His honesty was as devastating as his dark blue gaze which traveled over her features with an intimacy that made her tremble.
She averted her eyes. “It’s a helpless feeling to know you’ve done something you can’t undo—like trying to recapture the air from a balloon. If I could turn the clock back, knowing what I know now—” she half moaned the words.
“Amen,” he muttered with an unmistakable echo of pain revealed in that one word. It haunted her. “My attorney will be calling Ms. Carlow about the paintings of me still in your possession.”
She nodded. “Naturally you’ll want proof that everything has been destroyed.”
“Excuse me for interrupting, Ms. Bennett,” his attorney broke in on them. “I need to talk to my client.”
“Of course.” Her eyes lifted to Payne Sterling’s once more. “Thank you for not pressing charges against the others…or me. I’ll always be grateful,” her voice throbbed. “God bless you and your fiancée.”
She turned away from him, feeling much worse than before because he was no longer just a memory from a photograph. The reality of his physical presence, plus the pain she felt emanating from him, had combined to squeeze her heart with fresh guilt.
“What did he say to upset you?” Craig whispered as he and their mother walked her out of the courtroom.
“Nothing. I just feel horrible for causing him and his family more pain.”
“It wasn’t intentional and he knows it,” her mother assured her. “Let’s be glad it’s over. Since Craig and I have to fly back home in the morning, shall we celebrate your victory and take a ferry to Staten Island if it isn’t too late? It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
“That sounds like a good idea, mom.” Anything to get her mind off of Payne Sterling for a while. “We’ll grab a taxi out in front of the court building and head for the terminal. If I remember right, the ferries leave often during rush hour.”
“When we get back, I’ll treat us to dinner,” her brother offered. “Where shall we go?”
“There’s a great sushi place on Bond Street.” She’d said it to tease Craig. His proclivity for beef was well known.