Derek pulled into the Thompson estate. It never looked different, no matter how long it had been since the last time he saw it. The trees were still huge. The lawns and gardens were still manicured. He drove toward the guesthouse, parking it outside. He’s shower and change before he went to see Grams.

He went inside the guesthouse and climbed the stairs with his suitcase. His bedroom door opened and Mandy stood there in jeans and a loose shirt. Green covered her entire face and she wore a towel on her head like a turban.

He took a step back. “Mandy?” The version of her that wasn’t a mirage.

“Derek, hi.” Her wide eyes took him in.

“What are you doing here?”

“Alice invited me to the party tomorrow night and asked me to come a day early. I’m so sorry. Chenworth told me I had the guesthouse to myself.” She pulled the towel off her hair and wiped at her face. “I’ll be right out.” Closing the door behind her, there was nothing for Derek to do but to wait for her.

Mandy was here. His head spun and he tried to collect his scattering thoughts. She was as beautiful as ever, even with her mask on. A longing for the time they spent on the cruise welled up inside of him. Seeing her again he realized just how much he’d missed her.

A few minutes later she opened the door, her face free from the mask she’d had on. She tucked her damp hair behind her ears. “Sorry, I didn’t expect anyone. Alice said to come over to the house once I was settled.”

“Do you care if I check to see if Chenworth forgot anything I might need? I’ll stay out of your way.”

She bit her lip. “You’re not in my way. How have you been?”

She followed him back into the room as he checked through the closet and a few drawers. Chenworth had been thorough. Derek grabbed his favorite cufflinks from his box.

“Busy. Nothing but work filling my time,” he said. Oh that sounded awful. He didn’t need to tout the workaholic side of him, he just wanted her to know that he was available—no one in his life. Instead he sounded pathetic. “How about you?” he asked, redirecting the conversation to her. He walked down the stairs and she followed close behind him.

Confusion was written all over Mandy’s face. “Good. Busy. I just got a new job.” Mandy bounced on her toes.

“Right, I hear you were doing some freelance projects for Kira. Is she treating you well?”

“Very well. She’s very generous in her contracts, and her clients are happy with my work. But I just got an offer from The Edge. You’re looking at the newest Creative Director over their Tropical Line.”

“In New York?”

Mandy nodded. “I start in a few weeks.”

“Mandy, that’s great. I’m so happy for you.” He hugged her tight, pride swelling in him that she’d pursued her art. “I’d love to show you around New York.”

He pulled back from the instinctive hug. The hug surprised him and from Mandy’s raised eyebrows, the gesture had surprised her too.

She studied him. “You would? I didn’t think you’d have time for the sights in New York.”

“What can I say, I went on this cruise and someone taught me I could relax a little.”

“Have you relaxed? Or is it all still work?”

“I’m getting there. Work is demanding, but I’m calling Grams at least twice a week, in the middle of the day even.” Derek wiggled his eyebrows.

“She did mention that in her e-mails. I take full credit for your success.” Mandy laughed.

“And you’ll have to meet Kira in person. She’s great.” Kira had already told him that Mandy had been in New York the weekend he went to Martha’s Vineyard. Would she admit that to him?

“I did already meet with her. She’s very nice.” Mandy ducked her head. “Actually, while I was there, I stopped by—”

His phone rang. Curse the stupid thing for not being on silent, but as he looked at the picture that popped up on his screen he knew he should answer it. No. He was here with Mandy. He put the phone down on the table, after silencing it. Rachel, his marketing director, would have to wait. Rachel would send him documents for tomorrow’s negotiations by e-mail. If she had any urgent questions for him before then, she’d call him back.

“Sorry,” he said.

Mandy glanced over at his phone then back to him. “Did you need to take it?”

“It’s just business. It can wait. Where were we?”

“We stopped by your gallery. You never told me you had a Shorvan. He is my hero. His work inspired me when I was young, he’s one of the reasons I even went into art.”

Regret washed over him. He knew she liked Shorvan. She had a postcard sized picture of one of his paintings inside her notebook. He’d seen it there, and she’d mentioned Shorvan. He’d had this crazy idea that after the cruise he’d be able to take her to his gallery—really it was just a hall, and show her the Shorvan himself. To see her response to one of his prized possessions.

But she’d already been to his gallery. If she only knew how many Shorvans he and Grams owned. Some of the work they owned had never been categorized or viewed publicly.

“You mentioned it.” He cleared his throat. “I happen to be a huge fan of Shorvan, and his work.”

Mandy scrunched her eyebrows together. “Oh. I thought you were just agreeing with me before. I didn’t know you meant it.”

“Well I’ll show you my gallery again and anywhere else you want to see. I could use a tour of the city myself. What do you say?”

Mandy bit her lip, a sign Derek recognized when she weighed her options.

Rachel’s picture lit up on his screen again.

Mandy looked at his phone. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

He silenced the phone.

“Why not?” he asked as Rachel’s picture appeared for the third time and he knew he’d have to take it. He grimaced. “I’m so sorry. I have to take this.”

She shrugged with a pinched expression. “Sure. I’ll see you around.”

He answered Rachel’s call and coordinated with her until he reached the front doors of the estate. Mandy hadn’t completely shut him down and she was moving to New York. It was a positive start to the weekend.

He found Grams inside, coordinating the preparations. “You didn’t tell me you gave away my guesthouse, Grams,” he joked, kissing her on the cheek.

“I assume you saw Mandy then,” she said, a gleam in her own eye. “I wasn’t sure if you’d come if you knew you were being kicked out of your space.” She gestured around the great hall. “It’s a downgrade, I know, but hopefully you’ll manage through the weekend.” She winked at him.

“You could have told me you were inviting her.” He pulled at his tie, realizing he probably looked stuffy to Mandy, coming straight from a business meeting.

“You look fine.” Grams smiled, ignoring his comment.

He shook his head. “It was good to see her but I was caught off guard and felt awkward.”

“You didn’t have that problem on the cruise. I know you both chatted away in the morning hours together. Betty saw you on more than one day.”

“That was before I found out she couldn’t stand me.” Derek shrugged off the raw emotion.

Grams raised both brows high, waiting for an explanation.

Derek knew better than to beat around the bush. He’d avoided telling her, but Grams wouldn’t drop it until she knew everything. She’d already given Mandy a glowing review, so it didn’t matter if he shared his thoughts.

He closed his eyes briefly before saying, “She was only being nice to me to keep you happy.”

Grams laughed. “You have to admit your first impression on her wasn’t the best. Or the second.”

His eyes widened. Did Grams not care that Mandy had only needed a nice review? “I called her like you suggested. She was cold.”

“Was she cold now? Did she tell you she couldn’t stand you?” Grams asked, as she motioned for Derek to follow her up the grand staircase.

“Not in so many words, she was nice right now,” he said, wondering if he should admit how he knew. At this point, what would it hurt? “I read them in her notebook, when I was looking at her sketches.” He shrugged off the embarrassment, as Grams scrutinizing gaze landed on him.

“Hmph. Well. I suppose there’s a lesson in there about not snooping in other people’s things.”

He winced. “She handed me the notebook.” The excuse fell flat.

Grams smiled at him. “You’re so much like your grandfather sometimes. So literal. So practical.”

Derek raised his eyebrows. He’d always taken being compared to his grandfather as a positive thing. Derek had wanted to be just like him since he could remember. “And that’s a bad thing?”

“No, no, dear. It’s not. But…” Grams laughed a little. “Did you ever stop to wonder if some of her thoughts were valid? Maybe she was blowing off steam and needed to vent?” She shrugged. “Or maybe, as you say, she really didn’t like you at all for the entire cruise.”

“Those are two big ends of the spectrum.”

“Yes, they are, and you won’t know where she fits until you talk to her about it. But you moping and refusing to do anything about it. Well, that’s not you.” She pushed her finger into his chest for emphasis.

“You think she didn’t like me, though?”

Grams rolled her eyes. “Who knows. Those kissing pictures would say otherwise.”

Derek’s jaw dropped at Grams’ boldness. “How did you…” He trailed off the question, not knowing how to finish it.

Grams smiled. “Yes, I got the same copies you did. If you want a chance with Mandy you need to try. Give her a chance to see you’ve changed.”

“How do I start?” His nerves were outside his comfort zone. He could command an entire board room meeting, but talking to someone who had the power to potentially crush him? Talk about intimidating.

“Use this weekend to get over yourself and start acting the way you want to be remembered by her.”

“That’s a little too much tough love, Grams,” he said.

“You can handle it.” Grams pulled out something from her purse. “And start with this.”

He opened the box. It was the diamond encrusted anchor he had bought on the cruise. “Grams, I gave that to you.”

“And I know you had someone else in mind when you bought it. Besides, gold is really more my color when it comes to jewelry.” She gave him a knowing smile.

A sudden desire to make things right with Mandy filled him. Grams knew, and wouldn’t push him if she thought he didn’t have a chance. Hope swelled inside of him. Things with Mandy would work out.

“Okay.” He bent down, giving Grams a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for this. Is Jerry coming tomorrow?”

Grams’ eyebrows rose. “You know he doesn’t like crowds.”

Derek knew Jerry Shorvan wasn’t one for parties. “Sometimes he comes.”

“Why the sudden interest? If he comes, he comes.”

“He’s Mandy’s idol, you know.”

Grams sighed. “I did know that, but I don’t name drop about him. He doesn’t take that as a compliment.”

“I know. Maybe I’ll tell him I want to introduce him to someone,” he said, knowing that he would be able to do something that might put him in her good graces.

“If it’s anything to go off of, he said he wanted to come to meet Harold.”