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“It’s the same way in San Francisco. Too much artificial light. It’s one of the things I love about Monarch. All the natural beauty.”
Her words reached me on a level I hadn’t considered before.
We stood, our necks craned back, taking in the blanket of stars above.
The sky was velvety dark, glittering with starlight, like jewels, promising hope and possibility. The stillness of the air made me feel like we were creatures in the night searching for a place to seek refuge from hunting predators. It was a spooky and unnerving feeling to be out here in the dark, not knowing what might be hiding in wait. My mind was running away with itself, imagination taking over and creating a terrifying tale in my head.
I felt something touch my hand and jumped back at the unexpected contact. My reaction sent Siena into a fit of giggles as I turned around looking for the beast that had touched me, crawled on me. Like a spider or a snake. Had I not been lost in my thoughts, I wouldn’t have freaked out. But my imagination had run away with itself, and with it, all semblance of reality.
“Sorry, I was trying to get your attention,” she said between snorts.
Her laughter and the memory of her words from the other night, about her endearing quality, made me laugh despite my embarrassment.
“Come on,” I said, heading to my car. I stowed my things, shut my door, and turned to look at the beautiful girl with the mesmerizing hazel eyes. I couldn’t see their color in the dark, but I could if I closed my eyes and imagined. A dangerous thing considering everything that had transpired tonight.Stay on her good side, my subconscious warned.
I leaned against my car, trying to find the words I wanted to say. “Look,” I began, my hands coming together, clasped in front of me, “I know we have our differences. And I know we don’t see eye to eye on some things.”
“Some things?”
God, this woman was infuriating. “Yes.Some things. What else do we argue about besides this fucking hotel?”
Her shoulders rose. “I don’t know. I might sound foolish, maybe even like a child, Michael, but I don’t care. You have to understand where I’m coming from.” She looked past me into the vast darkness.
I sighed. “I get it. I do. I don’t have any more control over this than you do. And I do understand your perspective.” I gently lifted her face, forcing her to look into my eyes. “I do, Siena. But I also don’t have a lot of say so.”
“Why not?” she whispered.
“I don’t know.” I dropped my hand from her lovely face. I didn’t know how to put things into words she’d understand. And I didn’t know if I wanted to let her in on what was going on with me and work. Now or ever.
“Yes, you do.” She framed my face in her petite hands. “Yes. You do,” she mimicked me. I knew she was perceptive. Damn it. I knew she’d be able to feel me holding back.
“Look . . .” I paused, trying to evade the question. Or evade having to give her an answer. “My dad’s my dad. For better or worse, you know? I don’t have another one.”
She flinched. “At least you have one.”
I didn’t know she didn’t have a dad. I knew he wasn’t around but didn’t know any of the story behind why. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”
“I’ve learned to deal with it.” She dropped her hands and looked at the ground, but I could have sworn there were tears in her eyes. My face missed her touch immediately.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“That’d be a hard no.”
“Well, if you want to talk, my door’s always open.”
“Thanks, but I don’t want to open up that can of worms right now.”
“I get it. I don’t know what happened with your dad, but you’ve got your grandparents, and from what I can see, you have a great relationship with them.” I shook my head. “Things with my dad aren’t anything close to what you have with them. It’s different, and it’s complicated.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Well, maybe if you tried, I might understand better.”
We were standing in the shadows, but the night sky illuminated her face. “I just can’t. That’smycan of worms I just can’t open right now. But trust me on this.”
“It’s hard to trust someone who . . .”
“Who what?”
“I don’t want to start another fight, Michael. I’ll just say your father has a reputation that doesn’t bode well for you. I’m trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, but it’s kind of hard knowing your father is the one calling the shots, and you’re basically just his little errand boy.”
