My nose stung with tears. This time good tears. “Thanks, Rach. Love you too.”
Rachel stuck around for a little longer, distracting me from the current scary status of my life by gossiping about her neighbors and her neighbors’ kids. Although it was a little unfair of her to complain about anyone else’s terrifying children, considering Maisy, I let her babble on because in her own way Rachel was almost soothing. She brought normality to me in that hospital room, and I needed that so much right then.
My friend was barely out the door when my grandfather showed up. Alone.
I looked beyond him expectantly, but the door to my room closed behind him.
Grandpa strode to my side, grabbed my hand, and squeezed it. “I told Adele last night, sweetheart, but she’s … She needs time. And with the news hitting the papers …”
I tried to pull my hand free. “I get it.”
Grandpa held on. “What you don’t get is that I love you and I will always love you. I made a mistake, Alexa, a terrible mistake that I have regretted ever since that night. I tried in my own way to see it right, but it can never be made right. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I hurt you and that you feel betrayed. But more than anything I’m sorry this horrible act of mine ever made you question my love for you.”
Tears burned in my eyes. “I just feel really alone.”
“Never think that. It took me too long, but I’m here now. You’re not alone.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“It will take time. I can wait.”
And he started waiting right then, as I sat in silence and began the process of trying to forgive him.
A while later, just as Grandpa and I had begun to talk a little, Angela came in looking flustered. She scowled back at Don, one of my security guys, as the door closed behind her. “They really are obnoxious,” she told me. “I’ve got a short, frantic little guy outside claiming to be a friend of yours. Says his name is Benito.”
Holy hell.
I wondered if getting stabbed warranted forgiveness.
“Show him in.”
Angela pushed open my hospital door. “He’s allowed in, jackass,” she snapped at Don as she passed him.
I chuckled and then immediately winced at the pain from my wound. I guessed laughter was out for a while, then.
Benito marched into the room and slammed to a stop at the sight of me. It was like watching him walk into a brick wall. He paled as his big round eyes took in the scene before him. “Oh, dear God.” He hurried to my side and snatched up my hand. “Alexa … I had to come as soon as I heard.”
I gave him a somewhat confused smile. “It’s nice to see you, Benito.” What are you doing here?
He looked at my grandfather, his eyebrows raised. I so did not want to get into that with Benito.
Grandpa cleared his throat and stood up. “I’ll let you have privacy with your friend.” He bent down and pressed a sweet kiss to my temple. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”
I nodded carefully and watched him leave. I had to admit I felt a certain relief in having decided to try to mend the breach between us.
Benito squeezed my hand. “Edward Holland is your grandfather?”
“We’re not discussing that. At all,” I warned him.
He let go of my hand to pull the chair up beside the bed, the feet screeching across the floor in a way that didn’t even seem to compute with him. I gritted my teeth against the noise and waited for him to explain his presence.
“I feel just awful,” he launched in, gesticulating wildly. “You wouldn’t be in this hospital bed if I hadn’t fired you.”
I snorted. “And you drew this conclusion … how?”
“I was working on a shoot in New York yesterday. You would have been with me, nowhere near International Place.”
Ah. I got it now. He was under the impression that this was not a targeted attack. I, however, was still convinced I might have been assaulted because of Caine’s mysterious secrets. “We don’t know that,” I assured him. “We’re not sure what’s going on here.”
“All I know is that I’m a shit for firing you. I’ve been racked with guilt all morning. I came to apologize.”
The truth was I didn’t regret Benito firing me. What he did actually changed my life. Okay, so right now that wasn’t for the better, but the months before the attack had been the most amazing of my life. And although things were shitty now, at least I was reevaluating my future. If Benito hadn’t fired me I would still be working alongside him, existing on the perimeter of someone else’s career.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Let me,” he snapped impatiently.
“Fine,” I sighed. “Apology accepted.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You could be a little more gracious about it.”
I raised an eyebrow in answer.
“Right.” He winced, his eyes dropping to my stomach. “How is it?” His hands fluttered over the area as if he was afraid any minute now I was about to go all Warrant Officer Ripley on him.
“Gestating.”
“What?” He squinted in confusion.
“Nothing,” I murmured.
“I’ve missed your weird sense of humor, Alexa.” He patted my hand condescendingly.
Frankly I didn’t think I had a weird sense of humor—it was just that Benito didn’t have any kind of sense of humor.
“There was another reason I came to see you.”
“Oh?” Please do not offer me my job back. It would be very difficult to say no, and I knew the best thing for me was to start afresh.
“Antoine Faucheux called me a few days ago.”
Interest piqued, I urged him to go on.
“Apparently his sister, Renée, is looking for a new events planner in her events management company. In Paris. It’s a very successful company—it deals in society weddings, launch parties … Antoine is going to suggest you to his sister, and he called me to ask me to forgive you long enough to write you a glowing reference.”
I stared dumbly at him, processing.
A job. In Paris. In events management?
Was this real?
Benito grimaced. “You’re not saying anything.”
“I’m trying to get my head around it. You just told me someone might offer me my dream job the day after some psycho stuck a knife in me. It’s all a little overwhelming.”
“Of course, dear.” He patted my hand again, this time staring at me as if he were worried I was about to start shouting for Nurse Ratched.