Janet lets out a soft sigh as I stop and wait for Gracie. Strike two.
“Is there a problem?” I ask, my tone laced with irritation.
Janet stands up tall, plastering on a fake smile. “Of course not.”
Gracie catches up to us and I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her in as we follow Janet to the master bedroom.
Janet is quick to point out all the extraordinary features, including the high coffered ceilings, the doors to the terrace, the oversized luxury bath with soaker tub, and views of the Hudson River from the terrace.
Gracie once again releases my hand and, without a word, strolls across the bedroom to the oversized French doors, where she pushes through them and out onto the terrace. She seems to relax outside, her shoulders falling and her long hair whipping around her face in the wind. I love when her hair is down, and I notice a small smile tug at her lips as she tips her head back and up to the sky, where her eyes slip shut.
My heart leaps in my chest as I watch her, trying to tune out Janet’s grating voice. I notice the drops of water falling from the sky and that’s when Gracie spins slowly. She spreads her arms out as if summoning the rain herself, and I can’t fucking look away.
Everything about her mesmerizes me. The way she moves, graceful and with intent. The way she speaks, every word carrying meaningful decisiveness or laced with humor. But mostly, the way she looks at people, as if she can see into their soul. I’ve never noticed this about another woman, and I’m fascinated with how quickly I see all of this in Gracie.
“Excuse me for a minute,” I tell Janet, hoping it’ll shut her up. With three long strides, I’m across the bedroom and out the door, joining Gracie on the terrace.
Her eyes snap open when she hears the door close behind me, and her lips twist into a giant smile when she sees me walk over to her. Her face is sprinkled with rain drops and I pull her into a kiss. It’s passionate and needy and telling of something so much more than I can understand, let alone explain. Her arms wrap around my neck, and I lift her and spin slowly just like she had been spinning only moments before. She giggles against my lips and I slow us to a stop before I get dizzy.
“I like dancing in the rain with you,” she mumbles against my lips as the rain falls harder.
The rain soaks my hair and I brush the water from my eyes. “I like you, Gracie. I’ll dance with you anytime, anywhere.”
Eight
“Write up an offer. Four-point-five and a five-day close.” Janet’s eyes just about bulge out of her head at Drew’s request.
“Mr. McPherson, that’s all but impossible,” she starts before Drew cuts her off.
“Nothing is impossible, Janet. The place is vacant. There’ll be an additional three percent bonus for you if you make it happen.” I see Janet mentally doing the math and she nods. Drew continues, commanding, like he makes real estate deals every single day. “Open escrow today and I’ll have the funds wired first thing Monday morning. The rest is paperwork, Janet. Don’t tell me it can’t be done. Tell the seller I’ll be sending some people over tomorrow and they are to have full access to the unit for as long as they need.”
I hold back a grin as I watch Drew bark orders at Janet. I know she doesn’t like me, the way she looks down her nose at me and her disgusted looks speak volumes. She doesn’t believe I’m good enough for someone like Andrew McPherson. Maybe she’s right, or maybe she’s wrong, but it’s nice to see Drew putting her in her place.
She nods and taps frantically on her iPad.
“Anything else you need from me?” he asks, gripping my hand and all but dragging me out of the condo.
“No, I don’t—”
“Good. You have my number if you need anything else.” And with that, the door to the condo shuts behind us and Drew is pulling us to the elevator. He punches the down button at least ten times impatiently.
“Why are we in such a hurry?” I ask as the chime sounds and the elevator doors part.
“Because I don’t like the way Janet looks at you… dismisses you.” He pauses, a sympathetic look washing over his face. “I wanted to fire her the second she looked at you, but I need her to close this deal for me and fast. She’s the only one who can do it.” He presses the heel of his palm to his eye.
“Don’t worry about it; it happens all the time,” I tell him, brushing off his concern. “I’m not society, Drew. Look at me.” I gesture to myself with one hand. While I’m not ugly, I’m hardly anything special.
“I am looking at you and you’re fucking beautiful.” He drags his knuckles across my cheek and I sink into him. “And I promise to never let anyone treat you like that again.”
“She didn’t do anything, Drew—”
He sighs loudly, clearly aggravated. “But she did, Gracie, I hated the way it made me feel, and you should too.”
I look up at him and see the anger and the hurt all over his face. “I’ll never be someone who cares about that, Drew. Appearances, titles, money…none of that matters to me.” And there it is. I’ve laid it all out for him. If these are important to him, he’s definitely barking up the wrong tree with me. I care about digging myself out of the financial mess I’m in, not what some lady I’ll never see again thinks about me. My entire life, I’ve been looked down on by people who had more money, nicer clothes, better education, and an easier life. I’ve learned to keep my head down, work hard, and that the fruits of that labor will eventually pay off…I hope.
I see the muscles in his jaw tick as he contemplates what I’ve told him and he doesn’t say anything in return. The elevator doors open and we exit into the luxurious lobby. As the doorman sees us coming, he opens the doors that lead out onto the lovely tree-lined Twenty-third Street.
The rain has stopped, but the skies are still overcast and grey. Drew leans into the car and exchanges a few words with Tony before the car pulls away from the curb and into traffic.
Drew’s demeanor has shifted and he smiles, seemingly more relaxed. “Ready to explore our new neighborhood?” he asks, lacing his fingers through mine.
“Your neighborhood,” I correct him.
“Our.”
My heart races when he says this. While I’m flattered, this is all happening very fast and he doesn’t understand the baggage I come with. If he knew the depths of the shit I’m digging myself out of, he’d go running in the opposite direction, so I correct him again. “Your.”
Drew stops, turning to me. “Stop arguing with me, Gracie. If you think for one second that I’m letting you go back to Red Hook—”
“Whoa!” I stop on the sidewalk and press my palm to his chest. “Stop right there.” I shake my head and take a deep breath. “My apartment is my apartment. I’ve worked hard to get that place and everything that’s in it—”
“But—”
“But nothing,” I cut him off. “I’ll visit you here at your place.” The corner of my lips twist into a coy smile.
He sighs, exasperated with me. I don’t know why; he’s the one who’s being so unreasonable. I’m flattered but also concerned with how quickly this is moving. “Gracie, I know you feel what I feel. What we have is undeniable.” He swallows hard. “Never in my life have I met someone and felt an instant connection. I’ve never met a woman like you before—”