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They’d started out not liking each other, then they’d been friendly rivals. But at some point, something had changed. Piper didn’t feel like his rival anymore, and he wasn’t sure what would happen when all this was over.
Right now, they were forced into being together. It almost seemed easier to think that way. To put the responsibility of them being together into the hands of the attorneys. It meant he didn’t need to ask himself why he wanted to pick her up, why he would have willingly taken her to the ball without an instruction, and why part of him wanted to camp out on her doorstep to let her know he could solve the clue, just to see the smile on her face.
Twice in the last two days he’d considered kissing her.
Twice, he’d felt the air light up around him and every single one of his senses tell him to do it.
But what if that wasn’t what Piper wanted? She’d looked upset last night and had got out of the car as if her feet were on fire. Was she worried he might ask if he could kiss her, and this was her way of sending him a message?
One kiss could ruin everything.
If things worked out with the clues, he was going to have to learn to work in partnership with Piper for the rest of his life. That was if he proceeded with his plans. And things on that side were going well.
Of course, he didn’t have the funds to conjure up a training ground out of nowhere. But the conversations he’d had with local Chicago sports figures and business owners made him feel that most would contribute something toward the concept. Land was the most precious commodity, and that was what he could offer.
Dawson sighed and took a quick glance through his emails again, stopping himself from answering the one from the shelter just yet. They’d need to come out and do an assessment. Maybe they’d talk him out of his ideas around adopting a shelter cat or dog, but the more he considered it, the more the reality shaped in his head.
He picked up his jacket and left for work. He had a basketball game to cover on Christmas Day and he had to do some pre-filming. He typed and deleted a text to Piper six times before he finally settled on the most factual.Filming today, call later.
It felt hollow and completely lacking in any festive cheer or emotion, but he honestly just didn’t know how to play things. So, he turned his focus to work, and left, pulling his ringing phone from his pocket as he went. He frowned. Floyd Carson was a land developer. Also nicknamed the Shark. Why would he be calling Dawson?
He answered the call. “Hello?” He kept walking while he listened.
*
Piper had otherthings on her mind. Coherent thoughts were confusing her. She’d attempted to put her plant measurements into her spreadsheets four times this morning before changing her clothes, and jumping on the L. She hadn’t made an appointment at the attorneys, and she really didn’t want to see all three, but she was sure she could work her charm on the guy at the desk.
The text from Dawson was imprinted on her brain. There was nothing wrong with it, as such. It just seemed very functional. Cold. Short. But what could she expect when she’d tried to break the world speed record with her exit from the car last night? She was surprised she hadn’t turned into a real-life Cinderella and left her shoe behind in her haste.
By the time she reached the reception desk at McNally, Travers, and Sully, Piper was definitely agitated. Charm was out of the question.
“I’m here to see Mr. McNally,” she said with authority in her voice.
The young man blinked and checked his computer screen. “Do you have an appointment?”
She didn’t answer the question. “He’ll see me; tell him it’s Piper Davis.”
The young man kept his gaze on her, and she wondered how often clients did this.
“He doesn’t work Tuesdays,” was the almost sympathetic answer.
She sagged, leaning her elbows on the desk. “He doesn’t?”
The young man stood up and checked over his shoulder. “Give me a few minutes.” He lifted the phone and took it with him.
Five minutes later, he pushed a slip of paper across the desk to her, speaking in a low voice. “Mr. McNally says he’ll see you. They’re not supposed to see either of you on your own—not while you’re still completing the tasks in order to meet the terms of the will. But he says if you go to this address, he’ll see you there.”
Piper slid the piece of paper into her pocket. “Thank you,” she said, hurrying from the reception desk before she got him into trouble.
An hour later, she was standing outside a set of wrought iron gates in one of the more prestigious areas of Chicago. She pressed the call button and the gates whirred and ground open. The walk up the driveway to the impressive house was long. Hers were the only footprints in the snow, so she guessed no one else had entered or left this morning. When she finally pressed the bell on the front door, a strange voice came through. “Come around the back. You’ll see the pavilion.”
Piper was definitely curious. She walked around the side of the house. It was still snowing but it looked as though the paths had been cleared and gritted this morning. As she walked around the back, she drew in a breath.
The house was a grand mansion with three floors and nine front-facing windows on each floor. But as Piper looked out over the gardens, she could see manicured beds and foliage, fountains and reflecting pools, along with a maze. Central to it all was a large pavilion, which she suspected might once have been open, but had now been transformed into a separate enclosed building.
She was surrounded by quiet. For a place so grand, there didn’t seem to be any staff. So, Piper made her way to the entrance of the pavilion, knocked lightly on the glass door, and pushed it open.
The wave of heat greeted her as she stepped inside. “Hello?”
