Page 16 of The Second Ending
He forced his feet to move, and wove through the crowds, everyone walking in a different direction, jostling and shifting and getting in his way. Once he got to the hallway, the room was easy to find, since the doors were wide open and crowds were spilling in and out, all with smiles on their faces. He manoeuvred into position and managed to get inside the room before someone could block his progress, and then scanned the space.
There was Masako, chatting with a tall blond man and holding the hand of a child who could only be hers. He recognised a couple of other faces from the ranks of the choir, including a rather stunning redhead and a flamboyant blonde, but didn’t let his eyes linger.
Where was she? Could she have left? There seemed to be some sort of party, but Ash wasn’t a party-goer…or, rather, she hadn’t been. No, Gordon said he’d just been talking to her, so she must still be here. He’d look around once more, and then slink out and get in touch with her another way to congratulate her.
Ah! He heard her voice. She was there, near the coat rack, almost hidden. That’s why he hadn’t seen her at first.
He walked over, calling her name.
She looked up at him with surprise in her eyes, and her expression wavered between pleasure and something else. The smile flickered, but her eyes didn’t leave his.
“Ashleigh, I hope you don't mind, I wanted to hear you sing. It was wonderful.”
Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times, before she was able to make it form words.
“Marcus. How… how nice of you to come. I didn’t think you cared that much about choral music. Anymore.” The last word felt like a bandage used to staunch a bleeding wound.
“I do. Like the music, that is. I thought… I just wanted to hear the concert.” Was his mouth big enough? He’d clearly put one foot in it, and was making progress on the second. In for a penny, in for a pound. “Look, Ash, I was wondering if…”
Then the person Ashleigh had been speaking to stepped forward from the corner, and the floor fell away under his feet.
“Marcus,” the man held out a hand. “Funny seeing you here. I didn’t realise you knew Ashleigh this well. We’re just heading off for a drink. We’ll be in touch.”
It was Sebastian, the asshole from the city planning department. Making moves on Ashleigh. And, from the look on her face, Ashleigh was enjoying it.
Marcus felt like he’d been punched in the stomach.
CHAPTER 9
INTERMEZZO
What a strange weekendit had been. Ashleigh couldn’t quite decide if it was good-strange or bad-strange. She had not been entirely thrilled when Sebastian had shown up in the green room after the choir’s performance last night. There was a small reception after the concert, and then she’d hoped to go out to the usual pub with some of her fellow singers for an hour or so of light and pleasant conversation.
Elise was almost always one of that group, and Ashleigh liked the alto and her circle quite a bit. They were fun, interesting, and intelligent people, and even though Ashleigh, herself, didn’t usually say much, she enjoyed listening to the others and chiming in when she had something worthwhile to say. She felt, if not an integral part of this little group, welcomed by them.
But then, Sebastian had appeared. For some reason, she wasn’t comfortable introducing him to the group. He was charming and friendly enough, and his easy style made him a great piece of eye-candy, but something didn’t quite fit.
Perhaps, she reasoned, she was still getting to know him and wasn’t quite ready to share yet. Or, a quieter and darker voice added, perhaps she was a bit put out by his unexpected appearance. They had made plans for the weekend, but forSunday, not Saturday night, and she was quite unprepared for him to mess up her expectations like that, especially when he then told her he had to work the next day.
It all came as a surprise, and she did not like surprises.
Strangely, however, she hadn’t minded the other surprise at all, when Marcus appeared. It must have been the shock of seeing him there, and actively seeking her out, when he’d hardly glanced at her during their recent meetings.
He’d seemed genuinely happy to see her, and his tongue-tied attempt at pleasant conversation was really sweet and touching. Whatever had possessed him to come to the concert and look for her? Could it be that he wanted to smooth things over a bit? After all, they did have to work together, and it would be easier for everyone if they weren’t always walking on eggshells. That must be it.
Still, it was a thoughtful gesture, and she rather wished he had been able to stay for a while and meet…
Oh. What was that all about? Was she really thinking of bringing him along to the pub, to meet the others? What a strange flight of fancy. Of course, despite their horrible breakup and long estrangement, she knew him well, better than anyone, and she knew he’d fit in with the group. Maybe she should find a way to reach out and extend an invitation for the next concert.
Maybe, just maybe, they could get past this awkwardness and work through the bitter memories and become friends again. And maybe, with enough exposure to him, her heart would toughen up, so the pain she thought she’d buried wouldn’t come rushing back as it had been threatening to do.
Friends. She could do it. They could be friends again.
With the coming of November,the scheduled meetings about Laconia’s development plans became less frequent. Both sides had presented their initial positions and had made some conciliatory overtures, and now they needed to retrench a bit and consider how it all might play out.
Marcus assumed that the Playground Contingent had other matters to deal with, like kids and businesses and all that. He certainly had other irons in other fires. This might be his biggest project, but it wasn’t his only one, and his attention was needed in a hundred different places.
And that damned sale still hadn’t come through, either. What the hell was going on? Through their agent, they’d agreed to everything, and there were no areas of contention that he knew about, but they still hadn’t signed the final paperwork. Did they want more money? Was there something else going on? It was beyond frustrating, since his investors wanted shovels in the ground, preferably yesterday.
