That gets my attention. “Skye? Here? Why? She knows I’m supposed to be in New York.”
“Yeah, she does,” Christopher says. “She brought over a basket of goodies for Sasha. It’s on the island in the kitchen.”
“It is?” I stride back into the kitchen.
Sure enough, a gift basket from Betsy’s Bark Boutique sits on the marble counter. Not sure how I missed it.
Betsy’s Bark Boutique. I know that name. Betsy…I can’t recall her last name. She’s a friend of Addison’s. They go way back, even further than Addie and I go.
“I took Sasha on a walk earlier,” Christopher says from behind me.
“Great. Thanks.”
“I dropped her off for an hour of play time at the doggie daycare. In fact, I should go pick her up.”
“Thanks,” I say again. “You don’t have to hang around here on your day off. Annika can take care of Sasha.”
“I don’t mind. I love that little pup. If you don’t need me, I’ll go get her.”
“Fine. See you in a bit.”
Christopher leaves the kitchen, and a few minutes later, I hear the sound of the elevator door sliding open.
Now, to deal with why I came home.
Skye.
Who has apparently already been here once today. The gift basket from Betsy is filled with homemade treats and a lot of toys. Not an inexpensive gift. Why would Skye buy such a thing for Sasha? Was it an excuse to come here? If so, why? She knows I’m gone.
Marilyn finishes cleaning the oven. “I’m done here, Mr. B. But now that you’re home, do you want me to make you something?”
“No. You’re off this week, too, Marilyn. I don’t want my sudden appearance to upset your plans.”
“Perfect.” She smiles. “Thank you. See you in a few days.”
Again, the elevator doors slide open, the bell dings, and with Marilyn gone and Annika upstairs, I’m alone.
Back to Skye Manning.
She’s the reason I cut my trip short. The reason I gave Dimitri Stamos the extra responsibility he’s been asking for.
The reason I’m standing here in my penthouse, wondering how I’m going to see her tonight.
I could show up unannounced at her place again, like I did last night.
But God, that makes me look a little needy.
I’m not needy. Not at all. I just know what I want. No shame in that.
If Skye and I are going to continue down this path, she needs to know what I want as well.
I pick up my phone to call her when the intercom buzzes from downstairs. Christopher and Marilyn are gone. Annika’s upstairs, and I’m not expecting anyone.
I walk to the intercom on the wall next to the elevator and push the button. “Yes?”
A pause. Then, “You… You’re supposed to be in New York.”
Skye. Skye’s voice.
Skye is here.
“Skye? What are you doing here?”
“I dropped off some treats for Sasha, and I think I lost an earring. I just wanted to come up and look for it.”
She’s not that good a liar. I smile, shaking my head. She came back for some reason, though, and it’s not to see me because she knows I’m out of town. Except now I’m back.
Curiosity wins me over.
“All right. I’ll send the elevator down.” I push the button.
A few minutes later, the elevator doors open. I stand in the entryway. Skye’s hair is tumbling out of its ponytail, as if she ran over here. For some reason, it makes her look all the more delectable.
“Good evening, Skye.”
“Hi.” Her voice cracks.
“Thank you for the treats for Sasha. I just saw the basket in the kitchen.”
“You’re welcome. I got it free at a shoot, and of course I have no use for it.”
So that’s how she got it. She wasn’t so presumptuous as to go out and purchase a gift basket for my dog. It fell into her lap. I’m both relieved and disappointed.
“Nice of you to think of her,” I say.
“Why are you home so soon?”
“I was able to complete the business early.”
“In one day?”
“Does that seem implausible to you?”
It should. It’s damned implausible to me, and it’s also untrue. I didn’t complete the business. I delegated it.
She doesn’t reply right away. She twiddles her fingers together and darts her gaze around the room a few times.
She’s nervous.
“Braden”—she clears her throat—“I didn’t lose an earring.”
“Oh?” No surprise there. I can’t resist a tiny smile. “Why are you here, then?”
“Because I…” She draws in a deep breath and holds it a few seconds.
“Spit it out, Skye.”
A moment passes in silence before she pulls a crumpled envelope out of her purse then thrusts it at me. “To return this.”
I wrinkle my forehead and take the envelope. It’s from the Ames Hotel—a bid to host a past event.
“I don’t know what I was thinking,” she says. “I brought the stuff for Sasha, and then I went to the bathroom. I saw all the mail in the magazine rack, and I couldn’t help myself. When I saw the Ames Hotel envelope, I just… You won’t tell me about you and Addie, so I thought maybe…”
“Maybe you could figure it out from this?”
“I didn’t even look inside. I swear it. I felt terrible about it, and that’s why I came back. I was going to come back up here and replace it in the powder room so no one was the wiser. But now you’re here, and I…I don’t want to lie to you, Braden.”
I open the envelope, withdraw the paper inside, and hand it to her. “It’s a bid for an event my foundation hosted last year.”
She glances at the letter. It’s dated more than a year ago. A quick look at the postmark would have given her this clue.
“You see,” I say. “Nothing about Addison and me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Do you really think I’d leave anything important sitting in my powder room?” I ask.
“No. I…” She sighs. “I wasn’t thinking at all.”