“Yes,” he said again, almost breathless. He thought he was beginning to understand. Heknewhe was.
“You want to create a little playground for millionaires in a place that was sustained by thegitanos? An exhibition they won’t even be allowed to visit if they aren’t of a certain class?”
Rafael shook his head. She was getting it all wrong. It was a celebration of the area and its people. “I also mentioned that Christian’s wife is a descendent ofgitanoswho live in that area. That was part of his interest.”
Grace scoffed. “Come on, Rafael. You really think that makes it okay? Christian’s wife has a connection, so he can do whatever he wants?”
“Yes. I mean, no. Christian’s also planning to put up a plaque to commemorate the history of the cave houses.”
“A plaque?” She stood, finally looking him right in the eyes, instead of avoiding his gaze.
“Yes, a plaque. What’s wrong with that?” Rafael took a step toward the sofa without breaking eye contact.
Grace turned away, gathering her book and her notepad, as if preparing to storm off. “No one is going to pay attention to a plaque. That’s nothing.” She took another breath. “People live in these houses, Rafael. People you’ve barely bothered to consider.”
Rafael swallowed. Perhaps he was an awful person since he hadn’t thought all that much about the history of Sacromonte. The implications had faded into the background the second Christian made up his mind, and Rafael failed to consider that this wasn’t just some place they could move in and take over without considering its past. He hadn’t even thought of the neighbors who lived in the nearby cave houses, of whether they had any say in the development of Christian’s exhibit. He’d been brought into Christian’s view of things—the view that you could do whatever you wanted if you paid enough, and so far it had proven true, even if that didn’t mean it was right.
“What would you have me do, Grace? You remember I didn’t want the exhibit there in the first place? I’ve been against it from the beginning.”
He moved toward her, and she clung to her book, as if using it as a shield. It was ridiculous how much he wanted to wrap his arms around her, to hold her again and make all this animosity melt away, to try whatever he could to get her anger to evaporate.
“You’ve been against it because it’s impractical, not because it’s abhorrent. And that was never enough for you to stand up to Christian. Maybe that’s what I would have you do. Stand up to him and tell him the truth. You could start by allowing the people who live here to enter the premises in the first place. Maybe by acknowledging their existence? It sounds to me like the area has always been a home to people who were overlooked. Don’t perpetuate that, please. If you insist on commandeering a cave, then you could at least invite the community to be part of it. You could incorporate the history of the place, rather than trying to brush it away.”
“Thereisa cave museum, Graciela. A museum that already exists and showcases the history there, the people and how they lived, thegitanoculture.”
Grace studied him for a moment. “That’s good,” she said. “I’m glad there is a place to represent the history of the area, but that doesn’t mean you can get away with ignoring it, Raf. It doesn’t mean you can exclude the people who live there now.”
Rafael nodded, scanning the ideas in his head, trying to think of a solution. He could figure out a way to make this work. He always figured out a way. There was a solution to keep everyone happy, and he would conjure it. He snapped his fingers. “We could set up some kind of fund. Something to give back to the community.”
Grace rolled her eyes. “Sure,” she said. “I mean, yes, you should, but you’re still just throwing money at it. It’s not really a meaningful gesture.”
Rafael took another step toward her. Perhaps he was a little too eager. “Iwilltalk to Christian,” he insisted. “We can discuss it. I can have you present some ideas to him as well, if there’s something you want to suggest to him. I know he won’t move the event; he thinks the setting is perfect, but there has to be something, and I’ll make sure he listens to any ideas we have. I will stand up to him, Grace.”
Grace stared, her expression full of skepticism. “Really? You aren’t worried about pissing off your rich boss?”
“Well, it’s not like you’re saying anything unreasonable. It’s an excellent point, and it’s something Christian and I both should have given more thought. We’ve been remiss, obviously, and you’re right. We should find a solution.”
After all, he agreed with her now that the issue had been brought to his attention, and Rafael was sure they could convince Christian to take action. Christian wasn’t a bad man, if a little self-centered and shortsighted. Perhaps those adjectives could describe Rafael as well. But Christian would understand, and if nothing else, he would be concerned with optics. He didn’t want to look like an insensitive billionaire who was taking advantage of a marginalized community. He wanted to be a kind, sensitive billionaire. A billionaire of the people.
“Well…” Grace tugged on a button on the front of her pajamas. “That’s good.”
“That’s good?” Rafael said, trying to hold himself still. If he took another step toward her, he would be close enough to touch her, and if he was close enough to touch her, he wasn’t sure he would be able to stop himself from reaching out and doing it.
Grace bit her lip, and they were quiet for a long moment. “I’m not going to let it go or forget about this, Raf. The community in Sacromonte needs to be part of this.”
“I know.” He clenched his hands into fists, as if it would imbue additional strength into his words. “I agree with you.”
“You do?” She studied him with that way she had—the way that made him feel utterly exposed—as if wary of how much she could believe him. He hoped she could see he was in earnest.
“I mean it, Graciela. This is why I needed your help in the first place. I knew I was in over my head, but you can make this work.”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I’m not the expert here. Even if I can figure out a way to handle Picasso, there are so many things to consider.”
“You know enough to berate me when I’m an idiot.”
Her smile was a small one, but Raf clung to it like a life raft. She was warming up to him again. “Will you still come to dinner with me tonight?” he asked at last. He didn’t know why it mattered so much to him that she did, why he was so desperate for her forgiveness and approval just because he was attracted to her. It didn’t quite add up, but he didn’t plan to consider it any further.
“Yes.” She let out a breath and finally relaxed her shoulders, loosening the grip on her book. Perhaps he hadn’t disappointed her too much.
