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4
ROSEMARY
In all my attempts to prepare myself for this trip, I couldn’t have planned for Alex.
He acts nothing like the guys at home, who look like they’ve stepped off the movie screen of some old western. Alex is taller than me, even in my boots with the heels, and it makes me feel more feminine when I’m standing next to him. He wears dark-rimmed glasses and has this sexy hint of a smile whenever our eyes meet, and for the first time in my life I feel seen.
I’m grateful that he came with Roman and Luca today to pick me up. He’s been able to fill the silence with small talk as we drive through the city to the Davenports’ penthouse.
“Do you have any tourist places you are interested in seeing while you are in town?” Alex asks.
He and I are sitting in the backseat of Roman’s car that probably cost more than I make in a year.
“I was able to see some places last time we were in town,” I say, but stop when I see Roman and Luca exchange glances in the front seat.
Alex notices too but is quick to help steer the conversation forwards without missing a beat.
“What have you seen?”
“The Space Needle was cool. And we checked out some of the museums.”
“Did you take a ferry ride?”
“I would have liked to have gone but my mama gets terrible motion sickness.”
Luca snickers in the front seat but stops when Roman smacks him upside the back of his head.
“Hey man,” Luca grumbles. “That’s the second time today.”
“Do you want to make it a third?” Roman asks.
I glance at Alex, unsure if Luca was laughing at me or something I just missed. He doesn’t say anything but gives me a reassuring smile. I’m not sure how I would be handling any of this without Alex next to me. From the moment we met I’ve felt at ease with him, like he’s the anchor keeping me from getting lost in the storm.
“Will Grant be at the house?” I ask.
“No,” Roman says over his shoulder to me. “He’s in New York or Paris or somewhere for Fashion Week.”
“That’s right.” I nod. “I remember Hazel mentioning he’s a model.”
Roman slows the car down and pulls into the underground parking of their building. He pulls up to the back wall of the structure and it starts to open slowly. Unsure of what I’m seeing, I glance over at Alex for some sort of explanation and find that his curious gaze was already on me.
“Private parking in the structure,” he explains.
We pull in and Roman parks near a set of steel doors. We all get out and I watch Roman use a key to call for the elevator. The doors open and we all step inside, but when I turn around I see Alex isn’t with us. He leans in and sets down my suitcase in front of me.
“You aren’t coming with us?” I ask and hold my hand on the door, so it doesn’t close.
He gives me that reassuring smile again, that sets my lower belly ablaze.
“I have to get back to the office.” He points over his shoulder. “But I hope to see you again before you leave.”
“I’d like that,” I say.
The elevator alarm starts to ring out and I jump, breaking our gaze. I turn to my brothers. Luca is typing away on his phone, giving us zero attention. But Roman’s brow is furrowed, like he sees something he doesn’t like. I glance back at Alex and from the expression on his face, I know that he saw the look Roman was giving us.
The alarm rings again and I remove my hand as the doors start to close. I can’t help the small wave I give Alex just before the doors shut.
We begin the ride up in silence, but I can feel Roman watching me. Without Alex here to help fill the silence, it’s up to me apparently to keep any conversation going.
