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Synopsis
“Please don’t let me fall.”
Since Siobhan has made it as an artist, she’s ready to start a life in New York with the love of her life, billionaire Derick Miller. But their relationship has been a rollercoaster ride that has pushed Derick too far. Will Siobhan be able to win back her soul mate?
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- Original romances presented by JAMES PATTERSON
- Novels you can devour in a few hours
- Impossible to stop reading
A Blackstone Audio production.
Release date: January 3, 2017
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Print pages: 160
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Exquisite
Elizabeth Hayley
Chapter 1
Siobhan blew out a frustrated breath and threw her phone into her bag.
The girls eyed one another cautiously, as if the wrong question might break her completely. A few moments of silence passed before finally one of them spoke.
“What did he say?” Blaine asked quietly.
Siobhan leaned her head back against the cushion of Cory’s couch and stared at the ceiling. “Nothing. What can he say? I barely even gave him a chance to speak.” She brought her head down to look at her friends and saw worry written on their faces. “The only reason I answered was so he’d stop calling.”
“Do you think he knows why you’re not going to the airport?” Marnel asked. “You didn’t even mention the gallery.”
“He’s an idiot, but he can’t be that dumb. He has to know that I found out about the gallery. What other reason would there be for me to act like this?” She propped her elbows on her knees and settled her chin on her hands pensively.
“And you know what?” Siobhan could hear her voice getting louder, angrier. “I really don’t care what he knows or doesn’t know. I’m done giving a shit about how he feels because he clearly doesn’t give a shit about how I feel. If he did, he wouldn’t have bought a goddamn art gallery for me without even speaking to me about it first.” Siobhan stood and headed toward Cory’s kitchen. “You got anything to drink?”
“There’s iced tea in the fridge.”
Siobhan turned back toward the girls. Her expression must have been enough to tell them that iced tea wasn’t going to be strong enough.
“And vodka in the freezer,” Cory added.
Siobhan pulled the bottle out and held it up. “Anyone else want any?”
The girls shook their heads. “We have to work in a few hours,” Marnel said.
“Guess it’ll be a party of one then,” Siobhan said, closing the freezer door and heading back to the couch with just the bottle. She took the cap off and plopped down onto the couch. She stared ahead for a minute before bringing the bottle to her lips and taking a long pull.
“I can’t believe I thought he’d change,” she said, shaking her head. “Or that he did change. He had to have known how I’d react, and he still bought that gallery. And more than that, he kept it a fucking secret. Was he gonna sell my work like it didn’t even mean anything to him? I mean, Jesus Christ, it’s not like he needs the money. None of it makes any sense.”
Siobhan could hear herself rambling, but she didn’t care. She needed to purge her thoughts.
Marnel scooted over on the couch to wrap her in a hug. “I’m sorry,” she said without elaborating, but Siobhan knew what she meant. She was sorry it didn’t work out with Derick. Sorry that he kept making the same mistakes over and over again. Sorry that Derick hurt her.
Siobhan was sorry, too.
“I literally told him this morning that I’d consider moving back to New York if things between us were good for the next six months. Then, just like that, he had to go and mess everything up again.”
“Well, to be fair, he’d already messed it up,” Blaine said. “But you didn’t know.”
Siobhan glared at her.
“Sorry,” Blaine said, looking contrite. She held out her hand for Siobhan to pass her the bottle. “I can’t watch you day-drink alone. It’s sad.” Blaine put the bottle to her lips for a swig and then handed it back to her friend.
Siobhan shrugged. “If the shoe fits.”
Cory got up and returned with four glasses, taking the bottle from Siobhan and pouring a double shot for each of them. “Screw it. We didn’t have lunch yet. Might as well make it a liquid one.”
Marnel picked up her glass. “Yeah. We’ll be sober by the time we have to go to work.”
“Or not.” Blaine gave Siobhan a comforting smile, silently letting her know they were there for her when she needed them the most. “What’s Saul gonna do? Fire all of us before our shift even starts?”
“He’ll probably wait until after we close,” Cory said, making Siobhan laugh for the first time since she’d found out about the gallery. “I knew there was a smile in you somewhere.”
“So what are you gonna do now?” Marnel asked.
“I’m gonna drink the rest of this,” Siobhan said, feeling a bit stronger than she had earlier. “Then tomorrow I’m gonna fly back to Detroit and get on with my life as if none of this ever happened.”
“Sounds like a solid plan.” Blaine gave her a nod of approval. “To Detroit,” she said, raising her glass and prompting the others to do the same.
“To Detroit,” Cory and Siobhan both repeated as they all clinked glasses.
“Uh-uh.” Marnel shook her head. “To Siobhan.”
“To Siobhan,” Blaine and Cory said.
And for the second time since they’d gotten to Cory’s, Siobhan smiled.
Chapter 3
Derick pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at it. “Excuse me,” he said, standing up from the conference table. “I need to take this.” He pushed the thick glass door open and stepped out into the hallway. There was no way he would let Siobhan’s call go to voice mail, even though he was certain that their conversation wouldn’t be pleasant. He might as well get it over with.
He answered the call and put the phone to his ear. “Hello,” he said.
“What the hell is this?” was the response.
“What’s what?”
“The deed to the gallery.”
Derick kept his voice even. “It sounds like you already know what it is. Did you need something else?” He knew his response was terse, but he didn’t care. She hadn’t even given him the chance to explain, and here she was calling, clearly angry.
Siobhan was silent for a moment, and then he heard her blow out an agitated breath. “Yeah. I need you to tell me what you expect me to do with it. You just send me the deed to a gallery you bought, and—” She paused. “I’m not even going to ask how you knew what flight I’d be on.”
Despite the context, Derick couldn’t help but smile.
“I’m flying back to Detroit, Derick. What the hell am I supposed to do with an art gallery in New York?”
Derick put a hand in his pocket. “I’m not sure,” he said simply. “Sell it, run it, have someone run it for you.”
“I’m glad you gave this a lot of thought,” she spat.
Derick drew in a calming breath. Though he tried to suppress it, he could feel the sadness in his throat. “Giving you the deed was a loose end I needed to tie up. The gallery’s yours, Siobhan. It was always supposed to be yours. You can do whatever you’d like with it.”
For a moment, there was silence on the other end of the line until Siobhan sighed heavily. “I’m just so tired of fighting.”
“You said it yourself. It’s done. There’s nothing to fight about anymore.” He paused to let his words carry the weight he hoped they had. “I have to get back to a meeting,” he said. “I have people waiting for me.”
“Okay,” she said. Her voice was small, but somehow, it wasn’t weak.
“I’ll talk to you later.” Rubbing his hairline, he shook his head. “Actually, I guess I won’t. In any case, if you have questions about the property, feel free to call the number I provided on the deed. That’s my lawyer’s line. She can help you with anything you need.”
“Okay,” she said again.
“Enjoy the gallery, Siobhan.”
Chapter 4
You like that one?” Jacob nodded toward the oak table Siobhan had been running her hand across.
She turned toward him. “I like all of it. I can’t believe anyone can make pieces like this.” She knew he was talented, but seeing all of his furniture in one place was more impress. . .
Siobhan blew out a frustrated breath and threw her phone into her bag.
The girls eyed one another cautiously, as if the wrong question might break her completely. A few moments of silence passed before finally one of them spoke.
“What did he say?” Blaine asked quietly.
Siobhan leaned her head back against the cushion of Cory’s couch and stared at the ceiling. “Nothing. What can he say? I barely even gave him a chance to speak.” She brought her head down to look at her friends and saw worry written on their faces. “The only reason I answered was so he’d stop calling.”
“Do you think he knows why you’re not going to the airport?” Marnel asked. “You didn’t even mention the gallery.”
“He’s an idiot, but he can’t be that dumb. He has to know that I found out about the gallery. What other reason would there be for me to act like this?” She propped her elbows on her knees and settled her chin on her hands pensively.
“And you know what?” Siobhan could hear her voice getting louder, angrier. “I really don’t care what he knows or doesn’t know. I’m done giving a shit about how he feels because he clearly doesn’t give a shit about how I feel. If he did, he wouldn’t have bought a goddamn art gallery for me without even speaking to me about it first.” Siobhan stood and headed toward Cory’s kitchen. “You got anything to drink?”
“There’s iced tea in the fridge.”
Siobhan turned back toward the girls. Her expression must have been enough to tell them that iced tea wasn’t going to be strong enough.
“And vodka in the freezer,” Cory added.
Siobhan pulled the bottle out and held it up. “Anyone else want any?”
The girls shook their heads. “We have to work in a few hours,” Marnel said.
“Guess it’ll be a party of one then,” Siobhan said, closing the freezer door and heading back to the couch with just the bottle. She took the cap off and plopped down onto the couch. She stared ahead for a minute before bringing the bottle to her lips and taking a long pull.
“I can’t believe I thought he’d change,” she said, shaking her head. “Or that he did change. He had to have known how I’d react, and he still bought that gallery. And more than that, he kept it a fucking secret. Was he gonna sell my work like it didn’t even mean anything to him? I mean, Jesus Christ, it’s not like he needs the money. None of it makes any sense.”
Siobhan could hear herself rambling, but she didn’t care. She needed to purge her thoughts.
Marnel scooted over on the couch to wrap her in a hug. “I’m sorry,” she said without elaborating, but Siobhan knew what she meant. She was sorry it didn’t work out with Derick. Sorry that he kept making the same mistakes over and over again. Sorry that Derick hurt her.
Siobhan was sorry, too.
“I literally told him this morning that I’d consider moving back to New York if things between us were good for the next six months. Then, just like that, he had to go and mess everything up again.”
“Well, to be fair, he’d already messed it up,” Blaine said. “But you didn’t know.”
Siobhan glared at her.
“Sorry,” Blaine said, looking contrite. She held out her hand for Siobhan to pass her the bottle. “I can’t watch you day-drink alone. It’s sad.” Blaine put the bottle to her lips for a swig and then handed it back to her friend.
Siobhan shrugged. “If the shoe fits.”
Cory got up and returned with four glasses, taking the bottle from Siobhan and pouring a double shot for each of them. “Screw it. We didn’t have lunch yet. Might as well make it a liquid one.”
Marnel picked up her glass. “Yeah. We’ll be sober by the time we have to go to work.”
“Or not.” Blaine gave Siobhan a comforting smile, silently letting her know they were there for her when she needed them the most. “What’s Saul gonna do? Fire all of us before our shift even starts?”
“He’ll probably wait until after we close,” Cory said, making Siobhan laugh for the first time since she’d found out about the gallery. “I knew there was a smile in you somewhere.”
“So what are you gonna do now?” Marnel asked.
“I’m gonna drink the rest of this,” Siobhan said, feeling a bit stronger than she had earlier. “Then tomorrow I’m gonna fly back to Detroit and get on with my life as if none of this ever happened.”
“Sounds like a solid plan.” Blaine gave her a nod of approval. “To Detroit,” she said, raising her glass and prompting the others to do the same.
“To Detroit,” Cory and Siobhan both repeated as they all clinked glasses.
“Uh-uh.” Marnel shook her head. “To Siobhan.”
“To Siobhan,” Blaine and Cory said.
And for the second time since they’d gotten to Cory’s, Siobhan smiled.
Chapter 3
Derick pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at it. “Excuse me,” he said, standing up from the conference table. “I need to take this.” He pushed the thick glass door open and stepped out into the hallway. There was no way he would let Siobhan’s call go to voice mail, even though he was certain that their conversation wouldn’t be pleasant. He might as well get it over with.
He answered the call and put the phone to his ear. “Hello,” he said.
“What the hell is this?” was the response.
“What’s what?”
“The deed to the gallery.”
Derick kept his voice even. “It sounds like you already know what it is. Did you need something else?” He knew his response was terse, but he didn’t care. She hadn’t even given him the chance to explain, and here she was calling, clearly angry.
Siobhan was silent for a moment, and then he heard her blow out an agitated breath. “Yeah. I need you to tell me what you expect me to do with it. You just send me the deed to a gallery you bought, and—” She paused. “I’m not even going to ask how you knew what flight I’d be on.”
Despite the context, Derick couldn’t help but smile.
“I’m flying back to Detroit, Derick. What the hell am I supposed to do with an art gallery in New York?”
Derick put a hand in his pocket. “I’m not sure,” he said simply. “Sell it, run it, have someone run it for you.”
“I’m glad you gave this a lot of thought,” she spat.
Derick drew in a calming breath. Though he tried to suppress it, he could feel the sadness in his throat. “Giving you the deed was a loose end I needed to tie up. The gallery’s yours, Siobhan. It was always supposed to be yours. You can do whatever you’d like with it.”
For a moment, there was silence on the other end of the line until Siobhan sighed heavily. “I’m just so tired of fighting.”
“You said it yourself. It’s done. There’s nothing to fight about anymore.” He paused to let his words carry the weight he hoped they had. “I have to get back to a meeting,” he said. “I have people waiting for me.”
“Okay,” she said. Her voice was small, but somehow, it wasn’t weak.
“I’ll talk to you later.” Rubbing his hairline, he shook his head. “Actually, I guess I won’t. In any case, if you have questions about the property, feel free to call the number I provided on the deed. That’s my lawyer’s line. She can help you with anything you need.”
“Okay,” she said again.
“Enjoy the gallery, Siobhan.”
Chapter 4
You like that one?” Jacob nodded toward the oak table Siobhan had been running her hand across.
She turned toward him. “I like all of it. I can’t believe anyone can make pieces like this.” She knew he was talented, but seeing all of his furniture in one place was more impress. . .
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