This Tangled Thing Called Love: A Contemporary Romance Novel (27 page)

“And anyone in your family who’d like to come,” Claire added.

Alec halted for a moment. “Just me for now.”

“When would you like to come?”

“How about tomorrow? Noon?”

“Tomorrow sounds good.” Claire smiled. “Do you think…” Claire halted.

“Yes?”

“Do you think I could get a copy of your great uncle’s photograph?” Claire pointed to the photograph of
Castelan
in Alec’s family album.

“Sure. I’ll stop by a photo studio and ask them to make a copy.”

“Thanks.” Claire lowered her eyes. It was time to get going. Her unexpected meeting with Alec had lasted much longer that she had plan
ned. It was after ten o’clock.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” She rose from the couch.

“Until tomorrow, Claire.” Alec opened the front door for her.

Back in her apartment, Claire shut the door behind her and collapsed onto her couch. Her head was spinning. The events of the evening were too unfathomable to put into words.
This is only work
, she reminded herself. Alec’s photograph of
Castelan
would be the crowning jewel of her research on
Castelan
. Tomorrow, she would show Alec the building on Leonard Street, and that would be that. Aft
erwards, Alec would be more than
welcome to visit the building when it would be reopened to the public again, but by then Claire would be working on a different project.

As he listened to the sound of his front door closing shut behind Claire, Alec wanted to call after her, to convince her to stay, but for the first time in his life he found himself at a loss for words as he watched the most intriguing girl he had ever met walk out of his apartment, leaving him to a cold and lonely night. The truth of the matter was that he simply did not know what it was about Claire that drove him crazy. Sure, she was extremely attractive, and intelligent, but Alec had dated plenty of fascinating women, and he had never been intimidated before. With Claire it was different. She was so cool, so detached. Normally, he would dismiss someone like that for being a cold fish, but Alec could sense that behind Claire’s standoffish demeanor hid a different woman, and that was the woman he was determined to seek out.

Chapter 26

After leaving her boss’s office, Claire settled behind her desk.

“Yes!” she mouthed happily. At least something in her life was right. Daniel Bancroft had been blown away by Claire’s discovery, and any reservations he might have had about Claire not being able to complete the project by the deadline had dissipated. Now, all Claire had to do was to relay her findings in a fifty-page report for the Landmarks Preservation Commission. After that, Daniel wanted her to help curate an exhibition about Gaudi’s influence on
Castelan’s
work. Easily done, right? Wrong. But, apparently, her boss was of a different opinion, and she had no choice but to comply. Yet, despite her grumblings, Claire was secretly thankful for the assignment. Not only would it provide an incredible boost to her career, but the heavy workload would also take her mind off David — and Alec, for that matter.

For Claire had spent the better part of last night and that of the next morning alternately musing and agonizing over her meeting with Alec that was to take place in the afternoon. The musings consisted of her ruminations on the rich, dark color of Alec’s eyes – dark as chocolate and so warm - a stark contrast to the icy blue of David’s gaze. And how could she forget the chiseled musculature of Alec’s arms and torso, as well as his long legs, and, most of all, his nimble grace. Even when he walked, Alec looked like he was dancing.

Claire was ashamed to admit that since her last night’s encounter with her upstairs neighbor, she had barely spared David a thought. Granted, David was a lying, cheating pig, but Claire was supposed to be heartbroken. She was supposed to be distraught. And she had been, when she had first seen that tabloid of David and Claudia but, strangely, the feeling had almost vanished now, replaced by an eerie sense of elation. Eerie, because it made her cringe to admit that on a deep level, she felt relieved not to have to marry David. There, she had said it… The deep-hidden truth of the matter was that she had never really wanted to marry him in the first place.

Sure, she had been smitten by the enormous engagement ring and everything that David had to offer. The prospect of future life with him seemed so secure, so certain, but that did not make it feel right. She could, of course, explain away her past misgivings as premonitions of David’s infidelity, but what would be the use of lying to herself? The truth of the matter was that David had seemed a safe choice. She had been willing to forego all the other things that mattered for that safety: things like not being able to stand being apart for more than a few hours, looking forward to even the briefest of encounters - even something as insignificant as sharing a cup of coffee, and not being able to think of anyone else but the man she was with. She had thought she felt those things for David when they first started dating. To be honest, she had desperately wanted to feel those things for him and had replaced reality with wishful thinking. Well, now, David had released her, and she was free to look for those things once again. Not that she would.
At least, not right away and definitely not with Alec.
Still, it was pleasant to indulge in a little fantasy.

“Lunch?” Jake slid over to Claire’s desk. “Lindsay is coming over, so I thought it’d be fun for all of us to get together.”

Jake’s voice woke Claire up from her thoughts. She had to stop daydreaming at work.

“She’s asking you to check up on me, isn’t she?”

Jake grinned sheepishly. “Well, you haven’t been returning her phone calls. She’s worried… I’m worried.”

“Don’t be worried. I’m totally fine.” Claire smiled brightly. “In fact, if you must know, I have a lunch date.”

“You do? Lindsay will be glad to hear that.” Jake glanced at Claire dubiously. “You’re not pulling my leg, are you?”

“No, I’m not.” By now Claire was regretting her impulsive outburst. The last thing she wanted was to go into the details of her upcoming
rendezvous
with Alec.

“So, who is the lucky fella?”

Claire shot a warning look at Jake.

“What? You know that Lindsay is going to want details.”

“All that I’m going to say is that it’s work related.”

“Work related?” Jake frowned, casting a suspicious gla
n
ce around the office. “Don’t tell me you’re dating someone from the office!”

“No, Jake. I’m not. And it’s not really a date – just a friendly meeting with my upstairs neighbor who happens to be
Castelan’s
great-nephew.”

“Huh?” Jake cocked an eyebrow. “Are you intentionally messing with my head? ’Cause that’s no way to treat a friend, you know.”

“I’m not messing with your head, Jake.” Claire ruffled Jake’s curly hair, which felt surprisingly good to the touch.
How c
ome she’d never noticed him before?
That’s right. She’d been too busy being engaged to a man who preferred cheating on her to cherishing her. Oh, well. It was too late now that Jake and Lindsay were getting it on. Not that Claire was jealous. She just wanted to be cherished by
a
man instead of being abandoned by one.

“Come again?” Jake looked genuinely puzzled.

Claire glanced at her watch to make sure that she was not running late. She wanted to be on the dot for her meeting with Alec, lest he misinterpret lateness for coquettishness.

“Okay, you asked for it. But be warned. What you are about to hear is a long and highly improbable story.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

“Well, now I really have to run.” Claire had finally finished her account of her fascinating neighbor, and she did not want to be late for her meeting with this very neighbor.

“Wow, Claire. That’s amazing. I’d love to meet this guy. You’ve got to bring him to the office. Maybe he could be a guest speaker at the
Castelan
exhibition that Daniel wants you to help organize.”

“We’ll see.” Claire really meant no, but she did not have time to argue with Jake now. “I’ve
got to go - can’t be late!
”

“I want a full report when you come back.” Jake winked.

As the cab approached Leonard Street, Claire closed her eyes and took several deep, long breaths.
Calm down
, she thought,
this is just your upstairs neighbor
. But then,
that was exactly the problem. She was about to meet her upstairs neighbor, and Claire’s heart was beating faster than a rabbit’s.

Claire climbed out of the cab and made for the scaffolding-clad building.
Soon, the scaffolding would
come down
, she thought. Everyone would be able to see the treasure that was hidden below it – the treasure that she had helped uncover. She felt an instant swell of pride, which helped quell her nervousness. That’s right. She needn’t get her panties in a bunch over a meeting with some tango dancer. She was an architect, and this was her domain.

After Claire had picked up a visitor pass for Alec, she returned to the entrance and waited for him to arrive. She did not have to wait long. At exactly noon, Alec appeared from behind the building corner.

“Ah, there you are!” He grinned at her. “Sorry, I made you wait. I got here early, and I’ve been strolling around the block.”

“That’s okay. I didn’t wait long.” Claire blushed. “I must have missed you when I went to get your building pass. Here, stick this on your jacket.” Claire gave Alec his building pass.

“Thanks.” Alec threw back his head, taking in the view. “So this is it, huh? My great uncle’s ghost building…”

“Ghost building?”

“Yeah, that’s what I grew to call it, since I started to think that it didn’t really exist. Well, now I’ll have to abandon my habit.” Alec’s gaze shifted to Claire’s eyes. “And I have you to thank for it, Claire.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, really.” Claire felt her face grow warm again.
Get a hold of yourself,
she thought
. H
e is
only
being polit
e. H
e is not trying to flirt with you
.
Or is he?
she wondered. The smoldering look in Alec’s eyes could hardly be dismissed as a sign of mere gratitude, but then it was plausible that that was just the way his eyes normally looked.

“Shall we go inside?” Alec looked at her expectantly, and Claire hoped that he did not possess the ability to read minds or body language, for that matter.

“Yes, yes, by all means.” Claire led the way, glad that she had worn high-heeled shoes. They might not have been the most comfortable option to romp around a building site, but the high heels made her legs look stunning.

“Wow, this is incredible!
I can’t believe it’s been hidden all these years.” Alec’s face had a look of such pure delight that, for a moment, Claire’s unease left her, as she could think of nothing else but how proud she was to make someone so happy.

“If it had not been for the current owner’s decision to file for condo conversion, we probably would not have discovered it for years to come or maybe even never.”

“The owner is going to turn the building into condos?”

Claire shook her head. “Not anymore. The owner has decided to turn the building into a museum.”

Alec whistled. “Wow, I didn’t know that my great uncle was that important…”

“Well,” Claire stalled, not wanting to burst Alec’s bubble. “It won’t be just about Ernesto
Castelan
. The museum will be dedicated to the architectural history of New York and its neighborhoods,
Tribecca
in particular, and the architectural influences that shaped it.”

“Good.” Alec nodded. “I was beginning to worry about fame pressure.”

“It will be a wonderful museum,” Claire gushed. “The owner is being very generous with the funding, and he has already begun acquiring a number of artifacts for the collection.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. I still have to get you a copy of my great uncle’s photograph.”

“That’s all right.” Claire nodded. “But if you could get it to me by the end of the week, that’s the deadline for my report, and although there’s sufficient evidence, the photograph would make it really stellar.”

“I won’t let you down.” Alec smiled, and Claire found herself blushing again. “So, do you have any lunch plans?” Alec asked.

“No, not really.
I was going to head back to the office and eat at my desk.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I forget that people are usually on a schedule.” Now it was Alec’s turn to redden.

“But I suppose I could sneak away another hour,” Claire blurted out before she could think about her answer. The truth of the matter was that she did not want to think about it. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to make her encounter with Alec last just a little longer.