Chapter Eight
Ari sat on a chair in his apartment with his leg balanced on a couple of cushions on the coffee table. It hurt like hell, but he wouldn’t be taking any pain meds. He’d had a lead on Tony Partella for weeks, and now that the cheating businessman was back in Beauville, Ari wanted to stay clearheaded in case he had the chance to follow him. Of course, not being able to ride his bike was a problem, but he’d work something out. It was nine thirty, and he was just contemplating calling it a night when a key turned in his lock.
A second later, the door swung open, and there was Grace. In an instant, his pain was forgotten as he drowned in her gorgeous smile and sparkling face. She carried a large brown supermarket sack and a carry bag, and he cursed the fact he couldn’t race over and scoop her into his arms.
“Hey!” she beamed.
“Well, you’re a sight for sore legs,” he said as she made her way over to him. He struggled to sit up taller.
“You just stay right there, mister,” she said, then leaned down and pressed her lips against his. He pulled her close, and for a moment he couldn’t care whether he lived or died, as long as he stayed right here, with her.
“Oi!” she said, struggling free and pulling the paper bag from between them like a rabbit out of a hat. “There’s some very expensive fillet steak in there!”
He grabbed the bag, put it on the floor, and pulled her to him again. “Who cares about steak,” he said. “God, I’ve missed you.”
She peppered his face with tiny kisses then tucked her hands inside his shirt and slid her palms across his skin. “Not as much as I’ve missed you,” she said. “And now that the weddings are over, we can spend every single minute together. In fact,” she said with a cheeky smile. “I quite like the fact you can only hobble around. It means that I can stay here and nurse you, and you can’t get away.”
“Hmmm,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady as she dragged her fingertips lightly across his shoulders. He faked a serious tone. “I’m pretty sure the doctors would prefer it if I stayed in bed all day.”
“Then we certainly agree on that.” She kissed him long and deep. “And if you’re trapped on the couch,” she said, gazing around the room. “Maybe I can have a go at tidying up around here. I don’t know how you find anything.”
“You won’t need to find anything but me,” he said as he squeezed her hands. “Come and tell me how the wedding went for the congressman’s daughter.”
She laughed. “I can’t quite believe we pulled it off. I probably overdid the organization and hired too many extra people, but it meant we didn’t have one single issue, and everyone seemed to be really happy.”
“I know Erin and Nick said their day was great thanks to everything you did.”
“Are you hungry?” she said as she laid another kiss at the corner of his mouth.
“Starving,” he said. “I would say only for you, but you’re probably being deafened by my growling stomach right now.”
An open jar of peanut butter sat on the coffee table with a spoon sticking out of it.
“Peanut butter? Straight out of the jar. Really?”
“It hurt to stand at the cook top,” he said with puppy-dog eyes.
She patted his cheek. “I was going to teach you how to cook, remember. Seems we can’t get this leg better quick enough.”
She picked up the paper sack and moved toward the kitchen. “Did Nick and Erin get away on their honeymoon okay?” she asked over her shoulder. She picked up a few coffee cups along her way.
He twisted on the chair, trying to ignore her second dig about his lack of order. “I guess so. I only stayed for a couple of hours yesterday, ’cause my leg was hurting pretty bad. My mom and dad dropped me home early.”
“I’ve just seen your mom and dad back at the Palace,” Grace said as she got things out of the bag and laid them on the counter. “They were sitting out in the garden, talking over a cup of coffee. They seemed pretty deep in thought.”
He raised his eyebrows. “They seemed to be talking lot at Erin and Nick’s wedding as well.”
She smiled. “How do you think things are going between them?” She pulled things out of the cupboards.
“I really don’t know,” he said. “I guess they could either be deciding the Palace’s fate, or they could be thinking about coming back here to work on their marriage.”
The front door buzzer sounded.
“Are you expecting anyone?” Grace said, her voice wary.
“I don’t think so,” Ari replied. “I’m waiting on some information about a guy I’ve been following, but I haven’t told anyone to come here with it. Can you answer on the intercom for me?”
She turned and her eyes widened. “What if it’s one of your family?”
“It won’t be. As you said, Nick and Erin will have gone, Mom and Dad were at the Palace. Yasmin said she had some friends to catch up with today. Don’t be so worried. Even if it is, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if one of them found you here.”
Grace hesitated, but finally walked over to the intercom and pushed the button. “Hello.”
There was silence for a moment before a female voice said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I must have the wrong apartment. I’m looking for Ari Katsalos.”
“Yasmin, it’s Grace.” She turned to him, her face pale. “You do have the right apartment. I just came to check on how Ari was after his accident.”
“Can I come in?” There was a smile in his sister’s voice, and it was obvious she knew. But what did it matter, anyway? Grace would soon be leaving the Palace. It shouldn’t matter if his family knew they were dating.
“Of course.” Grace pushed the buzzer and hung up the handset.
“Do you think she’s figured it out?” she said, her face stony.
“Yes, but it’s fine. The weddings are over, and you’re not an employee. It shouldn’t matter who knows that we’re together.”
She was silent but moved to the door and opened it to Yasmin. They greeted each other with a hug.
“Hey big bro, how’s it going?” Yasmin asked as she came through the door carrying a very large box. “And how lucky are you to have Grace around to nurse you?”
“I’m extremely lucky,” he said with a smile. “And it’s nice to not have to hide the fact that Grace and I are seeing each other.”
Grace was standing, stunned. She’d probably have preferred to wait until things were more serious between them, but as far as he was concerned they already were.
“Well, as it was one of the most popular topics of conversation yesterday at the wedding, I’m glad we were all right,” Yasmin said cheerily. She moved into the kitchen, put the box on the counter, and gave Grace a hug. “I personally think it’s fantastic news.”
“How long have you known?” Grace asked, throwing Ari a glare from over his sister’s shoulder.
“It was pretty obvious when we had the family dinner, but your visit to him at O’Malley’s on the day of the wedding confirmed it for me. I’m really happy for you both.”
“Do your parents know?” Grace asked hesitantly.
“It was Pop who first mentioned it when you and Ari went outside at the Palace dinner. It was also Pop who insisted I bring over a box of leftover food for you, Ari. But I can see that you’re being very well looked after.”
“Will you stay and eat with us?” Grace asked.
Yasmin brushed her hands down her jeans. “No, I can’t stay, sorry. Lane is in the car out front. We’re going into the city for dinner, and I can’t be late.”
“I’ll be in touch,” Ari said. “I’ve got a bit of work on again, but I guess Mom and Dad will want a family dinner before everyone goes their separate ways again.”
“Yes, well, I don’t think you should be moving around much on that leg,” his sister said. “Take a load off for a while. The philanderers will still be philandering when you can walk again.”
She moved to the door and held up her hand in a wave. “Be good, you two. And maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”
After she was gone, there was a moment’s silence before Grace spoke. “How do you think they’ll really feel about us being together?”
The kitchen counter was a barrier between them, and she stayed fixed behind it.
“I don’t really care. I’m proud to be with you, and that’s all that matters,” he said quietly.
She brushed a piece of hair off her face but said nothing.
“Will you come here?” he said, holding out an arm to her. Damn this leg. He hated being restricted. He swung it over the side of the coffee table, wincing with the pain.
Immediately, she was by his side. “Don’t do that,” she scolded. “You’ll do yourself more damage.”
He snagged her hand and tugged her gently toward the couch. “Sit with me?”
She sat, still with her hand in his.
When she turned to him, he took her other hand. “Grace, I think you know me well enough by now to understand that I don’t like sneaking around, and not telling my family about us felt like I was lying to them.”
She dropped her chin.
He squeezed her fingers, then she looked up into his eyes.
“What I don’t understand is why you’re so against it? Why do you care so much about what people think?”
She squeezed his hand back. “Because I don’t want to waste anyone’s time.”
He let out a chuckle, but she wasn’t laughing. “What do you mean?”
She squared her shoulders a little. “I know we said that this would just be a bit of fun, but things have changed. I’ve realized I want more than that.”
…
Ari twined his fingers through hers and smiled the smile that was always the undoing of her. It was a reflection of his strength and his sexiness, his sense of humor and his certainty about his place in the world.
“And why does my family knowing about us change that?”
She swallowed as she tried to get her thoughts straight, and that was just the problem. She didn’t think straight around Ari. He made her lose her sense, lose focus on everything else that was important to her, and she didn’t like it.
Yes, they’d agreed on this being a casual thing, but now she wanted more. Every moment she was away from him she imagined his touch, remembered the way her head tucked so neatly under his chin when they snuggled. What was so important to her when she’d left Mark—to re-establish her identity, to make a secure and long-lasting relationship a priority—all seemed to go out the window when Ari was around.
“I guess,” she said, searching desperately for the words, “your family knowing about us makes it real, puts us under a pressure we haven’t had before.”
His hand was warm wrapped around hers. “Are you sure it’s not a pressure that you’ve put on yourself?”
“What do you mean?”
“Grace, I know you were hurt by Mark.” His voice was a soft caress against the inner pain.
She stilled. “I thought I hid it well.”
“I see the pain in your eyes when you mention your marriage. The lack of confidence you have around certain things. And I know that you want the next relationship you’re in to be completely different. And it is. It will be.”
She pulled a long breath into her lungs and let it out slowly. “I frighten myself when I’m with you.”
He sat rigid. “You’re scared of me?”
“No, it’s not you. I frighten myself with the way I lose myself when I’m around you. I find myself wanting to be with you all the time. I think about a future with you…all the time.”
His lips tilted in a soft smile. “And that’s so terrible, why?”
“Because I know that you don’t believe in marriage.” There, she’d said it. It was out in the open and pulsing like the terrible truth that it was.
“That doesn’t mean I can’t see myself being with you long-term.” His face was so open and caring, and she wanted to believe everything that he said. “Grace, I love the way you make me feel, the way you give me a strength I never knew I needed.” He squeezed her hand. “You’ve made me face some of my worst fears and given me the strength to deal with them. Why wouldn’t I want a long-term relationship with you? Marriage is nothing more than a piece of paper. It doesn’t define love or commitment.”
Only a piece of paper?
A buzzing sound on the table drew Ari’s attention away from her, and Grace was grateful for the distraction. She didn’t want Ari to see the hollowness in her heart or to say something that could make this any more real.
“I’m really sorry. I have to get this,” he said.
“Would you like me to leave so you can talk in private?”
“No, no,” he said, squeezing her hand. “It won’t take a minute.”
“Rick,” he said into the phone and then was silent. She watched the way his forehead crumpled when he frowned. The way his eyes sparked when the person on the other end obviously said something that excited him. All the while he held her hand, and she was glad that their conversation had been interrupted. She needed to stay in the present, enjoy the time she had with Ari, and not think about the future.
“No, it’s fine,” Ari was saying. “You stay there and keep monitoring, and I’ll go to the restaurant. If he’s there with her, then we can get some pictures and wrap this up.” He was silent for a moment more before he said, “Later,” and ended the call.
“Work?” she asked, glad that her voice was back to normal.
He shuffled on the chair. “Yeah, and I’m afraid I’m going to have to go out.”
“That’s okay,” she said, relieved to have an excuse to end their talk. “But how will you get there? Will Rick pick you up? You can’t ride your bike in this condition.”
“That’s the tricky bit,” he said as he bent to pick up a crutch. “My bike’s in the shop, anyway. Rick’s monitoring the guy’s house in case they decide to go back there early. If I can leave now, though, I can probably get to the restaurant where they’re having dinner.”
“You couldn’t go by taxi, that’d be too obvious,” she said. “Why don’t we get an Uber? I can come with you and help you get in and out?”
“No, I don’t want any possibility of being traced. My neighbor has a car. We could borrow that.”
“But you can’t drive, either,” she said.
His mouth slowly tipped up in a grin.
“Oh no, Ari. Not at night.” Her chest tightened, and the acid burn of bile stung the back of her throat. “I haven’t even tried during the day—”
“You could absolutely do it,” he said. “I’ll be right there with you.”
“And what would we do?” she said, her mouth becoming drier. “Not some sort of crazy car chase.”
“No, nothing like that. We’d just go to the restaurant parking lot, find them, photograph them, and then come back again.”
She chewed her thumbnail, trying desperately to think of another way they could do this.
“Please, Grace,” Ari said. “I wouldn’t ask unless it was really important to me. We can be back here in an hour, sipping on wine and eating fillet steak. You do have a license, right?”
His work was really important to him, and she really did owe him after everything he’d done to help her in the last few weeks.
“Yes, I have a license… So, we just drive there, get the pictures, drive back, and that’s it?” she asked hopefully.
He grinned, and his smile seemed to light the whole of her insides. “Yep, that’s all, and we’d better get going.”
…
Grace stood on the pavement and fiddled with the keys in her hand. Ari’s neighbor had been more than happy to loan him his car.
“Babe, I don’t want to hurry you, but we need to get there before they finish dinner or we could lose him again,” Ari said.
Grace pushed down the fear that had flooded her body since she’d agreed to drive. Apparently, it was an automatic, which was some small comfort, but the thought of being behind a steering wheel again made her hands clammy.
“Let me help you in,” Ari said as he hobbled toward the driver’s door.
“Don’t be silly. You’re the one who needs a hand,” she said as she took his elbow.
She guided him around to the passenger door, held his crutches while he folded himself into the seat, and then tucked the crutches down beside him. “We don’t have to use GPS, do we?” she asked as she was ready to close the door.
“No, I know the way,” he said. Moments later she was sitting in the driver’s seat, trying to remember the sequence she needed to follow. “Will you talk to me?” she said as, hands damp with sweat, she reached for her seat belt then clicked it in. “Sing the alphabet if you need to, just something to calm my brain.”
“Of course, I’ll talk to you if that’s what you want,” Ari said. “I just thought you’d prefer to concentrate on the road.”
“That was the problem with Mark,” she said as she turned the key in the ignition. “He would be silent, watching every move I made, criticizing everything I did. That’s what made me paralyzed.”
He put his hand on hers, and she turned to him. “I’m here for you, Grace. There’s no need to be afraid anymore.”
She took a lungful of air and smiled at him. “Tell me about this person we’re following tonight.” She flicked the indicator and looked in the rearview mirror.
“His name’s Tony Partella,” Ari said. “His wife came to me last year, certain that he was having an affair, but it’s taken me this long to get the evidence she needed.”
“Go on.”
Ari’s voice was soothing her. The fact that he fully trusted her gave her strength, and the thrill of them being a team was empowering.
“My guy Rick’s been following him while I’ve been busy up here, and turns out he has a girlfriend in Beauville. His wife is in Washington, DC, on business, and Tony’s supposed to be tucked up in his own place in the city.”
“How did his wife find out?” She slowed the car at a red light, and the adrenaline pump subsided in her body.
“The same way most partners do,” Ari said.
The light turned green, and Grace started to move the car forward.
“Watch out for the guy in front. He’s about to slow for someone crossing.”
Grace’s heart leaped into her throat as she slammed her foot on the brake.
“It usually comes from a gut feeling—thinking your partner’s cheated.”
The pulse in Grace’s neck was racing, but Ari was calmly carrying on with the conversation. She sat higher in her seat and accelerated.
“Lots of people just ignore that intuition, but I’d say it’s correct ninety percent of the time.”
“The poor wife,” Grace said.
“And the girlfriend, or boyfriend,” Ari said. “Most of the time they know that the cheater has been married, but there’s always a story about their marriage almost being over, or them having to let their spouse down gently for the sake of the kids.”
“Why do you think people do that?” she asked, genuinely wanting to know.
“There’s an old song that my dad used to sing years ago—‘The Stranger,’ by Billy Joel. You know it?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“It’s about people never showing their real selves. How we’re too scared to show people what we’re really like because we’re afraid of rejection. And then it all becomes a big web of lies, and one day, when the real person comes out, it’s like you have a stranger standing in front of you. You’re doing great, by the way.”
She smiled. “It’s much easier with you in the car.”
“Just a left turn here, and then we’ll be at the restaurant,” Ari said.
“That’s a pretty sad view of the world,” she said as she pulled into the parking lot, an overwhelming sense of pride washing over her.
Ari shrugged. “It’s just reality. We only want people to see the good side of ourselves. Just pull in here,” he said. “I have his license plate details. All we have to do is find a red Audi, and we’ll be right.”
“There’s an Audi over there,” Grace said as she switched the engine off.
Ari was flicking through his phone. “Yep, that’s the one. All we need to do now is wait.”