She toyed with the sunburst charm on her necklace as it hit her that she might not have a happy ending with Kingsley. That these emotions that felt like love to her might just be a vehicle for her to move on.
She didn’t like the way that thought made her feel.
“Ms. de la Cruz, please follow me. The commissioners are ready for you now.”
Gabi followed the young assistant down the hall to the boardroom. She’d been in this room many times before. First as a young girl meeting her mom and then as an adult arguing for more funding for projects for kids and discussing the preliminary planning for the playground. She felt a little nervous as she smoothed her hands down the back of her linen skirt and then exhaled all those nerves out the way she’d learned from her mom all those years ago.
She had this.
Money had been the only stumbling block, and right now she had a check worth more than the commissioners thought the park and recreation center would cost.
“Good afternoon, everyone,” she said as she entered the room.
There was a round of greetings and she took a seat after passing out her presentation books. She knew it was the digital age, but she liked paper. She made her presentation feeling the confidence of knowing that there was no way they could turn her down this time.
“Thank you, Gabi. The design you have come up with meets all of our criteria for incorporating the local landscape while at the same time making it a fun and exciting area for the community,” Commissioner Ortiz said.
“I like that you’ve made the focus on children but also included facilities for adults, as well,” Mrs. O’Malley said.
Gabi smiled at them. “And I’ve secured funding. So the only thing we are waiting on to take this project from dream to reality is your approval.”
“Well...” Mr. Ortiz said.
“Well? Do you all have an objection?” Gabi asked. She couldn’t think of a single thing that was standing in their way.
“We didn’t realize that you’d secured funding from Kingsley Buchanan.”
“He’s a former college sports star and well-known. Why is that a problem?” Gabi asked.
Mrs. O’Malley looked at the other members of the board. All of whom refused to meet her gaze. Gabi felt an icy lump form in the pit of her stomach. Kingsley was their problem?
Finally Mrs. O’Malley leaned forward, leveling her steady gaze on Gabi.
“He’s just not the sort of person that this town wants to name things after,” she said at last.
“Football star? Single dad? Wealthy businessman? I don’t understand your objection, especially since he doesn’t expect you to name the facility after him,” Gabi said. It was no longer about her playground, though she was still determined to see it go through. No, this was about Kingsley. Were these people honestly not going to accept his money because of charges against him that had been dropped more than ten years ago?
“It’s about his arrest,” Mr. Ortiz said.
“The charges were dropped,” Gabi said. “He has been a free man for more than ten years.”
“But many questions remain,” Mr. Ortiz said. “And some in our community... Well, we just want the park to be unencumbered by any gossip.”
She was angry but she kept her cool. Was this what Kingsley had to deal with? She had an inkling of why resolving the past was so important to him.
Mrs. O’Malley leaned forward. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but the cold, hard facts are that several families that live in our city were affected by the frat-house murder and I think things would be better if his name wasn’t involved.”
“Very well. Thank you for your time,” Gabi said, gathering her presentation booklets and walking out the door.
* * *
Kingsley didn’t like the fact that he’d lied to Gabi, but telling her he was going to their old university to dig through witness statements made to campus security—well, he didn’t think she’d approve. She had agreed to contact the women from Daria Miller’s files, but he didn’t want her involved any further than that.
A part of him wished he could drop it, but he couldn’t.
It would be easier for Gabi if he did. She wasn’t really involved in the incident. For her there were more traumas around the fact that he’d had sex with her and then left her.
He got that.
He knew that he had a lot to make up for on that front and he was willing to do whatever he had to in order to make that happen.
It surprised him how much she meant to him. He wasn’t saying it was love—lust was about where he felt comfortable—but he wanted her to stay with him. He was looking forward to getting home and spending the evening with her and Conner, and then after Conner was in bed spending time alone with her.