AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Today had been her first day of a proper holiday. And she’d loved every minute. Or almost every minute. Right up until she’d realised what her life before had been like.
It was almost as if a fog was being lifted from her eyes and she was finally getting clear vision. And the person clearly in her vision right now was Leo.
She smiled again and settled back in her chair. Above her the planets were aligning with stars, sending beautiful streaks across the sky.
It was almost like a message. A message that she was going to take some time to consider. And she knew just who to do that with.
CHAPTER SIX
LEO HAD ALWAYS been familiar with the tourist spots in New York but he’d never really visited them.
The time at the Natural History Museum had tugged at something inside. In one way, he’d felt a wave of anxiety when he’d seen the tears in Anissa’s eyes at Belvedere Castle. It had pulled at all his primal instincts to protect her, and try and take away the hurt she was experiencing. The museum had been the nearest place to go that might distract her.
But it had done a whole lot more than that. She’d come alive in there. He’d almost felt her confidence build as they’d moved around the museum. He’d loved watching the excitement in her eyes at some of the exhibits. She could find joy in the smallest things, and had a million ideas, opinions and questions—all things he’d never really thought about before.
Being around Anissa was fun. The truth was at Mont Coeur there had been an air of sadness around her—even if she hadn’t known it. He knew it was likely due to her uncertainty and her change of circumstances, but the more hours she spent in New York, the more he could see her gradually shaking off those worries and feelings. And he liked that. He liked that a lot.
Because she was having an effect on him. Today he’d sent a text to Noemi. It was ridiculous. It had taken him nearly an hour to decide what to send.
Hi there, had to return to New York for urgent business but will be in touch soon. Won’t do anything to jeopardise Cattaneo Jewels.
He’d wanted to be reassuring. Noemi had replied straight away, saying that she hoped everything was okay.
He’d felt a little bad that he hadn’t spoken to them before he’d left. But he wasn’t used to this family stuff. He wasn’t used to keeping in touch with people.
Watching Anissa send frequent texts to her mum and dad had made him feel guilty.
He really needed a chance to try and get his head around all this.
But now wasn’t the time. Because right now he was steering Anissa along Fifth Avenue.
She stopped outside one store then another. He watched closely. He could see when something caught her eye. ‘Want to go in?’
She shook her head. ‘Not a chance. I’m a window shopper. That’s it.’
He tried to be tactful. ‘Well, one of things I wanted to take you to was the Christmas ball. It’s fancy. You’ll need something formal. And obviously it’s my treat. So if you see something you like and want to try, go ahead.’
She hesitated for a second, apparently struggling to find the words. ‘Leo... I’m really honoured you want to take me somewhere like that...and I’d never want to embarrass you, but I’m not quite sure how comfortable I feel about you buying me something that...’ She held out her hand and gestured to the store behind her. ‘That will probably cost more than I earn in a few months.’
He’d somehow known Anissa might feel like this. ‘But it’s my treat. I want you to buy something. Something you like and feel comfortable in.’
She pressed her lips together. ‘Let me think about it. I’m just not sure.’
He nodded his head. He had to respect her wishes. ‘Of course. But don’t leave it too late. We only have another three days until the ball.’
She glanced along the street. ‘Enough of Fifth Avenue. Let’s have some fun.’
‘What kind of fun?’
She pulled something from her pocket. ‘I have a list. I made it last night.’
He sidled up to her and tried to look over her shoulder. ‘You made a list?’
She whipped it away so he couldn’t see it as she laughed. ‘Yep, I wrote down all the things I could possibly do in New York.’
She pulled out her phone and stared at it as it buzzed. The weirdest expression flashed over her face.
‘Who is it?’
She gave a little shake of her head. ‘It’s someone I used to deal with.’
‘Your coach—your ex?’ He couldn’t help it. It was first person that sprang to mind. It didn’t matter he’d never set eyes on the guy, there was a definite flicker of jealousy.
She shook her head harder as she still stared at the buzzing phone. ‘No, no. It’s someone who worked on the championship skiing committee.’ She genuinely looked puzzled. ‘I have no idea why they want to speak to me.’ She pressed her lips together and hit the reject button, sending the caller to her voicemail.
‘You don’t want to speak to them?’
‘No. Not now. Not here.’ She still had the list in her other hand. She waited for a second then put a smile back on her face. ‘This is about us. This is about New York.’
He wanted to ask more questions. But it was clear she was trying her best to put Mount Coeur behind her. ‘Okay, then, what’s next on the list?’
She concentrated hard for a few seconds, laughing as he kept trying to duck behind her to see the list.
‘Okay,’ she said, tucking the list back into her pocket. ‘I’d really like it if we could see the view, either from the Empire State Building or the Rockefeller Center—whichever you think is best.’
‘I think this is my time to cringe,’ he admitted.
‘Why?’
He pulled a face. ‘I’ve never managed to get up either, but...’
‘How long have you actually lived here?’
He gave a rueful shake of his head. ‘No. I think I’m going to take the first amendment here. I don’t want to implicate myself at all.’
She held out her hands. ‘Well, just think. We get to do a first thing together.’
He couldn’t help but be surprised. And a little impressed. ‘Yeah, that’s a cool way to look at it. In fact—’ Another thought sprang into his head. ‘There’s actually something else that would be a first—that we can do together.’ He gave a slow nod. ‘Actually, it makes it easier for me to decide which place we go to for the view.’
He held out his hand towards her. ‘Want to see a little more of New York?’
She shot him a huge smile. ‘Absolutely.’
* * *
The tree was stunning. She’d never quite seen anything like it before. It was around seventy feet tall and stood right in front of the Rockefeller Center, overlooking the most perfect ice rink.
He leaned over the barrier alongside her. ‘If we stay here for another week we could see the Christmas tree-lighting. They do it live on television now. It’s a big deal.’
She sighed. ‘Oh, that would be great. But we’ll be back in Mont Coeur by then, won’t we?’
There was an almost wistful tone to her voice. Didn’t she want to go back to the place she was currently calling home?
Mont Coeur. It was odd. But the name made it feel as though a dark cloak had settled around his shoulders. So much uncertainty. So much still to sort out. He wasn’t quite sure if was ready for all this.
‘Probably,’ he said finally.
She was watching the people skating underneath them. Some were clinging onto the barrier at the side, others were stumbling around the rink and a few were spinning around and skating backwards with ease.
‘Want to go skating too?’ he asked.
She pointed at one girl who was twirling around in the middle of the rink. ‘Just so you know, that’s not going to be me, not even close.’
He pointe
