Page 43 of Safer Alone
I am happy to hear that he wouldn’t be alone in this huge house for Christmas “That sounds like it will be lovely. I’m sure your mother enjoys having you all under the one roof at this special time of year,” I offer.
I release my hands from my grip on his and reach for my glass of water and drink it all. He had a large family, that much was evident from his list of family members. He obviously saw them. I wonder if he saw them often or just a couple times throughout the year? “Do your family live in New York, too, or elsewhere?” I needed to keep the conversation based on him and not me.
“Mom and Dad are relatively close as they still live in the home I was raised in. The next suburb over in Stamford. Beth and David have a Brownstone in Manhattan.” He seems more than happy to share this information. I am glad that he feels comfortable sharing it with me.
“That’s lovely that you are all close together. Allows you guys to catch up often, I imagine,” I reply. He nods in response.
“I see Dad quite a bit as he works for me. The rest of us try and catch up once a month for lunch. I was wondering, since you don’t have plans for Christmas. Would you do me a favor? How would you feel about accompanying me for Christmas lunch?” Elliot asks me.
I am in shock at the offer he has just made. I am unsure if I should accept or decline. If I do agree then that means I would be meeting his family and that in itself is a huge step. Especially when it would be his entire family all at once. Then I had to consider the cost at that time of year. The flights would be double the cost of any other time of year. “That’s really lovely of you to ask but like I said earlier Elliot, travel expenses are so expensive at Christmas.”
“You said that your first day off is the twenty-third of December, right? I would be paying for your flights. Only if you would like to come, though?”
Elliot is asking me to spend Christmas with him. Maybe I should throw a monkey wrench into the works and ask him to attend my Christmas party. See what he says to that before agreeing or disagreeing to his proposal. “Well my work has our Christmas party on the twenty-second once we finish for the day. Maybe you could accompany me?”
I am surprised that he answers straight away “Sure. I’ll fly out that morning, then we can fly back the following day. If you will agree to come back with me that is?”
He had just agreed to come with me to my work Christmas party. Our first outing as partners. If he was willing to do this for me in front of a bunch of work colleagues, then I should go to Christmas lunch with him, especially when it would be with his family. “I can’t believe you said yes, but since you’re willing to do that for me, then okay, Elliot. I’ll spend Christmas with you.”
I couldn’t really believe that I would be spending the holiday season with Elliot Sands.
~ Chapter Twenty-Two ~
“Angela, that makes me so happy. You make me happy. This will be the best Christmas yet. I can feel it. Thank you.” Elliot speaks with feeling in his voice. His excitement is infectious. I turn when I hear footsteps behind me, even though I knew it could only be one person. Andrew is on his way to over to us, with two bowls of dessert in hand. This dish I know the moment it is placed down in front of me.
“Pavlova” I look up at Andrew and give him a smile he had just placed Elliot’s bowl in front of him and he smiles right back at me
“Indeed it is, Miss White.” I pick up my fork eagerly and slice through the meringue. The top is covered with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, mango, and passion fruit. I lift the fork placing a delicious mouthful into my mouth. Closing my eyes, enjoying the taste. The explosion of sweetness coming from the berries, mixed with the sourness of the passion fruit provided an explosion in my mouth. I chew, savoring the flavor.
I open my eyes to see Andrew is still at the table, this is good as I want to provide him with some feedback. “This is delicious Andrew. Thank you so much!” I tell him my appreciation. He smiles at me and nods. He then makes his way back to the kitchen with our dinner plates from our leftover lamb and vegetables.
I see that Elliot is looking at me with a grin on his face, as though he finds me amusing. “What’s funny?”
“Nothing’s funny. I’m happy that you like Pavlova. It’s good to know as we have one for Christmas dessert,” Elliot informs me. I nod. Since I have taken another mouthful, I decide on a thumbs up with my free hand.
This causes Elliot to roar with laughter. I’m not quite sure what I did that was so funny, but I am always happy to be on the receiving end of a reaction like this over a cold death stare and being yelled at. I decide to laugh too, gently. Just enough so he knew that I could laugh at myself too. That I don’t take myself too seriously. At least, not all the time.
We finish our dessert much faster than either of our other courses this evening, and I notice that both of our plates are completely empty. As I place my fork down, Elliot reaches out for my hand. “Thank you for having dinner with me. Would you like to head inside and have a look at the plans now?” I’m glad he wants to get back to the reason I have come this weekend. Hopefully if we get through this tonight we might be able to just hang out tomorrow. No need to worry about work, just enjoy getting to know each other.
“Sounds like a plan,” I reply. We both stand up from the table and with my hand in Elliot’s, we leave the table. Making our way across the patio, he leads the way into the house. The same way that I had seen Andrew enter not even ten minutes earlier.
When we pass through the kitchen, I notice that it is completely clean and Andrew is no longer here. I find it odd. He has just made a three-course meal and there was no washing up to be done. Maybe he washed and dried as he made dinner. Just like I do “Elliot. Where has Andrew disappeared to?” I know that I sound curious, and I definitely am.
“He is most likely in the butler’s pantry. It’s just over there. See the door that is slightly open.” He points to a door that is ajar toward the far end of the kitchen. I can see a light on and imagine Andrew busying himself in there, scrubbing pots and pans.
We keep walking until he opens a door off the main hallway on the second level of the home and signals with his hand for me to enter. As soon as I walk through the door, I remember the room from earlier today. We are in his office. I walk toward his large mahogany desk and turn right into the library room that was adjoined. I wander toward the shelves and brush my fingers against the many book spines that were showing. I hear Elliot clear his throat behind me, so I turn around and make my way back out towards his desk. There he is standing behind it, unravelling a large piece of paper that had been rolled.
I make my way to the desk and settle on the opposite side of Elliot; this will allow us plenty of room to move about. I quickly glance over the plan when I see the first big change. “You’re going to change the rear patio into a conservatory?” It just spills out before I can stop myself.
“Indeed. I wanted an entertaining area that can be used all year around.” It made sense. Don’t get me wrong. I’m just not sure how I feel about such an addition.
A conservatory could possibly fit into the time period of the building itself. “Will you build it out of materials that would have been readily available back then? Ensure it looks like it’s been there the entire time and not new construction?” This is important to me and I hope it is to Elliot as well.
“Of course. It will look as though it’s been there for two hundred years. I’m going to place that antique love seat inside and have some custom cushions made, that way you can sit and enjoy a cup of tea in comfort.” He is looking at me when he mentions having a cup of tea there. He stays quiet waiting for my answer. It is as though he wants my approval.
“Sounds like a plan. I can also see the plan for a larger pool near the rose bushes.” This was another big change. Historically the exterior of the home can be changed without permission of the historical homes association as long as it’s not touching the actual house, for instance changing the roof line or removing a door. So the fact that a pool would be installed on the grounds is fine.
“I sure am.” He smiles back at me. “What do you think about the kitchen?”
