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She was sure of one thing. Right at this very moment, Gideon had the look of a man who’d been hit with a stun gun, his eyes a soft blue in his surprise—and budding hope.
“So…you had something to tell me too?” she prodded gently.
He nodded, his eyes changing color again, this time to a cross between faded and stormy blue. “I looked up Archie. I hope you’re not upset with me.”
“If you hadn’t looked him up, you wouldn’t be the man I—” She broke off before she could blurt out the enormity of her feelings for him. Feelings that ran far deeper than just desire or friendship. Feelings that might very well freak him out if he knew just how strong they were. “The man I’ve come to know these past months,” she finished. “Now, tell me what you found.”
The boys were still in Noah’s room, working on their Lego surprise, and breakfast could wait a few more minutes.
“The deadbeat opened another Impressions in Las Vegas. It’s in the Forum Shops at Caesars. He doesn’t have much of a web presence—just a website with one page for contact information. And he doesn’t seem to do much to promote any of his artists. From what I could find, everything he’s sold has been auctioned off for huge amounts of money. And he’s all over the society pages, going to galas and openings. I can’t quite put together why he’d have a gallery in a mall in Vegas, instead of in LA on Rodeo Drive?”
Rosie had no clue why Archie had gone to Vegas. She’d just been glad he’d left the Bay Area. “Did you see the clip of that TV interview with his wife?”
Gideon nodded. “He’s smooth. So smooth that my instincts are screaming there’s something else going on beneath the surface.” The same way his gut had told him to hold his team—and Karmen—back that fateful day in Ramadi. He would never ignore his gut again. “Something shady.”
Rosie opened her iPad again. “Do you remember any of the artists’ names? The ones you said he sold a painting for?”
He rattled off a name she didn’t recognize, and Rosie tapped it in. “See, that’s really odd.”
“What?”
“So there’s this one huge sale.” She pointed to the brief article that came up. “But nothing else. Give me another name.” The same conclusion came up. “It’s just one sale. And it’s weird that he didn’t have a show for either of these artists.”
“Very shady,” Gideon agreed as he angled his body, looking at her now, not the iPad. “We don’t know for sure if these calls you’ve been getting are from him. But we need to watch out.” He reached out with one finger, tipping her chin toward him. “You’ll tell me if he calls again, won’t you?”
Of course she could take care of herself. She had for years now. But she loved that Gideon was looking out for her too. Just as she loved the sweet sensation of his touch.
“I’ll tell you,” she promised.
Just then, the boys flung open Noah’s door and blew like a mini tornado into the kitchen. “What’s for breakfast?” Noah said.
Jorge echoed, “I’m starved.”
“And when can we call Mommy?” Noah asked. “We made a huge Lego tower. I want to show her on FaceTime.”
“It’s for you too.” Jorge smiled up at Rosie.
“Gideon can help you call while I’m making breakfast,” Rosie suggested. “How about some waffles?”
As she cooked, though everything in her life seemed up in the air, Rosie’s heart felt lighter for the first time in a very long time. Not only would Gideon never allow anything bad to happen to her son, but at last, the two of them were forging a relationship that felt more real than any she’d ever had before.
Chapter Seventeen
After devouring the best waffles Gideon had ever tasted, the four of them dropped the painting off with Evan. He promised to make a few calls regarding a valuation while they went to a Triple-A league baseball game featuring the Santa Clara Rockets versus the Saratoga Stallions.
Not surprisingly, the boys went wild. They cheered whenever someone crossed home plate, even though Gideon tried to get them to pick a team to root for. They ate hot dogs and popcorn and drank soda.
The lady in the seat in front of them said they made such a happy family. And that was how it felt—like they were a family, like they were happy, like nothing else mattered but the afternoon they spent together having fun.
Even with Rosie’s ex and the worth of the painting still hanging over them.
For so long, darkness had shrouded everything in Gideon’s life, even his longed-for homecoming with Ari. But when he was with Rosie, Jorge, and Noah, light was determined to shine through.
The only downside to the day was that Rosie didn’t try to kiss him again, even though he couldn’t help wishing she would. Just as he couldn’t help wishing that he was worthy enough to kiss her himself.
They were just leaving the game when Evan called. “Can you swing by the house after the game?”
“Sure thing. It just finished, so we’ll head there now.”
