“You’re back,” I tell her.
She sits up and nods. “I was surprised, actually. I just woke up from a nap and I was about to start crying again when Ms. Jensen called. I thought she was going to tell me she forgot to make me pay for the glass, but then she said I could have my job back. I rushed back here before she changed her mind.”
“That’s good.” I pat her hand as I, too, sit up.
“Thank you.” She squeezes mine.
My eyebrows crease. “Me?”
“I know you had something to do with it.”
Did I? All I did was apologize to Gavin. Did that make him realize what he did wrong? Was that why he didn’t want me to worry about it anymore?
I smile. He might seem cold and forbidding, but I know there’s a good heart buried in there. I heard it in his laugh this afternoon.
“Well, I didn’t really do anything,” I tell Giselle. “But I’m glad you’re back.”
“So am I,” she says.
“So we’re still friends?” I ask her hopefully.
She nods.
I give her another tight hug. “Oh, I’ve missed you.”
She pushes her glasses up her nose as she pulls away. “I’ve only been gone for a few hours.”
“Yeah, but I thought I’d never see you again. You won’t believe all the stuff that happened when you were gone.”
“Something to do with ice cream? Because I heard Ms. Jensen grumbling about it.”
I laugh. “Yes, something to do with ice cream.”
“Mr. Scotsfeld said you can have some after dinner,” Giselle tells me. “But not before and not too much.”
“He spoke to you?”
She nods. “He told me to take care of you.”
I scratch my chin. Well, that’s a surprise.
“I was actually afraid that he’d shout at me all over again, but he didn’t. He’s actually nice. He even said I could eat ice cream with you.”
My eyebrows go up. “He did?”
“Yup.”
I smile. “Well, he is nice, even though it seems like he doesn’t want to be.”
Giselle nods.
I gaze up at the ceiling. “I wonder why.”
“Maybe because he was nice before but people didn’t appreciate it or took advantage of it?”
I shake a finger at Giselle. “You know what? That sounds… very plausible. Very smart, girlfriend.”
She purses her lips shyly at the compliment.
“You know what else? I think we should help make him nice again, you know, show some appreciation for what he did for us. Maybe do something nice for him, too. What do you think?”
“Hmm.” Giselle touches her chin. Then her lips curve into a smile. “I think that’s a great idea.”
The more I think about it, the more I believe it is, too. Gavin’s been taking good care of me, after all. This afternoon, he even saved my life. And he gave Giselle back to me.
I touch my lower lip. Now, I just have to think of what I can do to show him my gratitude. And hope that I can see more of that ice-thawing smile.
Chapter Eight
Gavin
I put my phone down on my desk with a frown.
I’ve just finished a lengthy conversation with Elias about one thing- Goldberg. He’s assured me that the Council and the Club itself do not tolerate such despicable behavior. Goldberg has been expelled from Ambrosia. Not only that, he’s been fined heavily in exchange for keeping the matter from authorities, which is something Ambrosia is good at. In fact, Ambrosia prefers it.
No brushes with the law. After all, that would mean publicity. Scandal. Tarnished reputations. Leaked secrets. Bruised egos. Disrupted business endeavors. And Ambrosia has to be kept clean and unknown to the public, just like the gods of ancient Greece hid their faces from mortal men and did not answer for any of their crimes, however grave.
I used to think that was a good thing, but now I wonder. I would be feeling a greater sense of satisfaction now if I knew Goldberg was behind bars, which is what he deserves for trying to kidnap Leah, or if I could land a few solid punches on that sorry face of his. My fists were itching to do that when I saw him in his car, waiting for his thug to bring Leah to him, but my priority was getting Leah out of there. Unfortunately, Elias prohibited me from going after him. In his book, Goldberg has already paid for his crime. Not in mine, but I’ll have to let it go. Goldberg is lucky Leah wasn’t hurt. If she had even a scratch on her, he’d be dead by now.
I scratch my beard as I think of Leah. I thought about shaving it when I heard that Lawson was dead, but I promised myself I would get that deal. If I can’t get it from Lawson, I’ll just have to get it from his son.
I recall how I heard Leah laughing with her maid when I passed by her room last night. She sounded so happy, excited, like a girl having a slumber party. Who would have thought she’d almost been kidnapped hours earlier?