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Gabriella looked in the mirror by the front door, checking her hair and face. She told herself it was routine, something she was in the habit of doing before she left the house or before they had guests, but her heart called her a liar.
He’d been out of her office all of ten seconds when she’d crumpled, bending over at the waist and stifling the pant of her breath as she fought back a wail of pain. It had been easy — okay, not easy, but certainly easier — to convince herself leaving Logan behind was for the best when he wasn’t standing in front of her.
When he wasn’t looking at her, the dark eyes that had once felt as warm as the sun now icy and remote.
“Is he here yet?” Leo asked, bounding down the stairs. He was gregarious and curious, always excited to meet someone new and talk their ears off.
“Not yet,” she said.
“When?” Leo demanded with a silly grin.
She tousled his hair. “Soon,mijo.”
She hardly ever spoke Spanish anymore, but she’d been using the term of endearment for Emilio since his birth.
“Sandwiches, fruit, and iced tea are on the island,” Beatrice said, coming down the hall from the kitchen. Her gray hair was short and wavy, her face bare of makeup, but she somehow still looked regal in her chunky necklaces, flowy tunic, and the loose black pants she favored. “Is there anything else you want out?”
“That’s perfect, Bea. Thanks.” Gabriella smiled. “You sure you don’t mind staying an extra half hour? I’ll make sure Logan speaks to you first so you can head home.”
“Psh,” Bea said. “What else do I have to do?”
She was being modest. Bea’s life was chock-full of yoga, pottery classes, book clubs, and travel plans. Her only daughter and grandchildren lived in Washington state, but she was just as likely to be in Egypt or Africa during her time off as she was to be in the Pacific Northwest.
“You’re the best.” Gabriella hugged her and immediately felt better. It was like embracing a warm pillow, and she said a prayer of thanks for about the millionth time in the past five years.
Having Bea in her life was like having her soft, practical mother around, minus the criticism her mother dished out about everything from the way Gabriella spoiled Leo to the hours she kept at the office to her divorce.
“He’s here, he’s here!” Leo jumped up and down in front of the window.
“Easy,” Gabriella said with a laugh.
She’d told him an old friend was coming to look at the house. It had seemed like the easiest way to explain Logan’s presence and the fact that he’d be looking closely at the house and security system and asking questions about their routines.
Now she worried she’d set Leo up for disappointment. She brushed away the thought. She didn’t expect Logan to be warm toward her after all that had happened between them, but she knew him well enough to know he’d be kind to her son.
Logan had always been sweet, sensitive to a fault, which had only made her betrayal harder.
For both of them.
The doorbell rang and Gabriella pulled open the door before she had time to get even more nervous. She froze in surprise. Logan was there, but he wasn’t alone. A giant with a brown beard and tattoos peeking out from under his shirt stood by Logan’s side.
“Evening,” Logan said.
“Hey.” Gabriella looked from Logan to the other man, both of them in well-cut trousers and blazers, although Logan wore a button-down shirt under his jacket while the other man wore a form-fitting T-shirt under his. They both had iPads tucked under their arms. “Please come in.”
She felt a thread of disappointment that Logan wasn’t alone, although she couldn’t have said why. From the way he’d looked at her in her office, being civil to her was a challenge for him.
Friendship was way too much to ask for.
They entered the hall and she watched Logan’s eyes travel upward, over the curved staircase, soaring ceiling, and chandelier.
“Nice place.” The compliment came from Ford, not Logan, who remained silent in spite of Ford’s appraisal.
“Thank you,” Gabriella said.
She tried to see the place from Logan’s perspective, then regretted the exercise. Logan had always been a simple man. He probably thought she was gauche.
She looked at Bea. “This is my lifeline, Beatrice Kelly. She takes care of the house and Leo, and, well, she takes care of me too.”
