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“I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” I agree, reaching across the desk to shake his hand once more.
He takes my hand in both of his, giving my arm a thorough shake, and the enthusiasm with which he does it helps put me at ease once again. “It’s been such a pleasure meeting you. I look forward to speaking with you soon, and I can’t wait to see you in action.”
Mr. Cherny rises from his chair and heads toward my office door a moment later. In the wake of his departure, I stare after him in confusion.Who could possibly have referred me?
I almost wonder if he might not somehow be associated with Maks. After all, Maks is deeply involved in owning restaurants, and perhaps he and Mr. Cherny have a past, considering they’re both from Russia—or so Mr. Cherny’s accent would indicate.
I push the notion aside.
I doubt Maks would send such big business my way. Especially when we rarely talk about our careers. More likely, Mr. Cherny has an association with one of the corporate businesses I worked with.
I finish typing out my notes and get the walkthroughs scheduled into my calendar. Then I glance up at the clock. It’s past noon. I’m supposed to be at the Hansons’ Painted Lady to ensure the work is staying on schedule.
Turning off my monitor, I reach under my desk to grab my purse, then I stand.
I’m heading out the door of my office a moment later, and as I step into the reception area, I find Sarah and Zoe in a heated debate over which Bluey character is the best one. I try not to chuckle as I approach and plant a firm kiss on my daughter’s temple.
“You ladies having fun?” I ask, smoothing Sarah’s dark curls away from her face. The soft, silky texture of her hair is just like Maks’s, and it both thrills and pains me to know that my little girl is so much like her father in some ways.
It means that I will always get to keep a part of Maks with me—regardless of when our agreement ends. At the same time, it makes me sad to think of how Maks will never know the beauty of having a child and loving them more than life itself.
I can’t believe how much I missed Sarah after just one night without her. And though she and Zoe seemed perfectly content and were having fun when I came home, it still warmed my heart to see Sarah so excited for me to be home, the way she jumped up from the kitchen table, abandoning her cereal to give me a big hug.
I’m sorely tempted to take her with me now on my field work, solely because of how good it feels to be back with her. But I can’t bring her to the Painted Lady. The construction is already underway, and I find it best not to bring a little girl into a potentially hazardous construction area. Even if they’re just starting with the paint, a toddler tends to find ways to contribute creatively that owners might not always appreciate.
So instead, I release her after several moments and promise, “I’ll see you both in a few hours, alright?”
“Okay,” Sarah agrees, seeming perfectly content to remain behind with Zoe.
Giving Zoe a grateful smile, I’m rewarded by a supportive wink.
“Bye!” Zoe calls as I turn and head out the front door.
31
MAKSIM
In a full-on panic about the text from Aleksandr and what he might do to Heidi, I race to her office. She hasn’t answered her phone, which only intensifies my anxiety, and the horrible, crushing fear that I’ve failed her—that I might lose her too—has me on the brink of losing my mind.
The drive to the office feels like an eternity, every second stretching on as I grapple with what the text might mean. My hands grip the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turn white.
My heart is racing as I throw my car in park at the curb outside her office. Barking a command for my men to keep watch outside, I make a beeline for the door. I need to see Heidi, to talk to her, to know that she’s not been harmed. I also need to stress the importance of why she needs my protection. That text was like a bolt of lightning, jolting me out of my complacency.
Though I tried to do it her way, though we have been painfully careful about sneaking her in and out of my penthouse, Aleksandr knows. Which means it’s too late. She needs my protection now, whether she wants it or not.
As I push open the door to Heidi’s interior design office, my eyes dart around the room, searching for her familiar face. Instead, what I find is the same petite, dark-haired pixie-cut girl who reintroduced us at the bar. Heidi told me her name is Zoe, I believe—Heidi’s coworker, roommate, and best friend.
She sits at the reception counter, a phone to her ear as she speaks politely with whoever is on the other line.Heidi, maybe?I’m desperate for some small shred of proof that she’s okay. But now, as Zoe signs off, she tells the man to have a wonderful day. Then she sets the phone back in its cradle, her dark-lined brown eyes meeting mine with warm welcome.
“How can we help you, sir?” she asks.
Only then do I notice the beautiful little raven-haired girl with hazel eyes beside Zoe. She straightens from her coloring book to greet me with a winning smile. I assume she must be related to Zoe. They look enough alike for Zoe to be her mother.
Their polite greeting reminds me that, to them, I’m just another customer, and I do my best to rein in my panic so as not to frighten them. I must appear a bit disheveled, I realize, with my hurried entrance and the worried expression on my face.
Forcing the tension from my shoulders, I comb my hair back into place and smile as I step up to the reception desk. “Hello,” I manage to say, though my voice is strained slightly.
“Do you have a ’pointment?” the little girl adds, and despite myself, I’m immediately taken by her.
