Glass Towers, Shattered (Glass Towers Trilogy) (11 page)

I look up at him, and he seems engrossed in what he is looking at on his screen.  I decide to not disturb him, and get up to take Henry out to the yard.  Seeing me move, Henry scrambles to attention, looking at me with anticipation.  “Do you need to go to potty Henry?”

He wags his tail.  I guess, I will take that as a yes.

I repeat the question, more for Garrin’s benefit, than for the dog.  This way, he knows what I am doing, without having to get into a dialogue about my opening the door.  I let Henry out, by way of the mudroom door, and wait inside for him to return.  I flip on the light in the room, and something on the floor catches my eye.  I lean down to inspect the object, picking it up carelessly.  I start to turn it over in my hand, but Henry interrupts me by scratching at the door.  I stick the small object into my jacket pocket and let the dog in.  I wipe his feet, and we go back into the kitchen.  I walk around the dining table, passing Garrin, and glance at his computer screen.  He isn’t doing work at all --he’s playing solitaire!  Hmm.

I see lights cross the room and come to a stop, shining into the living room windows.  Henry starts wagging his tail.  His momma must be home.

I turn to see Garrin shut his laptop and rise from his chair.  He walks over to me, with a raised brow.  “It’s okay, Simone is home.”

He nods.

I walk over to open the door, as Henry barges past me to greet Simone on the walkway.  “Hello buddy!  How’s my main man?  That’s a good boy!”  She pats his head with her free hand and passes through the doorway to the entryway, where Garrin is standing.  He looks at Simone, with a faint smile on his lips and his hands at his side.”

Simone stops for a minute, with her mouth hanging open.  I nudge her with my elbow, and she takes a step forward, just enough for me to shut and lock the front door.

“Um, Simone?”

I laugh. “Simone, this is Garrin Leone; he is the security I was telling you about.”  I turn my eyes to Garrin.

He is looking at Simone, matching her gaze.  I feel the electricity raging between them, and I almost feel as if I am intruding.  Sheesh.

“Garrin, this is Simone Clarke.”

At least Garrin had the ability to move.  He advances forward, with his hand outreached and grabs Simone’s hand to shake it.  She responds by giving him the stupidest smile I have ever seen on her face.  Oh, if only she could see how ridiculous she looks.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss Clarke.”  Garrin says, before dropping Simone’s noodle-like hand.  He takes a step back, still watching her carefully. 

After another second, Simone finally pulls her hand back, but her face is as red as her hair.  The usual confident Simone seems to have been replaced by a flustered Simone.  I haven’t seen this girl since high school.  I find this immensely amusing and intriguing.

“Well,  it’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Leone, but please call me Simone.”  She bats her eyelashes.  Oh, how soupy can she get?

He smiles, “Well, in that case, call me Garrin,
s'il vous plait
.”

She giggles, “Oh
oui
!”

Okay, I have had enough of this.  I turn to Simone, “Where do you want to have dinner?  I am starving.  I have not eaten a thing today, and the coffee I drank has burned a hole through my insides.”

She perks up even more, “Oh anything sounds good to me.  Garrin, what are you hungry for?”

He looks startled.  “Oh no, I won’t be eating with you.  I will wait outside while you eat.”

“Oh no, we won’t hear of it.  You will be joining us, and that is that.  So, what sounds good?”

I sigh, so much for our girl time.  At least, we will have an entire weekend of it.  “How about that bistro down the street?  It has a little bit of everything on the menu, and it’s close?”

Simone does a little excited jump. “Perfect! I’ll get changed.”  Then, she looks me up and down.  “I suggest you do the same thing!”  She grabs me by the arm, and says to Garrin, “If you will excuse us.”

He smiles and nods.

Once out of his earshot, Simone stops and grabs me by both arms and faces me square on.  “Please tell me he is available!  He is so damned gorgeous, and did you smell him?  Divine!”

“I have no idea, Clarke!”

“Well, we need to find out!’

Shaking my head, “Oh no, we don’t need to find out.  I am not getting in the middle of this nonsense.  I’ve got my own crazy to deal with, remember?”

“You owe me, Danners!”

“Oh, that is a low blow!  You know I am an innocent pawn in all this.”

“No actually, I don’t know.  You haven’t told me what is going on, so as far as I can tell, you owe me something.  And I want Garrin as my payment.”

“Wow you are like a cat in heat, Clarke.”

She looks at me smugly, “That’s right.  Meow.”

She turns on her heel and heads to the upstairs master suite.  I head to the back bedroom where I am staying.  I look through the closet for something simple to wear.  I don’t feel like dressing up.  I decide on a pair of plain skinny jeans, a white button up shirt with a turquoise chunky necklace, and a pair of chocolate-brown riding boots.  There is a bit of a nip in the air, so I grab my chocolate-brown, furry zip up vest.  I put on a dab of lip gloss, and shake out my hair.  As I am admiring my outfit, I hear my phone buzz on the night stand.  I pick it up and check the screen, to see who is calling.

My blood turns cold.  It says unknown caller.

I take out my notepad and write down the date and time of the call.  I feel slightly silly, reacting like this.  It is probably a telemarketer, like the detective said.  However, I must exercise some due diligence and write down all the calls.  It is easier than having Simone and the detective get after me later.

Simone’s laughter is infectious and puts a smile on my face, as I walk down the hall to join them.  She is standing in the entryway, leaning into him with her left hand resting on his upper arm.

“Well, shall we?”  They both look startled, and I’m amused at how Garrin changes his posture.  He straightens up at the sight of me, and the laughter is replaced by a very serious face.  It is then that I realize that Garrin puts on a stiff and official exterior for my benefit.  I wonder if, under all that professionalism, is a guy who likes to have fun?  I am sure that given the chance, Simone would like to find out.  By the look on her face, I can tell that she is already smitten.

We follow Garrin out the front door and Simone sets the alarm and locks the deadbolt.  Garrin insists he drive us to the restaurant, so I climb into the backseat of the white sedan.  Simone looks from me to Garrin, as he holds the rear door open for her.  She reluctantly scoots into the seat next to me.  Garrin shuts the door and then hops in the driver seat. She looks at me with bright, excited eyes.  Wow, she is really into this guy, and she only just met him.  I wonder how long it will take for her to run her course with this one.

From the backseat, Simone directs Garrin to the restaurant, which is only a few blocks away from her place.  We pull into a packed parking lot.  “Oh shoot, Clarke, looks like there will be a wait, and on a Tuesday night, wow!”

She gives me a smug smile and holds up her phone.  “No, I thought ahead and made reservations for us.  On Tuesday, they have a live jazz trio; that’s why it's crowded.”

“Oh, wow, look at you on top of things.”

She looks toward the front seat, “Well, I’d like to be,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye.

“Naughty girl,” I say in hushed tone, so Garrin can’t hear me.

Garrin gets out of the car and holds the left passenger door open for us.  We can hear the soft jazz floating out to us in the parking lot.

Once inside and seated, I take a minute to survey the room.  The place is very rustic, with rough-hewn floors, simple, mismatched, wooden tables and chairs, and dim overhead lighting.  The walls are covered with a variety of mirrors, in different shapes, sizes, and frames.  I love the different mirrors because of the way they reflect light.   The old mirrors seem have more depth, as though they have the ability to reflect what’s inside the soul of a person into the room.

Once I approve the décor of the space, I take a moment to notice the people.  It seems to be almost all couples.  It is very intimate in here, and as Garrin and Simone engage in conversation, I feel even more like the third wheel.  If only Harrison were here to enjoy this with me.  Our waitress comes over to greet us and takes our drink order.  We order a bottle of cabernet and an appetizer of polenta with sausage.  Simone insists on it.

While the two of them continue their flirtation, I allow myself to become absorbed in the music.  Tonight features a jazz trio that consists of trumpet, guitar and a portable piano.  So far, nobody is singing.  The soothing music fills the corners of this quaint room.  I imagine myself somewhere in France, or maybe, Montreal, at an outdoor bistro with the hustle and bustle of people rushing by… holding Harrison’s hand across the little metal table.

Suddenly,  a sharp jab in my rib pulls me back to reality. Surprised, I open my eyes to see three sets of eyes staring at me.  The waitress repeats herself, “Ma’am, do you know what you would like to order?” 

“Oh, yeah, sorry.  I would like the daily fish in parchment paper with a side salad no dressing.”  I smile at the server and hand her back my menu.  I look at Simone, and she is giving me a look of disgust. “What?”

“How boring! Fish in parchment paper and a salad?  Where is your sense of adventure?  You had better break out of that shell this weekend, or so help me, I’ll have to twist the fun right out of you!”

“Wow, I didn’t realize I was so boring.”  I say this as I rub my sore, scraped-up palms together.  “I find my life anything but boring lately, and frankly, I think I would take dull over this kind of excitement.”

“You know what I mean, Dani.  I am not referring to you being stalked, I mean living life.  You were so held back by your ex, and now here you are, cowering in my house, hiding from who knows what kind of threat.  This weekend you are going to enjoy yourself, that I promise!”

I tilt my head and look at her.  “I am having fun right this moment listening to the music and enjoying the two of you jabbering on.”

She sighs, “Oh Dani, I just don’t get you.”  The server arrives with our polenta and sausage, which then commands Simone’s full attention, thus she forgets all about lecturing me   --for the time being.

The remainder of the meal is enjoyable.  I have fun watching the various cozy couples sitting in the corners of the little bistro.  The conversation is light and airy, just what I needed.  When it came time to pay, Simone and I reached for our wallets, but Garrin put a stop to it.  “No, I am under strict orders to use my expense account, so dinner is on Harrison Towers.”

“Oh geeze, I would have ordered a bottle of their best champagne or something, if I knew money bags was footing the bill.  Is it too late to get something to go?”  Simone says, while laughing.  I give her a stern look, and she retreats into her seat.

I feel funny about this, but I am old enough to know that if a man wants to pay, whether he is present or not, it is futile to argue.  Besides, it is a thrill for Simone.  I shrug, “Well I will have to thank Mr. Towers tomorrow, when I see him at the new office space.”  Simone quickly whips her head in my direction to throw me a frown.

I return her frown, “What was that for?”

“Surely, you aren’t really going through with decorating for that scoundrel?  After all he has put you through?”  Shaking her head at me, and apparently not caring what she says in front of Garrin.

“We need to talk still, there is a lot I haven’t had a chance to tell you about.  So, until we do get to talk, would you please refrain from judging me or Harrison?”

Now she is looking at me with her mouth gaping open.

“I know from your perspective it must look really bad.  Just wait.”

She gives me a look that tells me she is skeptical.

Our waitress returns with the receipt, and we all get up to leave.  I reach over to grab my handbag off the floor, and I suddenly have an eerie sense that someone was watching us.  I quickly scan the room and don’t see anyone suspicious, or even anyone looking at us, for that matter.  My nerves are getting the better of me, I decide.

Back at Simone’s, Garrin seems to be more at ease.  I laugh to myself; obviously, Simone’s attention has helped him relax.  He excuses himself to take a call, and I hear him in the mudroom, speaking in French.  I turn to look at Simone as Garrin’s voice raises and he exits the house, through the mudroom door.  She shrugs her shoulders.  She turns her attention back to her Smartphone.  All I can hear now is his muffled voice.  I turn my attention to Henry, who is looking at me expectantly.  “What? Am I your go-to for potty breaks now?”

I get up from the sofa to let Henry out the front door.  I shut the door and look over at Simone,  who is staring at me intently.

I frown, “What now?”

She cocks her head to the left, “I keep hearing Garrin say your name, but I can’t make anything else out.”  She holds her finger up to her lips, so as to tell me to be quiet.

I am standing in the middle of the room, waiting for Henry to come back to the front door, and I’m straining to hear what Garrin is saying.  “How can you hear him? You have radar ears or what?”