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CHAPTER EIGHT
EVOLETGLANCEDATthe clock and suppressed a yawn. Nearly eight o’clock. She could easily stay until midnight reviewing and editing the proposal.
But, she acknowledged with a satisfied wiggle in the leather chair she had settled into, they’d gotten a ton of work done. Once dinner had been eaten, they’d attacked different parts of the proposal and settled into a steady pace of work. They’d exchanged ideas, argued over the merits of one particular client testimony and honed the proposal into something she saw as the best project she’d ever worked on.
She glanced up. At some point Damon had taken off his jacket and rolled up his shirtsleeves, leaving him in his tie, waistcoat and shirt. It was decidedly unfair, she thought as she looked away, that even his forearms were muscled. For the most part, she’d kept to her resolutions to stay professional. But as he’d relaxed, the aloof air had evaporated, replaced by an intelligent man with a quick wit who challenged her ideas, encouraged her.
Why, she thought morosely as she stood and moved to the window,couldn’t he have just been nice to look at?
The substance behind his handsome face made him all the more intriguing and attractive.
With a quick shake of her head, she looked out over the city. The sun had just dipped out of sight, leaving the horizon a painter’s dream of magenta, pale orange and violet. Overhead the sky had slipped into darkness, deep blue serving as a backdrop for the proud skyscrapers of New York City jutting up toward the heavens. She’d never seen the city from so high up, historic landmarks sharing space with new creations, all of them lit with millions of golden lights that gleamed warmly in the late spring evening.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
She started. Her eyes focused on his reflection in the glass just a few feet behind her.
“I don’t know if I’d ever get any work done with a view like this.”
“You get used to it after a while.”
“How? How could something this incredible become mundane?”
He shoved his hands into his pockets, his expression darkening as he glanced between her and the city.
“That’s a good question.”
Something heavy lay beneath his words. She almost asked but stopped herself, remembering how quickly he had shut down when she’d inquired about his mother at the gala. They’d achieved a working harmony she didn’t want to risk by asking nosy questions that were none of her business.
“I didn’t realize how late it was.”
“I didn’t, either.” She moved back toward the chair where she’d left her shoes. “But we got quite a bit done.”
“What about your practice?”
Surprised, she looked up at him. “My practice?”
“You bring your cello with you to work almost every day. And,” he added with a ghost of a smile, “Audrey told me you often stop and play in the park on your way home.”
Evolet paused, suddenly shy. “The audition you heard me talking about with Audrey is for the Orchestra of St. John’s. It’s Thursday. Even though the Apprentice Symphony—the group I played with for the fundraiser—practices on Tuesdays, I try to play every day, and that’s especially true if I have an audition coming up. I usually hop off at Fifty-Ninth Street, play in the park when the weather’s nice so I don’t bother my neighbors and then go home.”
“What do you when it’s raining or cold?”
“I use the church community room the Apprentice Symphony practices in.” She glanced once more at the darkening sky. “But if I did that tonight, I probably wouldn’t get home until after ten. I’ve practiced enough I’m pretty sure I play in my sleep.”
“Still, you didn’t have to stay. I know your music is important to you.”
The way he said it, with genuine inflection, twisted her stomach into knots.
“Thank you. I feel pretty confident about the audition and, worst case, there will be another one later.”
He tilted his head. “You don’t sound that enthused.”
Her hand came up, grasping for an explanation. “Is it bad that I’m almost more excited for the audition itself than the orchestra? It’s a good orchestra, and I would be disappointed if I didn’t make it.”
“But not devastated.”
“No,” she replied with a smile. “Failing an audition for the Emerald City Philharmonic, however, would be devastating. They were the first group I ever saw professionally in concert. Just getting a standard ‘thanks for applying’ email when I submitted my audition tape earlier this year was hard enough.”
