Love Captures the Heart (Sully Point, Book 3) (14 page)

She saw his eyebrows rise. "Holly, why on earth not?
Work can't be everything."

She shrugged. "We've both got very time and energy-consuming
jobs, and we care about our work. I'm just glad to have a friend like him who
feels the same way as I do about that. Besides, you're one to talk. You're
consumed by your work. Anyway, what do you think? Could you do something about
the building?"

Rob spread his hands wide. "I'm not really sure at this
point. They plan to put up a building there, but they aren't the type to hire
someone as brilliant and daring as Jason. I could try to buy into their
consortium, buy the building site outright from them, or do some heavy lobbying
for Jason to become their architect. But at this point, I don't have any
leverage to use on them. And frankly, the cost to buy the site would be
exorbitant. I honestly think you're looking at a lost cause here."

She frowned and opened her mouth to say something, but he
held up a hand. "There's something else as well. You can't go fixing
something like this for him. Sometimes the things that happen in life aren't
what we want. We have to find a way, when life staggers us, to recover and move
on. You aren't helping him by trying to make this all okay. He's a grown man,
and he deserves the chance to find his own way."

Holly sat staring at him. "Oh my God, Rob, you're
right. I've been trying to protect him, to make it all better. What the hell
was I thinking?"

He smiled at her, but said nothing.

She felt herself blushing. "I'm not in love with
him!"

"Did I say anything?" He chuckled. "We all
have to find our own way through life. On that note, I have to leave you, my
dear. Time to head back into battle."

"Will you be coming down to Sully Point this weekend? I
know Julia and Cody want to see you."

She saw him hesitate, and pulled her trump card. "I
heard that the baby is doing remarkable new things."

He smiled at her. "All right, I'll come down Friday
night."

She grinned as she watched him walk away. He was always
vulnerable to mention of his grandchild. She leaned back in her chair and shook
her head at herself. It wasn't like her to make such a mistake when dealing
with people, as the one she'd almost made with Jason. She ordered Tiramisu and
was lost in her thoughts as she ate the sweet dessert, when she heard a voice
calling her name.

"Holly?"

She turned to see Gloria Earlington headed for her table.
She stood up and smiled at the older woman. Gloria was wearing a stylish pale
blue knit suit reminiscent of a Chanel creation. It brought out the blue in her
eyes even more than when Holly had first met her.

"May I join you?"

"Certainly, Gloria." Holly motioned to a busboy to
have the table cleared of Rob's dishes. "How are you doing?"

Gloria sighed. "I tried, but so far there's nothing to
be done about the Trenton building. I found out it was the Greystone Consortium
who own it. Jason told me only a couple weeks ago that he would never work for
Greystone. Still, you never know."

"Why didn't he want to work for them?"

"It seems he had a meeting with them and he was not
impressed. He said they are far too conservative for any of his designs. Plus,
he just didn't like them very much."

Holly thanked Rob mentally, knowing he had saved her from
making a big mistake. "So, when are you going to Sully Point, to check out
Jason's big project there?"

Gloria frowned. "I'm still not convinced that a project
outside the city is what he should be doing. Having said that, I realize that
I've never even seen the place, and I was thinking I might head that way this
weekend."

"I'm going on Friday afternoon. If you'd like, I could
pick you up."

"No, but thank you. I'll hire a car to take me down
there. Tell me, is there a decent hotel?"

Holly grimaced. "Not exactly. What I mean by that is we
have tourist accommodations, but not a hotel like you're probably thinking of.
I can offer you a place at my father's house...or maybe...yes, I think you'd
probably much prefer staying in one of the cabins."

"Cabins? I'm not into roughing it, Holly." Gloria
looked affronted.

Holly smiled at her. "Not at all what I meant. We call
them cabins, but they are little houses that people rent out when on vacation.
Of course, we'd love to have you join the family for meals, but it also gives
you the option of access to a kitchen. They have maid service, and are really
quite nice."

"Can you get me one then, if I show up on Friday?"

"I'm sure I can," Holly said, trying to remember
who she could call who might have one free. "I'll call you with the
details this afternoon."

"Very good." Gloria stood up and gave Holly a
smile. "I'll see you this weekend then."

Holly watched her walk away, tall, proud, and graceful even
with her cane. Suddenly it hit her what time it was, and she quickly paid the
bill and dashed out of the restaurant. She had two appointments this afternoon
and now, several phone calls to make. It was shaping up to be an interesting
weekend in Sully Point.

* * * *

Jason was surprised, but pleased, to hear from Gloria that
she would be in Sully Point on the weekend. He'd spent the day sitting at the
new drafting table Anna had sent over, doing some old fashioned drafting and
drawing without any computer input. He felt good about the designs he'd come up
with, the beginning of the look he was going for in the artist colony
residences. He wanted a sophisticated, yet bohemian, style. Not the starving
artist, but more the patron-sponsored artist living areas.

He was expecting Sam and Anna in a few minutes, and had just
finished opening a bottle of wine when the knock came at the door. Opening it,
he discovered only Anna standing there, with a basket in her hands.

"Come in, come in. Where are Sam--and the baby?"

"At home, thank goodness," Anna replied.
"Here." She thrust the basket toward him and he smelled delicious
aromas wafting from under the cloth covering it. "I made you some goodies.
Savory rolls with meat and cheese inside. I don't think we want you to starve
while you're here."

"Thanks, Anna, this is great. I just opened some wine.
Can I get you a glass?"

She nodded, and said fervently, "God, yes. I can't tell
you how nice it is to be out of the house for a while. That kid of mine drove
me a little nuts today. Sam took one look at me when he got back and told me to
take off."

Jason handed her a glass of white wine, and then took one of
the rolls out of the basket. It was still warm, with flaky dough and a
wonderful melted goodness inside. "Wow, Anna." He took another bite.
"These are fantastic. Thanks!"

She waved a hand and took another sip of wine. "I'm
going to sit down in that chair and put my feet up. You go ahead and eat as much
as you want."

He finished off the roll, grabbed another one with a napkin
and then proceeded to the couch. Anna was sitting in the big leather chair with
her eyes closed. He ate his roll, and said nothing. Finally, she looked up at
him.

"Thank you for that silence. I really needed it. I love
my child, but there are days when I just need a break. With Sam gone today, I
had my hands full."

"No problem. But where was Sam? Doesn't he usually do
his writing out at your house?"

"Sam went with Cody today to check out some old fixtures,
something they thought you could use for the project--but I'm sure he'll tell
you about that later. And, yes, he has his office and I have my studio--on
separate ends of the house," she said, with a little laugh. "We have very
different working styles. I like to blast my music really loud, sometimes, when
I am painting. Even though we soundproofed my area, he insisted he could feel
the beat of the music coming through the floor, so that's why I'm at one end
and he's at the other."

"Hmm. That's an interesting point, the different styles
of working that artists have, and what they need to accommodate that. I was
working on some preparatory drawings today for artist housing, but I never
considered that aspect of things."

Anna's face lit up. "You have drawings already? Can I
see?"

He started to shake his head, and then stopped.
"Actually, it might help me to get your input since you're an artist. But
let's not bring everyone else into looking at these just yet. They'll be more
finished by the meeting on Saturday."

"Okay, I can do that. I'd love to see them."

"Over here." Jason got up and walked over to the
drafting table. He spread out the drawings, one at a time for her to see.

"Oh, Jason! The style, the look of these--they're perfect!"

"Well, not quite perfect, not yet. But they are getting
there," he said, with some satisfaction. "You see here, the spacing
for some of these smaller ones is pretty close together. How do you feel about
that?"

"I think it's good to have some closer and some further
away. Everyone is different. Some people need more solitude than others to
work. When I was painting, here at this loft, I didn't want anyone around at
all. It was my refuge, my haven. I still have that to some degree at my studio
at the house, but I do get interruptions, especially with a growing child. I
like the way you have these places grouped, though. And there is a center. They
arc around a center where they can gather together for social times, if they
want. That's very useful."

"And you don't think they're too...different? For Sully
Point, I mean."

"No. Goodness no, Jason. First you didn't make them all
copycats. Each one has its own flair. Then I think what you may be overlooking
is that Sully Point has its own level of...hmm, what to call it. Not weirdness,
not exactly. Somewhat bohemian, yes. But, also, old fashioned. It's a mix, and
that's what you've got here in these drawings. You're definitely on the right
track. I'd only suggest two things, actually."

Jason felt relieved at her assessment. "What do you
recommend?"

"Leave a spot for some kind of coffeehouse or bakery,
or some kind of eatery. I know we planned for there to be a nice restaurant on
the grounds. However, I'm thinking of not just tourists, but artists. They need
a place to dash in for a cup of coffee, or to grab a sandwich. The place will
make a fortune."

"Good idea. And the other thing?"

"Take that walkway, between buildings, all the way out
to the cliffs that look down on the beach. It would make it easier for anyone
who lives there to take that walk to the beach, and the views will be an
inspiration for artists of any type."

"I like that. I'd planned on using a natural stone for
that walkway. This is a good idea."

Anna beamed. "It's going to be great."

"More wine?" Jason asked.

"Just a bit more, then I'll need to head back. Much as
I complain about my short little terror, I miss him."

They sat back down in the living area. Anna looked at Jason
for a moment, then asked, "So, what's with you and Holly?"

Jason choked on the sip of wine he'd just taken.

After some coughing, he said, "I'm not quite sure what
you mean by that, Anna."

She stared at him for a minute. "You and my sister have
got something going on," she said decisively. "I just haven't figured
out what it is. And I don't need to. Whatever is between you is up to both of
you to deal with, but--"

"But?"

"But you be careful, Jason, be careful. Holly can seem
like she can handle anything. She's always been so confident, so sure of
herself. But her feelings--I don't want to see her hurt. And you, I think, have
the ability to hurt her."

Jason raised his eyebrows. "Me?"

"Yes, you. I watched you both, last time we were all
together. You're connected. It's like an invisible something, but I saw how she
watched you, looked for you, when you weren't at her side. And I saw you doing
the same. I saw how you both appeared to be more at ease when you were next to
each other."

He didn't know what to say, wanting to deny she was right,
even as he knew it was true. It was the elephant in the room in his and
Holly's...relationship. Something they weren't supposed to have.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," he said
quietly.

"Love doesn't give us much choice sometimes."

"Love?" He stood up and stared at her. She sat
calmly in her chair, looking back at him. "You can't be serious. It isn't
love. That's impossible. It's...it's..."

"What else could it be, but love?"

"But that's not what we agreed upon!" he burst out
saying without thinking.

Anna's eyes narrowed, and he froze. "Just what do you
mean, 'agreed upon?'"

"Ah, well, I misspoke."

"I don't think so," she replied, shaking her head.
"Spill it."

"It's just that neither of us had time for a
relationship. So we decided to take advantage of what little time we had to
satisfy certain needs, but with the understanding that there were no strings,
no relationship, no love involved. We both agreed that it would be so much
better and easier to not be dating people who always wanted to get
involved."

Anna's mouth had fallen open as she listened to him. She
snapped it shut and glared at him. "Let me get this straight. You guys
thought you could just play around, but never have any consequences? Didn't
either of you think that being involved sexually meant that you were in a
relationship already? And that the closeness of good sex would only bring you
together? My God, please don't tell me that you two were this stupid."

"We weren't stupid," he said, with a bit of fire
in his voice. "We didn't know! And now--now there's more between us than we
ever expected or wanted. I know she doesn't have time for a serious
involvement. Love was never on the menu for her."

Anna leaned back and tilted her head to one side, watching
him pace. It was a good room for pacing. Finally, she said, "You mention
her, over and over, what she does or doesn't have time for, what she wanted.
What about you? I know it wasn't what you wanted in the beginning of your
arrangement with her, but what about now?"