They had little to fear. Oscar had settled in nicely and had selected a terrific place to do it.
The loft was a uniquely crafted dwelling. Despite its open floor plan, the place was chock-full of cozy nooks and crannies furnished with overstuffed chairs and sofas. Rejuvenating natural illumination poured through skylights and a roof that had been the scene for many unforgettable barbecues. Oscar Bauer, however, spent a great deal of his time on the lofty third level, which comprised his home office suite. Vectra usually had the run of the place whenever she visited. Her father’s office/man cave held relatively everything he needed, which made Oscar comfortable leaving his daughter to her own devices in the rest of the house.
Such was the case that morning when Vectra arrived.
“Dad?!”
“Up here, baby!”
“Figures! Don’t come down!” Vectra laughed, genuinely pleased to find him at work—or play—in his private domain. In truth, she wasn’t much in the mood to explain why she was there for a change of clothes.
Not that her father ever questioned such things. Like her house staff, he’d probably throw a party if he knew her reason had to do with a man. Qasim Wilder, at that. Oscar had made no secret of how much he approved of the successful investment broker.
Vectra took her coffee from the sunlit second level kitchen and headed over to enjoy it from the attached alcove. The space offered an excellent view of the culturally energetic area. Its vibrancy was evident even during daylight hours. Still, her thoughts returned to Qasim.
Returned? Hmph, they were never far away from him. That was especially true now that their relationship had transcended into the lovers’ realm. He’d been upset when they parted ways earlier that morning. She knew it and didn’t find fault in his reaction. Twice, she’d refused him. The actions surprised her. She had no explanation for it. Part of her wanted to shout to anyone who’d listen that she was floating on a cloud and Qasim was the reason.
The other part of her wanted no one to know, fearing what they’d found was something that would not last. Worse, she’d be to blame for it. Residual baggage from her previous relationship disaster wasn’t her excuse. At least, not fully. The experience, however, had rendered her much more cautious with her heart.
Or...she thought it had. She really wanted to serve her heart to Qasim Wilder on a platter with all the trimmings. Unfortunately, caution had been her game for so long that she wasn’t sure how to shake it. All the while, her instincts were screaming that playing it safe wasn’t warranted.
“Vecs!” her father called down. It was then that she tuned in to the doorbell’s chimes. Quickly, she set aside her coffee and rushed for the boxed wooden staircase that would take her down to the main level.
“Got it, Dad!” she called on her way down. Within seconds, she was opening the front door to someone she wouldn’t have expected, but was pleased to see.
“Vectra, thank God.” Minka Gerald appeared more relieved than pleased.
“Minka? You okay?” Concern heightened, Vectra pulled the woman inside with a tug to her elbow.
“Sorry for the theatrics, I—” Minka paused to inhale a calming breath. “I went to see you at the gallery, but your staff said you were working from here today.”
“Why didn’t you just call me?” Vectra steered the woman deeper inside the loft.
Minka shook her head and gave a mystified shrug. “I’m not working on all cylinders today.”
“This calls for tea,” Vectra said, guiding them back toward the staircase.
“Incredible.” Minka inhaled again, taking the time to observe her surroundings. “I heard your dad had some place.”
“Yeah—” Vectra laughed “—he doesn’t laze about in it as much as I do, though. Keeps to his office.” She looked toward the ceiling and huffed.
They made it up to the second level. There, Minka went wild over the stunning view. Mirrors practically walled the wide open space. Smaller picture windows filled the chrome-and-granite kitchen while wider ones lined the alcove and enclosed the dining room on three sides.
Vectra set a shiny black kettle to boil. “So why isn’t your brain working on all cylinders?” she asked.
Minka set her wrap and tote bag to the dark gray tiled kitchen island and sighed. “It’s probably got a lot to do with the fact that I’ve drained a great deal of its power into investigating a coworker.”
“Are you sure, Mink? This is serious stuff.”
“You’re tellin’ me?” Minka gulped down more of the herbal blend she’d been guzzling while relaying her suspicions of Will Lloyd’s embezzlement of funds from the Wilder Warriors Foundation.