Half an hour later, Roman sat in the lobby, waiting. Grace came out of the elevator, back in uniform: black slacks, loose button-up white blouse, a single strand of pearls, and low black heels. Classic, professional. Was she trying to remind him this trip was supposed to be strictly business?
The hotel clerk had given him directions to a nice steak house. Roman gave the host a twenty to seat them in a quiet booth. When they were offered drinks, Grace asked for water. If he wasn’t the one driving, he’d have ordered a Scotch, maybe two. He was beginning to feel as tense as she looked. When he picked up the wine list, she turned her glass over.
“Okay.” He dropped it on the table and studied her. “What’s wrong?”
“How long are we going to be gone, Roman?”
Was that all that was worrying her, or was there more? “We’ll be back by Friday. We can swing by and pick up your son on the way home. It’ll save you the trip back to wherever he is when he’s not with you.” Her expression altered, like a veil dropping over her face. “Is that a problem?”
“It’s not on the way.”
He’d wait. Maybe she’d trust him enough to talk about what was going on in her life. Then again, how much of his own was he willing to share? He didn’t want to talk about his past. Maybe he should. Maybe that would open her up as well. Aside from the growing attraction, something else was happening here. He didn’t want to back away this time. Why not take Jasper’s advice for a change and see what happened?
She looked ready to take the bus home.
“Try not to worry, Grace. This is more about me than you.” A lie. “I needed to get out of the studio for a while, to think.” True. “And since you told me you haven’t seen much, I thought why not see something on the way.” He’d been to Yosemite Valley and Half Dome, but he’d never gone over Tioga Pass or down to Mono Lake. “Have you ever been to Bodie?”
“Bodie?” She shook her head. “I’ve never been anywhere.”
She’d told him that. He just wanted her to remember. He’d read a few brochures in the hotel tourist information rack while waiting for her to come downstairs. “It’s a ghost town ten miles off the highway.” He spent the next few minutes telling her everything he remembered from the brochure. He was beginning to sound like a travel agent trying to sell a tour.
Grace didn’t look like she wanted him as guide. “That’s a lot of miles to cover in a couple of days.”
“We have time. Let’s enjoy the ride.”
She put her hand on the table as though bracing herself. “Why are we really on this trip, Roman?”
He let out his breath slowly and leaned back, surveying her. “I don’t know. I want more, I guess.” He smiled slightly, trying to ease the worry flickering in her eyes. “More life. I want whatever it is you have that makes you see what I miss.”
She didn’t say anything, but her face softened as she searched his. “When I started working for you, I had the distinct impression you wanted convenience without complications.”
“And you think getting to know one another would complicate our relationship?”
“I hope not.”
He hadn’t expected to feel hurt. Was she worried about what Prince Charming might think? Why was he working so hard to get close to this woman? Roman signaled the waiter.
“Ready to order, sir?”
Roman looked to Grace for an answer. Without opening the menu, she ordered a salad. Annoyed, Roman asked the waiter to give them another minute. He leaned forward. “I didn’t bring you to a steak house so you could have a dinner salad.”
She gasped. “You’re impossible.” She leaned forward, too. “It’s a waste of money to buy a steak I can’t eat.”
“Oh. You’re a vegetarian.”
“No, but I’m not a glutton either.”
At least he’d gotten a rise out of her. “Eat what you can.” He signaled the waiter again. The man approached cautiously.
Roman didn’t know where to pick up the conversation after that tirade.
She was looking at him again, but her anger had already dissipated. “You’re impossible to read. Do you know that?”
He gave a bleak laugh. “You’re telling me that?” There was something new in her expression. “What?”
She bowed her head, smoothing the napkin on her lap. “I’m not sure what you want from me.”
Neither was he, but she’d unlocked the gate. He could hear Jasper’s voice in his head. Don’t push. Wait to be invited in. He’d had only three friends growing up, all dead before they turned eighteen. The responsibility for one could be laid at his feet. Maybe that was the reason he’d never gotten close to anyone since. And never a woman. Jasper Hawley had his theories about Bobby Ray Dean’s reasons. Roman didn’t want to know.
“I’d like to find out if we can be friends.”
Grace sat at the desk in her hotel room, responding to Shanice’s text asking how the road trip was going.
He wants to find out if we can be friends.
And you said?
I didn’t say no. He’s been different since we left Topanga Canyon.
Different how?
I don’t know exactly. We’ve been talking more.
Talking about what?
Places he’s seen. He had a motorcycle and rode all over Europe. He has a tattoo wrapped around his rib cage and up onto his chest.
And you know this how?!?
We went swimming at the hotel. Lots of moms and kids. Don’t worry. My room is on a different floor. He’s been a gentleman. Most of the time. He can still be aggravating and rude.
Should I be worried about you? Don’t forget Brian.
Grace had forgotten all about Brian. That wasn’t a good sign. She thumbed a response. Nothing has changed in that regard. I’d better get back to studying.
OK. I’ll check in with you again. Be careful.
Tonight, over dinner, Grace had caught a glimpse of Roman she hadn’t seen before. Vulnerability. It surprised her because he’d always come across as a man who knew exactly who he was and how to get what he wanted. Was he playing with her? She didn’t need Shanice to tell her to be careful. It had become her natural inclination.
Whatever Roman’s real intent, she should get to know him. Maybe there was more to the man than what she already knew. Until this evening, she thought he was a cynical, discontented loner driven to succeed. He worked hard, made a truckload of money from his art and investments, and used some to buy himself a fortress.
Roman Velasco was certainly no knight in shining armor. Oh, he had armor, all right, and cannons aimed at anyone who dared intrude. He went out occasionally to dally with a peasant girl. She’d learned about a man’s physical needs from Patrick. Roman would have as little trouble as Patrick finding a willing girl.
She had learned from her marriage to Patrick that she didn’t know what went on in men’s minds. Sometimes she’d feel a hint something was off, that their relationship had less to do with love than with his goals. He hadn’t forced her to give up anything, but he’d known how to make her feel guilty enough to surrender all her dreams so he could attain his.
Friends she trusted had picked Brian. They knew men better than she did. And she liked Brian. She’d be able to think straight with a man like that. He wouldn’t be like Patrick: needy one moment, demanding the next. Brian felt safe.
Roman wasn’t safe. Sometimes she felt like she was in deep water with him, monsters circling and coming up from below. Lord, I don’t know if I should be friends with this man. He has only two friends—Talia Reisner and Jasper Hawley. Why is that? If this is a bad idea, let me know in a way I’ll understand. Please, Lord.
She slept fitfully, dreaming of her mother looking out the kitchen window, her face pale with tension. And then it happened again, and all the fear came rushing back. With a cry, Grace sat up in bed. Trembling, body damp with cold sweat, she listened intently, half-expecting her father to come through the door.
I’m in a hotel. It was a nightmare. Everything is all right now.
She lay back down. Pulling the blanket up, she curled on her side. She’d had the nightmare before, many times, but that was years ago, when her aunt first brought her to Fresno. What had roused it tonight? The evening with Roman? Lord, please, don’t let it start up again where it left off. Please, God.