boarding school?”
Richard went silent for a moment, then asked. “She told you about that?”
“Yes. At the wedding reception, when we danced. I think she took it as rejection. Is she right, Richard?”
“No. Absolutely not. However, I can see why Allison would assume that.” He shook his head slowly. “The truth is that I loved her too much to let her get close. I was terrified I’d lose her the same way I lost the others.”
Cobra got to his feet again. “You want to know what I think, Richard?”
“Not really.”
Cobra grinned. “You never do, yet as always, I’m going to tell you anyway. It’s obvious that you and Desiree have issues to resolve. Deep issues. And I honestly think you should try to resolve them before you introduce her to Lolita. Desiree is not a child. If you were to tell her what you just told me, I think she’d understand. And if she doesn’t, at least you’d have tried to explain things to her.”
Cobra paused and then added, “You need to get to know your granddaughter, Richard. Saul isn’t wrong. During the infrequent times I’ve been around Desiree, I’ve seen a lot in her character that reminds me of you. Remember how distrustful you were in the beginning? You always had your guard up, as if you weren’tcertain who you should allow yourself to get close. Well, I’ve seen that same personality trait in Desiree. The two of you aren’t as different as you think.”
Cobra paused to let what he’d just said sink in. “And those outlandish things she might have done in the past? Maybe it was her way to get your attention.” He moved over to stand by Richard’s side. “Enjoy your trip. You can leave knowing that if Desiree needs anything, I’ll be there for her.”
Cobra walked to the door, then turned and asked, “Your owners’ code to the amenity floor is still the same?”
“Yes.”
He nodded, appreciating that Richard hadn’t asked why he’d wanted to know. “Good night, Richard. Say hi to Lolita for me.”
He nodded. “I will. Good night. I’ll see you when I return.”
***
Desiree smiled as she twirled around on the ice, realizing how much she’d missed this. She had had her first figure skating lesson when she’d been only four, with dreams of one day becoming a member of the Paris Figure Skating Olympic Team like her Aunt Margot.
Although it was the end of July, the huge room where the ice rink was located was cold. Still, that hadn’t stopped her from putting on the figure skating outfit her aunt had given her for her eighteenth birthday. Even her skates had been a gift from her aunt.
Her cell phone was blasting Wind Beneath My Wings. It was the perfect skating soundtrack—slow, emotional—and it allowed her to try out a series of moves that she hadn’t performed in years.
A few minutes in, she was happy to realize that she hadn’t lost any of her skills on the ice. She’d heard that some things just stayed with a person, becoming a part of them. And for her,figure skating had been that. It was an important thing that she and her aunt had shared.
As she moved around the rink, gliding over the ice, she skated to the center and closed her eyes as the music settled into her mind, going straight to her soul. She did a few swizzles, dips, and two-foot glides to find the balance she needed. Then she progressed to more challenging moves, including a double axel, twirling in the air before landing perfectly.
Then she was gliding over the ice again, performing another jump. As the song came to an end, she twirled directly into a fast spin and finally a slow bow.
It was only when the music stopped that she realized she wasn’t alone. Her heart rate increased as she lifted her head to glance around the rink. Then she saw him. Cobra was standing on the sidelines, leaning against the rail. And he was staring at her.
***
Cobra had never seen movements so graceful, so perfectly timed, and executed in a way that had held him spellbound. He hadn’t been concentrating on that very short, nearly backless figure skating outfit she wore that barely touched her thighs and emphasized her lush curves—and that surprised him. Because she was a sight he’d never forget.
But what had really held his attention was the way she had glided across the ice, how her entire body had been in sync with every twirl, spin, and bow. And the way her hair had flowed around her shoulders while executing the different maneuvers had made him long to run his hands through it.
Even from a distance, he saw her frown and the tightening of her lips. She was probably wondering what he was doing here. In truth, he was wondering the same thing himself. The moment he had stepped on the elevator, he couldn’t resist pressing thebutton for the eighth floor instead of the main one. Richard had told him she was skating, and that should have been his cue to go home for the evening. But he couldn’t stop himself from seeing her in action, and now that he was here, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
