Part of me hoped she wasn’t.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmured. “That’s seven.” I was about to coax her to disappear down the hall with me into the library to do dirty things when Max, my developer, appeared at our side.
“Hey, listen,” he said, without preamble and not bothering to glance at Leah. “I just got off the phone with Boerger, the head of that arts renewal foundation, and they’re letting the theater go. Papers coming over tonight, we’ll sign and own it, and then meet with the city to schedule demolition. We already know the Prentiss doesn’t qualify for historic preservation so full steam ahead.” He clapped my shoulder and turned when he spotted a waiter. “Hey, can I get a vodka tonic?”
Well, fuck. Max had just told Leah what I had intended to tell her on Monday. That I was trying to buy the theater she loved. I straightened my tie and turned. Her face was a mask of confusion and irritation.
“You’re tearing down the theater? Why?”
“I own all the land around it. The project has been in the works for a year.”
Leah blinked. She was wearing full makeup with false eyelashes and they seemed alien to me, emphasizing how rapidly she was blinking, as if she were holding back tears. “What are you planning to build there?”
I cleared my throat. “Condos. I was going to tell you on Monday. I didn’t think this would go through so soon. We’ve been pressing the foundation for months and gotten nowhere.”
“Condos?” she scoffed. “Because that’s what the East Village needs more of. Not. Why didn’t you tell me when you met me at the theater?”
“Because I wanted you to say yes to this weekend.” It was the hard truth. I wasn’t going to lie about it. “And like I said, wheels were turning slow on the project anyway.”
“I see. So you wanted your way.”
Her voice sounded calm, but colder than I would like. I’d known she wouldn’t appreciate the theater being torn down, but I hadn’t thought she’d see it as anything other than a business deal.
“I wouldn’t put it that way.”
“How would you put it? You purposely withholding information from me so that I would say yes to you?”
Huh. Good question. “I was controlling the situation. Preventing needless upset if it wasn’t necessary. It might have never been relevant.” Then I hastened to add again, “Though I was planning to tell you when we got back now that we’re… involved.” Now that I had told her that I loved her.
Leah nodded, but she was digging her teeth into her bottom lip. “I happen to love that theater.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. It’s a bad location. Maybe we can buy you another theater. Or you can help me find a way to incorporate some of its elements into the design for the new high-rises. Maybe we have a theater room in one of them.” I was just throwing shit out there, spitballing.
She did not look happy.
“I’m not a child, Grant. You can’t throw me a consolation prize. ‘Here’s a bike in exchange for having to move to Poughkeepsie.’ I don’t want a theater. I don’t want property. That’s not the point.”
“What is the point?” I knew what the point was but I was going to plead ignorance and hope it blew over. I had absolutely zero experience with a situation like this. Most women in my life would have taken the consolation prize, used it to their advantage.
“The point is you manipulated me.”
That made me frown. “That is an overreaction.”
Her eye widened. “Oh, don’t tell me how I feel.”
“What?” Now I was really confused. “What are you talking about? I’m not telling you how you feel.” What the fuck was even happening? I spotted Victoria beelining for us, and was grateful as hell for the interruption. “Can we talk about this later? My cousin is coming over.”
Leah gave me a dirty look, spun on her heel, and left me standing there alone.
“Hey, asshole,” Victoria said, coming in for a hug. “I heard you’re engaged. I call bullshit.”
I gave her the obligatory hug, but I was looking over her shoulder to see where Leah was retreating. She disappeared out the glass doors to the patio.
“I am engaged.” That was a lie, but it wasn’t a total lie in that we were dating.
“Since when?” She pulled back and studied my face. “You haven’t said a word about dating anyone special.”
“I don’t share my personal life, you know that.”