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 weretoying 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 smilesoftening 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 theonly 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 mindworkingwith 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 meanOlly,” 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. “Andhe’s single.”
