Billionaire Blaze, page 35
I knew a few people, but most of them were the contacts Sarai had invited, press and possible customers. As soon as I got out of the car, heads turned my way and I tried not to show my displeasure at being noticed. I didn’t want to be mobbed, but I didn’t doubt people here would know who I was.
Henry led the way up the newly made path toward the information center where newcomers had gathered to get their free drinks and begin their tour or ask their questions.
Although Richard already stood there and was greeting as many as possible, he seemed pleased to see us.
“Can you wait here and gather more people for the next tour?” he asked me. “I told Sarai I’d get this one started as soon as we had a decent number of people, and if I don’t start soon, we’ll exceed that. None of the rest of my tour guides are here yet, and Kit went with Sarai on the first one.”
I frowned. All of me wanted to say no. This was also my project, however, and I knew I was required to be a good host. “Certainly. How many are we gathering for each group?”
“Ten to fifteen. Definitely no more than twenty.” Richard patted my shoulder before turning back to the seventeen waiting for him. He smiled at them and ushered them on the prearranged tour. Not all of the huts were being shown off, but enough of them were, as were the gardens and other facilities.
Thankfully, Henry had been my PA long enough to know I didn’t particularly like being the one to gather up people and guide them, and he stepped up beside me to call for the attention of any newcomers, suggesting they get drinks and check out the few buildings here like the restaurant on their own.
It helped to spread the arrivals out a little more, and it meant there would be more time until one of the other guides could get back. I wasn’t sure who Sarai had enlisted to take people on tours beside herself and Richard, but I knew I didn’t want to be one of the guides.
Even just being here and being polite would be draining, without also having to answer the same questions over and over again from different sets of people. It would kill me—and she knew it. I hired people to do this sort of thing for me.
Henry was still working hard when I saw Sarai return, but she took one glance at the waiting area and how few people were ready for the tour thanks to Henry’s strategy and went in a different direction instead. After her followed a lot of people I didn’t recognize, and then Kit, talking to them before a journalist came up to her to take photos.
“I’m going to mingle,” I told Henry. “I’ll send Sarai over when it looks like you’ve gathered a good group.” I didn’t know if I was truly going to talk to lots of people, but I knew I didn’t want to be standing here when Kit and her friends returned. Letting the press talk to me as well might be the best alternative option.
As I walked away a group of men in suits turned toward me, one noticing I was no longer acting as a host and waving me over to them. At this point I would have taken any alternative option to leaving myself open to Kit’s friends or Kit herself.
I joined the group of men and shook hands as the people who had been with Kit came this way. They looked my way and I saw them all change their behavior, whispering and talking to each other as they came past me. It appeared they had just figured out who I was.
It threw me off the conversation in front of me for a moment as I wondered what Kit must have said, but I didn’t let it get to me beyond that and shook hands with everyone else.
Although Sarai had mentioned she had a group of investors, I hadn’t met them. Until now. I talked to them and assured them this had been a very successful project, and they asked me a few questions about what made me so confident. All in all, it was a positive conversation and I was grateful that I could help Sarai keep them happy. They’d effectively paid for me to be on the project.
Despite wanting to give them my attention, I was well aware of Kit nearby. She looked happy enough, and in some ways, that hurt even more. I didn’t think she had seen me, but as the investors went to take the tour, I was left to watch her.
I knew I should be looking for Sarai to get her to go and show them around, but I couldn’t stop looking at Kit. She was wearing a new dress I hadn’t seen before, and the curves it accentuated reminded me of the attraction I’d first felt for her. An ache grew in my chest, and I hastily tore my eyes away.
Thankfully, Sarai was finally nearby, a glass in one hand and a group of women with her. She looked over at Henry and sent one of the women to him as I made my way to her.
“I was about to suggest someone should run another tour.” I smiled as the other two women agreed to go help Henry and be there, ready for the next tours.
“Thank you. My team should be on it from here, leaving us to mingle and talk to the press.” Sarai glanced toward Kit and I couldn’t help but do the same.
“The dreaded press.”
“Kit doesn’t seem to be minding them, but I know she was nervous. I’m sure she’ll want to hide after.” As Sarai spoke she studied me, and I knew she was trying to gauge my reaction to hearing Kit’s name. I didn’t know how I felt.
“She is bound to be offered a lot of jobs because of this. I imagine she’s very happy.”
“You really think that?”
The indignation in Sarai’s voice took me by surprise and I opened and closed my mouth in response.
“She’s done nothing but hide from other project managers and anyone wanting her for a job, and she is heading back to the UK. She’s heartbroken. She’s not even agreeing to any projects closer to home. It is a miracle she even saw this project to completion. If her friends weren’t here to support her, I’m sure she’d have left already, no matter how much I’m paying her to finish the job.”
I gulped, aware I was being reprimanded without being reprimanded outright. “Are you sure she’s not accepting anything?”
“Not a damn thing. She’s asked me to head anyone off for her. Wouldn’t even let me lie to them and say she has a better offer in the UK. She just wants to go home.”
“Did she say why?” I asked, although I began to suspect the answer.
“No, but she doesn’t really need to. She cries whenever none of us are looking. I know you well enough to know you wouldn’t have wanted to hurt her, but you have.” Sarai softened her tone, but I couldn’t meet her gaze anyway.
“I thought Peter, that guy we met with James, offered her something.”
“If he did, she turned him down along with everyone else. He turned down his invite for this. She must have already blown him off. And during the game too. Richard said he left in a huff before you brought the players up to us.”
Everything sank inside me, and for a second I couldn’t see straight. Kit had told me the truth.
“Anyway, I have to get back to talking to people. If you could, I think the press want to interview you as well, and some of them are bound to print whatever you say. Please help us get customers.”
“Always,” I replied and gave her a nod. No sooner had she left me alone than the press invaded.
All I wanted to do was go to Kit and sweep her into my arms and apologize, but I had no idea how. And I doubted she wanted that at all. She probably hated my guts.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE
Kit
Finally, I saw Lukas and for a moment I stopped. I couldn’t believe he had been so close to me, and I didn’t notice him at all. He was also talking to the press, all the journalists who were finishing with me moving on to him. I tried not to let it get to me and found more of my friends.
They’d found the free canapés and more drinks and were standing to one side of the restaurant entrance. I hurried over to them and let Stacy pull me into a hug. “Well done, lovely. You’ve done an amazing job. I know we’ve said this before, but everyone here agrees too.”
I blushed, even praise from my friends making me feel self-conscious.
“I think I’ll be glad when today is over and we can all go on our road trip and then back to the UK.” I grinned, liking the idea of getting away with them all and preferring to think about that over anything else. Seeing Lukas had unsettled me again.
“Get a drink and we’ll start celebrating right now. If you’ve spoken to the press already and been on a tour, you’re officially all done, right?”
I wasn’t sure I could argue with that logic and I didn’t intend to. A drink would help calm my nerves and relax me enough to hopefully enjoy the rest of the day. While I had no intention of getting drunk while I was representing Sarai and her business project, a glass or two would happily take the edge off my nerves and make socializing a little easier.
After hugging the rest of my friends, I hurried toward the restaurant. The free drinks and food were supposed to be laid out on tables inside, but I’d also been informed that as staff, I could request anything I wanted to keep me going. As I went inside and saw the array of drinks and food already laid out for people I knew I wasn’t going to need to use my special treatment.
I grabbed a small plate and loaded it with finger food, smiling at the other men and women inside. A few of them who had been on the first tour with me congratulated me on a job well done, but for the most part, I was left alone to get food and drink.
As I was coming out of the building one of the journalists and his photographer appeared again. “There you are, Kit. Could we get you to come out here for some more photos? We want some of you with your colleagues.”
“Sure,” I said, although I was immediately disappointed I wouldn’t get to eat or drink just yet. Thankfully Stacy took the plate and glass off me.
“I’ll keep these safe for you,” she said with a wink.
“You better. They’ve been carefully and lovingly put together to satisfy my stomach.”
This comment made everyone laugh and it helped break the awkwardness of the moment. It returned as soon as I saw who they meant by colleague.
Lukas wasn’t far away, being photographed now that his interviews were complete. I frowned and paused, but no one else picked up on my hesitation and I was asked to step up beside Lukas.
He finally noticed me but looked away again quickly.
“We’ve heard the two of you have been working together a lot on this,” the journalist said. “We’d love to get some photos of you both.”
I didn’t know if this was something I should refuse or not, but everyone was looking at me expectantly and Lukas was still sort of playing to the crowd. Not sure what else to do and aware Sarai had asked me to play nice to promote the project, I walked over to stand beside him.
Instructions on our positioning flew thick and fast, but neither of us looked at each other. My heart hammered in my chest and the cameras flashed so fast that I could barely see or do anything but hold up a smile.
“Can you put your arm around her, please?” someone called out, and before I knew what was happening Lukas had done so. I naturally leaned into him, catching the smell of his usual cologne and feeling the familiar pang in my chest.
I missed him. I missed him so much, but I wasn’t going to beg for him back. Not after he had decided I couldn’t be trusted. Trust was a two-way thing, and he had certainly damaged mine.
It was difficult to be this close to him, but the cameras flashed again and the press got their photos. A few seconds later, Sarai was there with us, and Henry approached too, Lukas happily encouraging it. The press continued to flash their cameras as Sarai put distance between me and Lukas and an arm around my waist.
She gave me a squeeze that made it clear she had my back, and I found myself recovering a little. It was over, and I was pretty sure it was the worst that could happen now. No one would ask us to be in the same place again. Maybe now, I could feel like I was done.
There were yet more photos as we organized getting more people who had been involved in, including Richard, who came out of one of the nearby huts and back to the main area for the party. As soon as I thought I could, I slipped away and off to one side, but there was a journalist I’d already spoken to waiting for me and he came up again as Stacy handed me my drink.
“Sorry to bother you again. I know you have already answered some questions for me, but our newspaper also wants to cover your story a little bit more. It’s rare that someone rises so quickly into such a position of influence, and for you to be British as well gives things an air of interest that our readers like. Can we ask you some other questions, a bit more personal in nature?
I didn’t know if this was something I could say no to, but I also understood the fascination with me being British. People seemed to love my accent over here and I didn’t think it could do any harm.
“Sure,” I said, shrugging before I took a mouthful of the mimosa I’d chosen. It wasn’t a lot of alcohol, but it was a wonderful flavor mix. Whoever had chosen the champagne had known what they were doing.
“You’ve lived in the UK your whole life, right?”
I nodded, my tension easing as the questions became standard ones about my life. Things about siblings, where I went to school, what I’d studied… It was all stuff that was the background to a career and showed they wanted to know more about me.
“And you’ve never been married, correct?”
“What kind of question is that?” Stacy asked, still to one side of me and holding the food I couldn’t easily eat while I was talking.
“It’s okay,” I replied, letting Stacy know I didn’t mind it. “No. I’ve not found the right man yet. Although there are merits to a relationship, I just haven’t wanted to be married, and I love being able to focus on my career. I’m sure when the right situation comes along I’ll consider it.”
This seemed to confuse the journalist. He paused partway through, writing down the answer.
“You’re single?” he asked.
“Yes. Currently. Why? Is that a problem?” I let out a chuckle, but I worried that it sounded fake.
“No, not at all.” The journalist gulped and straightened his tie. “I was just under the impression that you weren’t. You and Lukas have been seen together so much that we—”
“Lukas and I are not in a relationship, no. He has been a dream to work with and I have been honored to take care of the interiors of the wonderful buildings he has designed, but we are both professionals. I only hope I have done justice to his vision.”
“That’s not in doubt,” Stacy added, and smiled. I was grateful she wasn’t going to spill any beans I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to answer any more questions on what was going on with me and Lukas, but the journalist seemed to finally accept this answer and let us move on.
Not wanting to talk about Lukas anymore and pretty sure I had handled as much as I could for a short while, I made my way back to my group of friends and firmly stood in the middle of their huddle. If anyone wanted to talk to me now, they would have to get through my support group.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX
Lukas
As I was allowed to walk away from the photos, Henry came with me to one side of the main buildings and I exhaled with relief. Until I noticed one of the journalists had followed Kit. Although they weren’t talking very loudly, I could hear as he asked her personal questions.
I knew the answers to some of them and was surprised they hadn’t done the research on her to know these answers themselves, but she fielded them with patience, a friend of some kind at her side.
“Want anything, boss?” Henry asked. “After directing everyone else to the food, I am feeling pretty hungry myself.”
“I’d happily take a plate. And a drink. Something stronger than the main fare. If you can get the bar staff to give it to you.”
“As long as people realize I’m with you, I can usually get you anything you want. It’s almost scary.” Henry grinned and hurried off into the building. It left me alone, but for a moment I didn’t mind. I was exhausted already and wanted time to listen and think.
To try and discourage others from coming up to me and talking right now, I pulled my phone out and checked my messages. There weren’t any urgent ones, but I pulled open an email I had anyway so I could at least consider my reply to it while I continued to listen to Kit.
I knew I was torturing myself, but I also knew I would have given anything in this moment to let her know I was sorry. Sorry for everything that happened and sorry that she was hurting. I should have trusted her. She had rejected Peter just as she’d told me and not used me as a stepping stone to bigger things.
As the interview moved on to her relationship with me, I tensed up, expecting her to tell the journalist I was an idiot if nothing else. Instead she kept professional and polite, talking about my business in good terms, but she soon walked away.
I looked up from my phone to see her friends gathering around her and drawing her in, the journalist frowning as his interview was cut short. Before I could hurry away, the reporter noticed I hadn’t gone far and seized his chance with me as well.
“Can I ask you a couple more questions?” he asked, but I knew it wouldn’t matter what I replied. He would expect me to say yes and would ask them even if I didn’t want him to. Sarai’s request for me to play nice stuck in my mind.
“If you must, but you have until Henry returns with food. I’m in need of sustenance, just like anyone.”
“Of course, sir. Thank you. I wondered if you had anything to add to the rumors that you and Kit were dating. You’ve been seen together a lot and—”
“They are nothing but rumors. She’s been a delight to work with and I hope we can remain friends or work together soon, but she knows her mind and what matters to her. I am in awe of her skills and grateful I had the chance to work with her.”
The journalist frowned and didn’t seem happy with my answer.
“She also said she’d work with you again if the chance arose. Would you invite her onto another project?”
I considered my answer carefully, the beginning of a possible idea forming in my mind. I didn’t want to utter it before I had been able to properly consider the options, but it was an interesting idea. “If the right project came along. I don’t always work on something like this where there’s a need for a lot of interior design. A big warehouse or a building like a library is very different. Her skills lie in making a house feel like a home while also being stylish and fashionable.”
Henry led the way up the newly made path toward the information center where newcomers had gathered to get their free drinks and begin their tour or ask their questions.
Although Richard already stood there and was greeting as many as possible, he seemed pleased to see us.
“Can you wait here and gather more people for the next tour?” he asked me. “I told Sarai I’d get this one started as soon as we had a decent number of people, and if I don’t start soon, we’ll exceed that. None of the rest of my tour guides are here yet, and Kit went with Sarai on the first one.”
I frowned. All of me wanted to say no. This was also my project, however, and I knew I was required to be a good host. “Certainly. How many are we gathering for each group?”
“Ten to fifteen. Definitely no more than twenty.” Richard patted my shoulder before turning back to the seventeen waiting for him. He smiled at them and ushered them on the prearranged tour. Not all of the huts were being shown off, but enough of them were, as were the gardens and other facilities.
Thankfully, Henry had been my PA long enough to know I didn’t particularly like being the one to gather up people and guide them, and he stepped up beside me to call for the attention of any newcomers, suggesting they get drinks and check out the few buildings here like the restaurant on their own.
It helped to spread the arrivals out a little more, and it meant there would be more time until one of the other guides could get back. I wasn’t sure who Sarai had enlisted to take people on tours beside herself and Richard, but I knew I didn’t want to be one of the guides.
Even just being here and being polite would be draining, without also having to answer the same questions over and over again from different sets of people. It would kill me—and she knew it. I hired people to do this sort of thing for me.
Henry was still working hard when I saw Sarai return, but she took one glance at the waiting area and how few people were ready for the tour thanks to Henry’s strategy and went in a different direction instead. After her followed a lot of people I didn’t recognize, and then Kit, talking to them before a journalist came up to her to take photos.
“I’m going to mingle,” I told Henry. “I’ll send Sarai over when it looks like you’ve gathered a good group.” I didn’t know if I was truly going to talk to lots of people, but I knew I didn’t want to be standing here when Kit and her friends returned. Letting the press talk to me as well might be the best alternative option.
As I walked away a group of men in suits turned toward me, one noticing I was no longer acting as a host and waving me over to them. At this point I would have taken any alternative option to leaving myself open to Kit’s friends or Kit herself.
I joined the group of men and shook hands as the people who had been with Kit came this way. They looked my way and I saw them all change their behavior, whispering and talking to each other as they came past me. It appeared they had just figured out who I was.
It threw me off the conversation in front of me for a moment as I wondered what Kit must have said, but I didn’t let it get to me beyond that and shook hands with everyone else.
Although Sarai had mentioned she had a group of investors, I hadn’t met them. Until now. I talked to them and assured them this had been a very successful project, and they asked me a few questions about what made me so confident. All in all, it was a positive conversation and I was grateful that I could help Sarai keep them happy. They’d effectively paid for me to be on the project.
Despite wanting to give them my attention, I was well aware of Kit nearby. She looked happy enough, and in some ways, that hurt even more. I didn’t think she had seen me, but as the investors went to take the tour, I was left to watch her.
I knew I should be looking for Sarai to get her to go and show them around, but I couldn’t stop looking at Kit. She was wearing a new dress I hadn’t seen before, and the curves it accentuated reminded me of the attraction I’d first felt for her. An ache grew in my chest, and I hastily tore my eyes away.
Thankfully, Sarai was finally nearby, a glass in one hand and a group of women with her. She looked over at Henry and sent one of the women to him as I made my way to her.
“I was about to suggest someone should run another tour.” I smiled as the other two women agreed to go help Henry and be there, ready for the next tours.
“Thank you. My team should be on it from here, leaving us to mingle and talk to the press.” Sarai glanced toward Kit and I couldn’t help but do the same.
“The dreaded press.”
“Kit doesn’t seem to be minding them, but I know she was nervous. I’m sure she’ll want to hide after.” As Sarai spoke she studied me, and I knew she was trying to gauge my reaction to hearing Kit’s name. I didn’t know how I felt.
“She is bound to be offered a lot of jobs because of this. I imagine she’s very happy.”
“You really think that?”
The indignation in Sarai’s voice took me by surprise and I opened and closed my mouth in response.
“She’s done nothing but hide from other project managers and anyone wanting her for a job, and she is heading back to the UK. She’s heartbroken. She’s not even agreeing to any projects closer to home. It is a miracle she even saw this project to completion. If her friends weren’t here to support her, I’m sure she’d have left already, no matter how much I’m paying her to finish the job.”
I gulped, aware I was being reprimanded without being reprimanded outright. “Are you sure she’s not accepting anything?”
“Not a damn thing. She’s asked me to head anyone off for her. Wouldn’t even let me lie to them and say she has a better offer in the UK. She just wants to go home.”
“Did she say why?” I asked, although I began to suspect the answer.
“No, but she doesn’t really need to. She cries whenever none of us are looking. I know you well enough to know you wouldn’t have wanted to hurt her, but you have.” Sarai softened her tone, but I couldn’t meet her gaze anyway.
“I thought Peter, that guy we met with James, offered her something.”
“If he did, she turned him down along with everyone else. He turned down his invite for this. She must have already blown him off. And during the game too. Richard said he left in a huff before you brought the players up to us.”
Everything sank inside me, and for a second I couldn’t see straight. Kit had told me the truth.
“Anyway, I have to get back to talking to people. If you could, I think the press want to interview you as well, and some of them are bound to print whatever you say. Please help us get customers.”
“Always,” I replied and gave her a nod. No sooner had she left me alone than the press invaded.
All I wanted to do was go to Kit and sweep her into my arms and apologize, but I had no idea how. And I doubted she wanted that at all. She probably hated my guts.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE
Kit
Finally, I saw Lukas and for a moment I stopped. I couldn’t believe he had been so close to me, and I didn’t notice him at all. He was also talking to the press, all the journalists who were finishing with me moving on to him. I tried not to let it get to me and found more of my friends.
They’d found the free canapés and more drinks and were standing to one side of the restaurant entrance. I hurried over to them and let Stacy pull me into a hug. “Well done, lovely. You’ve done an amazing job. I know we’ve said this before, but everyone here agrees too.”
I blushed, even praise from my friends making me feel self-conscious.
“I think I’ll be glad when today is over and we can all go on our road trip and then back to the UK.” I grinned, liking the idea of getting away with them all and preferring to think about that over anything else. Seeing Lukas had unsettled me again.
“Get a drink and we’ll start celebrating right now. If you’ve spoken to the press already and been on a tour, you’re officially all done, right?”
I wasn’t sure I could argue with that logic and I didn’t intend to. A drink would help calm my nerves and relax me enough to hopefully enjoy the rest of the day. While I had no intention of getting drunk while I was representing Sarai and her business project, a glass or two would happily take the edge off my nerves and make socializing a little easier.
After hugging the rest of my friends, I hurried toward the restaurant. The free drinks and food were supposed to be laid out on tables inside, but I’d also been informed that as staff, I could request anything I wanted to keep me going. As I went inside and saw the array of drinks and food already laid out for people I knew I wasn’t going to need to use my special treatment.
I grabbed a small plate and loaded it with finger food, smiling at the other men and women inside. A few of them who had been on the first tour with me congratulated me on a job well done, but for the most part, I was left alone to get food and drink.
As I was coming out of the building one of the journalists and his photographer appeared again. “There you are, Kit. Could we get you to come out here for some more photos? We want some of you with your colleagues.”
“Sure,” I said, although I was immediately disappointed I wouldn’t get to eat or drink just yet. Thankfully Stacy took the plate and glass off me.
“I’ll keep these safe for you,” she said with a wink.
“You better. They’ve been carefully and lovingly put together to satisfy my stomach.”
This comment made everyone laugh and it helped break the awkwardness of the moment. It returned as soon as I saw who they meant by colleague.
Lukas wasn’t far away, being photographed now that his interviews were complete. I frowned and paused, but no one else picked up on my hesitation and I was asked to step up beside Lukas.
He finally noticed me but looked away again quickly.
“We’ve heard the two of you have been working together a lot on this,” the journalist said. “We’d love to get some photos of you both.”
I didn’t know if this was something I should refuse or not, but everyone was looking at me expectantly and Lukas was still sort of playing to the crowd. Not sure what else to do and aware Sarai had asked me to play nice to promote the project, I walked over to stand beside him.
Instructions on our positioning flew thick and fast, but neither of us looked at each other. My heart hammered in my chest and the cameras flashed so fast that I could barely see or do anything but hold up a smile.
“Can you put your arm around her, please?” someone called out, and before I knew what was happening Lukas had done so. I naturally leaned into him, catching the smell of his usual cologne and feeling the familiar pang in my chest.
I missed him. I missed him so much, but I wasn’t going to beg for him back. Not after he had decided I couldn’t be trusted. Trust was a two-way thing, and he had certainly damaged mine.
It was difficult to be this close to him, but the cameras flashed again and the press got their photos. A few seconds later, Sarai was there with us, and Henry approached too, Lukas happily encouraging it. The press continued to flash their cameras as Sarai put distance between me and Lukas and an arm around my waist.
She gave me a squeeze that made it clear she had my back, and I found myself recovering a little. It was over, and I was pretty sure it was the worst that could happen now. No one would ask us to be in the same place again. Maybe now, I could feel like I was done.
There were yet more photos as we organized getting more people who had been involved in, including Richard, who came out of one of the nearby huts and back to the main area for the party. As soon as I thought I could, I slipped away and off to one side, but there was a journalist I’d already spoken to waiting for me and he came up again as Stacy handed me my drink.
“Sorry to bother you again. I know you have already answered some questions for me, but our newspaper also wants to cover your story a little bit more. It’s rare that someone rises so quickly into such a position of influence, and for you to be British as well gives things an air of interest that our readers like. Can we ask you some other questions, a bit more personal in nature?
I didn’t know if this was something I could say no to, but I also understood the fascination with me being British. People seemed to love my accent over here and I didn’t think it could do any harm.
“Sure,” I said, shrugging before I took a mouthful of the mimosa I’d chosen. It wasn’t a lot of alcohol, but it was a wonderful flavor mix. Whoever had chosen the champagne had known what they were doing.
“You’ve lived in the UK your whole life, right?”
I nodded, my tension easing as the questions became standard ones about my life. Things about siblings, where I went to school, what I’d studied… It was all stuff that was the background to a career and showed they wanted to know more about me.
“And you’ve never been married, correct?”
“What kind of question is that?” Stacy asked, still to one side of me and holding the food I couldn’t easily eat while I was talking.
“It’s okay,” I replied, letting Stacy know I didn’t mind it. “No. I’ve not found the right man yet. Although there are merits to a relationship, I just haven’t wanted to be married, and I love being able to focus on my career. I’m sure when the right situation comes along I’ll consider it.”
This seemed to confuse the journalist. He paused partway through, writing down the answer.
“You’re single?” he asked.
“Yes. Currently. Why? Is that a problem?” I let out a chuckle, but I worried that it sounded fake.
“No, not at all.” The journalist gulped and straightened his tie. “I was just under the impression that you weren’t. You and Lukas have been seen together so much that we—”
“Lukas and I are not in a relationship, no. He has been a dream to work with and I have been honored to take care of the interiors of the wonderful buildings he has designed, but we are both professionals. I only hope I have done justice to his vision.”
“That’s not in doubt,” Stacy added, and smiled. I was grateful she wasn’t going to spill any beans I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to answer any more questions on what was going on with me and Lukas, but the journalist seemed to finally accept this answer and let us move on.
Not wanting to talk about Lukas anymore and pretty sure I had handled as much as I could for a short while, I made my way back to my group of friends and firmly stood in the middle of their huddle. If anyone wanted to talk to me now, they would have to get through my support group.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX
Lukas
As I was allowed to walk away from the photos, Henry came with me to one side of the main buildings and I exhaled with relief. Until I noticed one of the journalists had followed Kit. Although they weren’t talking very loudly, I could hear as he asked her personal questions.
I knew the answers to some of them and was surprised they hadn’t done the research on her to know these answers themselves, but she fielded them with patience, a friend of some kind at her side.
“Want anything, boss?” Henry asked. “After directing everyone else to the food, I am feeling pretty hungry myself.”
“I’d happily take a plate. And a drink. Something stronger than the main fare. If you can get the bar staff to give it to you.”
“As long as people realize I’m with you, I can usually get you anything you want. It’s almost scary.” Henry grinned and hurried off into the building. It left me alone, but for a moment I didn’t mind. I was exhausted already and wanted time to listen and think.
To try and discourage others from coming up to me and talking right now, I pulled my phone out and checked my messages. There weren’t any urgent ones, but I pulled open an email I had anyway so I could at least consider my reply to it while I continued to listen to Kit.
I knew I was torturing myself, but I also knew I would have given anything in this moment to let her know I was sorry. Sorry for everything that happened and sorry that she was hurting. I should have trusted her. She had rejected Peter just as she’d told me and not used me as a stepping stone to bigger things.
As the interview moved on to her relationship with me, I tensed up, expecting her to tell the journalist I was an idiot if nothing else. Instead she kept professional and polite, talking about my business in good terms, but she soon walked away.
I looked up from my phone to see her friends gathering around her and drawing her in, the journalist frowning as his interview was cut short. Before I could hurry away, the reporter noticed I hadn’t gone far and seized his chance with me as well.
“Can I ask you a couple more questions?” he asked, but I knew it wouldn’t matter what I replied. He would expect me to say yes and would ask them even if I didn’t want him to. Sarai’s request for me to play nice stuck in my mind.
“If you must, but you have until Henry returns with food. I’m in need of sustenance, just like anyone.”
“Of course, sir. Thank you. I wondered if you had anything to add to the rumors that you and Kit were dating. You’ve been seen together a lot and—”
“They are nothing but rumors. She’s been a delight to work with and I hope we can remain friends or work together soon, but she knows her mind and what matters to her. I am in awe of her skills and grateful I had the chance to work with her.”
The journalist frowned and didn’t seem happy with my answer.
“She also said she’d work with you again if the chance arose. Would you invite her onto another project?”
I considered my answer carefully, the beginning of a possible idea forming in my mind. I didn’t want to utter it before I had been able to properly consider the options, but it was an interesting idea. “If the right project came along. I don’t always work on something like this where there’s a need for a lot of interior design. A big warehouse or a building like a library is very different. Her skills lie in making a house feel like a home while also being stylish and fashionable.”
