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“He recruited me for Daniel. He knew exactly what he wanted in a daughter-in-law.”
“And he got it,” Amanda muttered, knowing Sharon was exactly what Patrick would have ordered.
“For a while.” Sharon sighed. “Now, back to the list.” She stood up and bent over to read upside down. “Giorgio is nice, not too tall, but very well-groomed.
He has a penthouse overlooking the park, and—”
“Thank you,” said Amanda, folding the list closed again. “But I’m not looking to date anyone.”
Sharon straightened, her mouth drooping into a little-girl pout. “But—”
“I’m afraid I’m very busy.” Amanda held out the list.
Sharon didn’t take it. “You’re dating Daniel.”
“Not really.” She was only sleeping with Daniel. That was as far as the relationship was likely to go. Sharon was right about one thing, though: to get Daniel, first you needed Patrick.
The door opened, and Julie stuck her head in. “Amanda?”
Amanda could have kissed her receptionist.
“There’s someone here to see you.” Julie actually seemed flustered.
Amanda didn’t care who it was, just so long as they got Sharon out of the office.
Amanda tucked the list into Sharon’s hand. “Thanks for stopping by.”
Julie opened the door wider.
Sharon glanced from one woman to the other. For a second, Amanda thought she was going to refuse to leave. But then she gritted her teeth, stood as tall as she was able and stalked to the door.
Suddenly, she halted in the doorway and swiveled her head to look back at Amanda. “It appears I underestimated you.”
Before Amanda could decipher the cryptic message, Sharon was gone, and Patrick Elliott himself was entering the office.
She squeaked out a desperate signal to Julie, but Julie had already scooted out of the way.
“Amanda.” Patrick’s nod was terse as the door closed behind him.
“Mr. Elliott.” Amanda nodded in return, her stomach clenching reflexively against her backbone. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been alone with him.
“Please, call me Patrick.”
“All right.” Now she was even more off balance.
He gestured to the guest chairs. “May I sit down?”
“Of course.”
He waited, and she realized he expected her to sit first. She did, surreptitiously wiping her damp palms over her slacks.
He then took his own seat. “I’ll get right to the point. My son tells me I owe you an apology.”
Amanda opened her mouth. But then his words registered, and she promptly shut it again. She stared in silence at the man she’d feared for decades.
“I disagree with Daniel,” Patrick continued. “I am not sorry.”
Amanda let out her breath.
Okay, now he was sounding like himself. His hair might have gone completely white, and the line of his chin might have softened. But his ice-blue eyes were as shrewd as ever. The last thing in the world he’d do was arrive at her law office, hat in hand, begging for forgiveness.
“I’m not sorry I kept Bryan in the family,” he continued. “And I’m not sorry I ensured Maeve had her grandchild. But I am sorry…” He paused, and his blue eyes thawed ever so slightly. “I am sorry that I didn’t have your best interests at heart.”
Amanda gave her head a little shake. Her ears must have been playing tricks on her. Had Patrick Elliott just apologized?
The corners of his mouth turned up. But it looked more like a grimace than a smile.
“It was a long time ago,” said Amanda, realizing belatedly that she should have thanked him. Maybe. What on earth was the proper etiquette in these circumstances?
He nodded. “It was a long time ago. But Daniel’s right. You were alone and frightened and I took advantage.” He held up his palms. “Oh, I know I did the right thing. On balance, Bryan deserved to grow up an Elliott every bit as much as we deserved to know our grandchild. But…” His mouth pursed. “Let’s just say I didn’t have the same appreciation for collateral damage back then.”
Amanda’s spine stiffened ever so slightly. “Is that what you considered me? Collateral damage?”
Could a person actually live and breathe this many years without a soul?
“I considered your circumstance…unfortunate,” he said.
“Yet you played God.” Despite his apology, decades of anger surged through her bloodstream. She hadn’t deserved his manipulation then. And Daniel didn’t deserve his manipulation now. Neither did his other children or his grandchildren.
“I don’t consider myself God,” said Patrick.
Her tone was bitter. “Then why do you act like it?”
He stood up. “I believe this meeting is over.”
“I’m serious, Patrick.” She couldn’t let it go. She knew deep down inside that this was her one and only chance to save Daniel, maybe to save Cullen and Bryan.
“You have to stop.”
His brow furrowed. “Stop what?”
“Holding on to your family with an iron fist.”
“I guess you haven’t heard. I’m stepping down as CEO.”
She gave a scoffing laugh. “While making them pawns in your emotional chess game.”
“Is that what you think I’m doing?”
“Isn’t it?”
They stared at each other in silence for a moment.
“With all due respect, Amanda, I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“You’re right. You don’t. But you’ll eventually have to explain yourself to Daniel.” Amanda shook her head. “One day he’ll wake up. One day he’ll see you for what you are.”
“I think that day was today.”
“Then you see my point.”
Patrick considered her for a long moment. “No. But I think I see something else.”
She waited.
“I think I see what you are to Daniel.”
Amanda drew back. “What?” Did he know about their affair?
Patrick ran his knuckles along the back of her guest chair. “It seems my mistake wasn’t in making you marry him. My mistake was in letting you divorce him.”
“Letting me—”
“He still needs you, Amanda.” Patrick gave a calculating smile, and it was even more frightening than his frown.
“Back off, Patrick.”
“No, Amanda, I don’t believe I will. Good day.”
Chapter 12
Daniel figured it would take at least one lap around Central Park to work up his courage. And it might take another lap to convince Amanda they had a chance.
He pocketed the three carat diamond ring and double-checked the champagne he’d stashed under the seat of the carriage.
Julie had been a willing accomplice in getting Amanda to the park entrance at the right time. He didn’t know what methods she’d used, but he could already see the two women walking up Sixty-Seventh Street.
He adjusted his tie, patted the square bulge in his breast pocket and started toward them along the crowded sidewalk.
“Amanda,” he greeted.
“Daniel?”
“Gotta go,” said Julie, quickly melting away.
Amanda spun toward the sound of Julie’s voice. “What—”
“She must have had something to do,” said Daniel, taking Amanda’s arm and steering her around a cluster of tourists.
Amanda skipped a step, coming into pace with him, craning her neck. “She wanted me to look at a pair of shoes.”
“Maybe she changed her mind.” He slid his hand down to grasp hers.
Amanda blinked up at him dubiously. “Where did you come from?”
He jabbed over his shoulder with his thumb. “The park.”
“Were you out walking?”
Daniel nodded. That seemed like as good a story as any.
He smiled down at her, and lowered his voice, ignoring the crowds parting around them.
“I missed you,” he said, squeezing her hand.
Her expression relaxed, and her mocha eyes glinted with mischief. “I could stop by the office again.”
He moved in closer. “I’ll buy another tie.”
She grinned, and he grinned right back, feeling giddy as a kid on Christmas morning.
She’d agree to marry him.
She had to agree to marry him.
Then they could make love every night, wake up together every morning, visit their grandchildren and grow old together. He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles.
Daniel suddenly wanted nothing more than to grow old with Amanda.
Well, there was one other thing. But they could talk about that after he convinced her to marry him. He had a feeling she’d be in support of his career move.
“Or you could come to my office.” She pulled their clasped hands toward her lips and kissed him back. “I’ve had this fantasy…”
“Oh, I like the sound of that.”
Her expression turned slumberous.
“For now,” he said, drawing back, forcing himself to concentrate on the proposal instead of future lovemaking, “I have a little fantasy of my own.”
“Is it sexual?”
“Better than that. It’s spontaneous.”
She quirked an eyebrow.
“Come on.” He tugged her through pedestrian traffic and into the park.
He stopped next to the reserved carriage.
“Hop in,” he said to Amanda.
“This is your fantasy?”
