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She let out a little laugh and shook her head. It was a reminder of how different their upbringings—their worlds—had been. There had been little joy or pleasure in her family. She swallowed, mind skittering over the dark memories of her childhood. There had never been softness. No apologies. Her parents had never failed to remind her just how soft she was.
How unnecessary she was.
How sorry. Useless.
“Grace, are you all right?” Anton gave her a questioning look, and she chewed on her bottom lip in favor of the frown threatening to burst forth. She had shown up to apologize, not brood. What was wrong with her?
She gave a little shake of her head. “That’s…” She tilted her head to the side and worked to pick the right words. “Impressive,” she finally settled on.
“Is it?” Anton asked as he focused on arranging the flowers in the vase.
“Well, yes.”
“Why?” he asked and continued on, “I didn’t do it.” His dark eyes flicked up to meet hers. “My family did. I just got lucky.”
She leaned against the counter. She was more than a little caught off guard by his response. Usually when someone disclosed something like he had, there was a tad more pride in their eyes, even if they tried to downplay it. But that wasn’t the case with Anton. He looked almost frustrated by it.
“Oh?” she asked, eyes rapt on his face as he shrugged and went back to fiddling with the flowers. She didn’t trust herself to speak, so she wanted to listen. She was glad when he started to speak again.
“I’ve been incredibly lucky in my life. The resources I’ve had at my fingertips, the things I’ve taken for granted, are more than most people have in a lifetime,” he replied, turning the vase around on the counter in front of him. “I think I’m done. What do you think?”
The trepidation she’d felt left her and when she opened her mouth the words fell right out. “I think you’re right. You can do anything in the world. I mean, anything at all, and I’m not exaggerating. You have been given the world—no,the universe—in terms of money and power and influence. People have to listen to you, or at least the people you work with, because,hello! You own the company. I mean, it’s their job to listen to you.”
He nodded at the vase. “I meant about the flowers.”
Fuck.
“Oops.” She ran her hands over her face and let out a low moan of frustration. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Again.” If only the floor would open up and swallow her whole. But miracles like that weren’t likely, so she was stuck standing on firm ground and blushing. He arched an eyebrow at her, but there was a wry smile on his lips.
“I think the flowers will look good over here.” He nodded at the end table beside the sofa. “Don’t you think?”
She swallowed hard and shifted from foot to foot, unsure of what to do, but she nodded. “I, well, yes.” She crossed her arms and watched as Anton ambled over to the end table with the vase of flowers. He seemed so nonchalant about her comments regarding his status in life. The people she worked with had strong, even visceral and explosive, reactions to the merit of pens versus pencils. But here Anton was, unfazed when she laid out his advantages in life. She shuffled forward, mouth opening and closing.
“You’re right about what you said. It’s why I give so much of my good fortune away,” Anton told her, his back to her still. “I may be privileged, but I’m not oblivious. I try to use what I have for good.”
That stopped her in her tracks. “What are you talking about?”
“A little of this and a little of that. Are you hungry? I’ll have something sent up, or we can go out if you want?” His tone was congenial. Warm. Everything she wanted from him, but it shocked her that he would give it to her so freely.
No one had ever done that. But no one had ever looked at her like she was magic either.
“Just like that? You’re just forgiving me?” she ventured, fingers twisting in her sweater.
He nodded. “Just like that. And besides, if memory serves me right, you forgave me when I was an asshole.”
She tilted her head to the side and considered him for a long beat. “Are you sure you want to date me?”
“You just listed out the number of ways in which I am beholden to no one, didn’t you?” he asked. He crossed his arms as he waited for her answer, and she shifted from foot to foot as she tried to figure out where he was going, so she nodded.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“So where in all of that did you get the idea that I have ever done a damn thing I didn’t want to do?”
“Well, it’s just that you’re you, and I’m me.” She waved a hand in a sweeping gesture at herself, from the top of her pink-tinted hair to her beaten up boots. There was no denying they were different.
“What does that mean?”
“I’m just not…refined,” she said.
