Entwined With You

on the coffee table. “You and me, we’re both guilty of tiptoeing around Mom—
Oh no, don’t upset Monica!
—because we’d rather just give in than deal with her meltdowns. But that’s emotional extortion, Richard, and I’m done paying out.”
    He was silent, then, “You’re under a lot of strain right now. And—”
    “You think?” In my head I was screaming. “Tell Mom I love her and I’ll call when I can. Which won’t be today.”
    “Clancy and I are available if you need anything,” he said stiffly.
    “Thank you, Richard. I appreciate that.”
    I hung up and fought the urge to throw the phone at the wall.
    I’ D managed to calm down enough to go over the Crossroads website before Gideon reappeared from his office. He looked wiped and a bit dazed, which was to be expected, considering. Dealing with my momwhen she was upset was a challenge for anyone, and Gideon didn’t have much experience to fall back on.
    “I warned you,” I said.
    He lifted his arms over his head and stretched. “She’ll be all right. I think she’s tougher than she lets on.”
    “She was stoked to hear from you, wasn’t she?”
    He smirked.
    I rolled my eyes. “She thinks I need a rich man to take care of me and keep me safe.”
    “You’ve got one.”
    “I’m going to assume you meant that in a noncaveman way.” I stood. “I have to head out and get ready for my dad’s visit. I’ll need to be home at night for however long he’s here, and it’s probably not wise for you to sneak into my apartment. If he mistakes you for a burglar, it won’t be pretty.”
    “It’s also disrespectful. I’ll use the time to be seen at the penthouse.”
    “So we’ve got a plan.” I stood and scrubbed at my face before admiring my new watch. “At least I’ve got a lovely way to count the minutes until we’re together again.”
    He came to me, catching me by the nape. His thumb drew tantalizing circles on the back of my neck. “I need to know you’re okay.”
    I nodded. “I’m tired of Nathan running my life. I’m working toward that fresh start.”
    I imagined a future in which my mom wasn’t a stalker, my dad was back on solid footing, Cary was happy, Corinne was in another country far away, and Gideon and I weren’t ruled by our pasts.
    And I was finally ready to fight for it.

11
    M ONDAY MORNING . T IME to go to work. I hadn’t heard from my dad, so I got ready to head in. I was digging in my closet when a knock came on my bedroom door.
    “Come in,” I yelled.
    A minute later, I heard Cary shout back, “Where the hell are you?”
    “In here.”
    His shadow darkened the doorway. “Any word from your dad?”
    I glanced at him. “Not yet. I sent him a text and didn’t get a reply.”
    “So he’s still on the plane.”
    “Or he missed a connection. Who knows?” I scowled at my clothes.
    “Here.” He came in and stepped around me, pulling a pair of gray linen palazzo pants off the bottom rack and a black lace cap-sleeved shirt.
    “Thank you.” And because he was close, I hugged him.
    His returning hug was so tight it squeezed the air out of me. Startledby his exuberance, I held him for a long while, my cheek over his heart. For the first time in a few days, he was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, and as usual, he managed to look striking and expensive.
    “Everything okay?” I asked him.
    “I miss you, baby girl,” he murmured into my hair.
    “Just trying to make sure you don’t get sick of me.” I tried to sound like I was teasing, but his tone niggled at me. It lacked all the vivacity I was so used to hearing in it. “I’m taking a cab to work, so I’ve got some time. Why don’t we have a cup of coffee?”
    “Yeah.” He pulled back and smiled at me, looking boyishly beautiful.
    Taking my hand, he led me out of the closet. I tossed my clothes on an armchair before we headed out to the kitchen.
    “Are you going out?” I asked.
    “I’ve got a shoot today.”
    “Well, that’s good news!” I headed to the coffeemaker while he went to pull half-and-half out of the fridge. “Sounds like another occasion to dig into the case of Cristal.”
    “No way,” he scoffed. “Not with everything that’s going on with your dad.”
    “What else are we going to do? Sit around staring at each other? There’s nothing more that can be done. Nathan is dead and even if he weren’t, what he did to me is long over.” I pushed a steaming mug over to him and filled another. “I’m ready to