“This is different—” David starts.
“Different from my original plan. That’s life sometimes, isn’t it?”
David snickers over the phone, and it’s almost like I can feel his brain working. I know he’s thinking about all the changes he’ll have to make when he starts working on the guest house, originally built for Joanna’s parents. But just like I kicked Joanna out a week ago, I’m removing every damn trace of her from my property.
“What is this, Rowan?”
“Something better than an engagement ring with the biggest damn diamond you ever saw. Might get that too. Start as soon as possible. I want it done by Valentine’s Day, at the outside. And you know very damn well, I’ll pay you whatever exorbitant fee you damn well please. So knock off a few other clients if you have to. I’m your main priority for the next month.”
“That’s impossible,” he starts.
“Not if I give you enough money, it’s not. See you Monday. Hell, come by tomorrow, and we get blueprints done and finalized by the end of the day.” I hang up the phone before David can respond. I don’t like being told no, and I know all the things he was about to say. But I’ve never met a more passionate architect, and the contractors he works with are second to none. He’ll get so excited about the studio in the next twenty-four hours that he’ll probably have it finished by the end of January, given that the weather behaves itself between now and then.
“More business to attend to, Eliza. Let’s book that spot at the airport and get the jet back to New York on February 1st.” Eliza doesn’t even wake up this time, and I know she’s sick of being the only one listening to me. When a man is hell-bent on adding a woman to his life, he’s bound to chatter. “You’re awfully quiet for a pit bull, Liza. Thought I was getting a guard dog, and all you do is bark at squirrels and ignore me when I have something on my mind.”
I reach over and scratch her head. “Don’t you want to see Cadence?”
Eliza perks up at the mention of her name, but then she drifts off again, her legs twitching happily. I get the idea in my mind that maybe she’s dreaming about Cadence being here, staying here.
After I get in touch with a big name realtor in New York and secure a few penthouse apartments to look at over Skype, I decide I better stop talking so much to my dog. Instead, I put up an out-of-office reply on all emails related to the foundation and start delegating responsibilities out to the directors.
If I’m going to get Cadence to say yes to my proposal, I need to be ready for every little thing that could possibly go wrong, because that woman can be as contrary as she pleases. And if I show up in New York unannounced like I’m planning, I expect she’ll be very contrary. For some reason, the thought of her getting angry with me for showing up sends a rush of heat through my body.
But once she knows what I’m thinking, maybe she’ll get it straight in her mind that I’m for real. I won’t hurt her, won’t ever leave her.
I smile and look through the listings the realtor has sent. What I didn’t think of—what I never thought of, in fact—is that Cadence was becoming a little bit country for me. And I wasn’t doing anything at all to adapt to her world. So maybe this country boy has a little bit of city in him. For a love like this, I’ll adapt to the world she lives in. She rode a horse into the hills, wearing her steel-toed shitkicker boots. The least I can do is buy an apartment for us in New York.
“A spacious apartment. Lots of room for you too, Liza. This first one is 80 million. I’m feeling a little like dropping some money today. Twice as expensive as this place, but what’s money if you can’t spend it?”
I spend the day looking at the penthouses, imagining myself walking through them with Cadence, showing her the place we’ll have her art studio, the place we’ll have our master bedroom, having her pick out the furniture she wants. She’s not one for material things, but she’ll like the windows, the light, the art to hang on the walls. We’ll get a house wherever she wants after that.
After wearing myself out looking and talking to everyone I can find in New York, I decide that for once in our short-lived relationship, I’ll let Cadence decide what she wants to do about a place in New York.
But I believe my own damn self when I repeat it over and over in my head.
I’ll let her have what she needs, but by damn, she will say yes eventually.