Page 75 of Reckless Chance
“Thanks for giving me the heads up, but you’re a guest tonight. You aren’t supposed to be looking after me.”
“When I ordered your wine for tonight, I told them to give me a heads up when the acrobats were ready to retrieve the bottles. That way, you and your guests wouldn’t miss it. But don’t worry, I’m definitely enjoying myself tonight. I’m with the group by the far window.”
“I appreciate your thoughtfulness. Now promise me that for the rest of the evening you’ll leave the work to everyone else.”
“I will. Thanks for including me tonight.”
As she’s about to leave, Emily does a double take when she notices the professor. She opens her mouth as if she’s going to say something. Instead, she scurries to her table. How odd.
Turning back to my mafia friend, he looks strangely sad as he watches Emily depart. “Sean, who was that woman?” he asks.
“That’s my assistant, Emily. Do you know her?”
“No. She reminds me of the only woman who ever broke my heart. Her name was Lee. Emily dresses conservatively and seems introverted unlike Lee. Otherwise, Emily could be Lee’s twin.”
“I guess it’s possible Emily has a twin. She’s doesn’t mention her family very often, but I believe she’s an only child.”
“It’s doubtful they’re related. It’s not important anyway. Lee hasn’t been in my life for a long time. So, back to the reason Emily stopped by. What was she saying about acrobats retrieving wine? Are we supposed to be watching something?”
“We are.” Catching everyone’s attention, I say, “I’ve ordered special wines from my collection for our table tonight. Emily informed me the acrobats are about to climb the silks to the top to retrieve the bottles for us. Now’s the time to watch.”
As we watch the acrobats use the silks to climb and descend the wine tower, I pull out my phone, quickly sending a text to the stage manager for the pyrobatics show. We need to make sure that two riggers check these silks every night too. We don’t need one to tear while an acrobat drops down the fabric with a wine bottle nestled in a holder strapped to their body. Broken glass and a fall could be a lethal combination.
As we’re captivated by the flavors and plating of the food, we chat about a myriad of topics ranging from Evan and Cassie’s new charitable work to Bri’s tennis schedule for the next year. She’s particularly excited about Wimbledon. She may be given a wild card slot to compete in the tournament.
We’re finishing dessert when Cassie finally joins us at the table. I raise my glass for a toast. “To Chef Cassie and a wonderfully successful soft opening of Pinot & Pie. The Grand Athena and I are honored to have you as our guest chef this month. Cheers.”
“I can’t thank you enough. You’ll never know how much this means to me. Your faith in me is humbling,” Cassie says.
“It was easy. You earned it. Now, if you’ll excuse the professor and me, I’ve promised to show him photos in my office.”
I whisper in Lowri’s ear, “Take your time here with our friends. I’ll meet you in the apartment a little later. Simon has info for us, but he wants to meet in private.”
Now it’s time for answers.
40
SEAN
“Professor, follow me. The photos we were discussing are in my office,” I say, escorting Paxton out a back entrance of Pinot & Pie. As I prearranged, my security guys essentially surround us, maintaining a short distance on all sides. We take the route through the casino even though it’s longer than my typical path. I’m not comfortable giving Paxton access to the Maze. I don’t know how much I can trust my college friend, given the potential connection between his men and Mr. Brentwood’s death.
“I’m sure the photos will bring back fond memories,” he says for the sake of our ruse.
As we’re walking, I ask, “So what happened to Lee? If she was the love of your life, why aren’t you still together?”
A faraway look clouds his eyes as he hesitates before answering.
Waiting, I wonder why I’m asking the question in the first place. But for some reason, I’m curious as to why he let such a special person go, whereas Evan grabbed Cassie tightly and practically won’t let her out of his sight.
Am I subconsciously wondering what to do about Lowri? She’s certainly become an integral part of my life. Will the desireto be with her fade when it’s safe for me to get an annulment? Or if I let her go, will thinking of her put Paxton’s look of longing and regret onmyface?
Finally, Paxton saves me from analyzing my dilemma, saying, “It was my fault. I kept a secret from Lee for too long, and it came out in the worst way possible. After that, it was impossible to restore the relationship. That was the main reason she left me. There were other factors too. I’d rather not talk about it more.”
“Understood.”
Shit. I have to tell Lowri about the requirements of my trust and the real reason for the delay in processing our annulment. Even if we don’t plan to stay together, I’d like us to remain friends.
We walk in silence until we’re at my office.
