“Yeah, but I didn’t save her. I owe her this and more.”
I rotate more in his direction. “You were a kid. You couldn’t have saved her. You know that, right?”
“I’m past most of the blame but I knew she was a troubled soul. A good soul, too. Really sweet to the core. She wanted to tattoo because she wanted to express herself artistically like I do. Sadly, Chris could have helped her get a real start, but she was gone when I met him.”
“You two have a crazy amount in common.”
“More than you know. His ex-girlfriend, who took her own life, was a tattoo artist.”
I shiver and run my hands over my arms. “Okay. I just got a chill.”
“I know. It’s insane. You can see how Chris and I connected.”
“I can and Sara is pretty wonderful.”
“Is that right? I didn’t realize you got to know her.”
“She dove right into the friendship thing. She gave me advice about you, about being with men like you and Chris.”
He arches a brow. “Like—me and Chris? Meaning what?”
“Larger than life, Kace. I know you know that’s who you are.”
“I’m just a man, baby.”
“That’s what Sara said.”
“I think I need you to spend more time with Sara. What else did she say?”
“She said not to question, ‘why me?’ Because there was only one answer. The answer Chris gives her.”
“Because you’re you, Aria.”
“Yes,” I say softly. “But you know it’s because you’re you, too.”
He catches my hands and kisses it, his expression softening, his knuckles brushing my cheek. “Aria, I—”
His cellphone rings where it sits on the counter next to him and he inhales. “Bad timing,” he says, glancing at the number. “And it’s Jenny, who always means well.”
“Who loves you,” I say, sipping my coffee, but I burn to know what he was about to say.
“Morning, Jenny,” he greets, answering the call. He listens a minute and glances in my direction as he says, “Yes. She’s here.”
And now she knows I stayed the night, I think, but I’m pretty sure she knew anyway, so I just go with it. “Morning, Jenny,” I call out.
Kace winks at me. “Tomorrow night? Hold on.” He covers the phone. “Tomorrow’s Halloween, which I’d forgotten. She wants to know if we’ll come help hand out cookies to the kids, and then we’ll go next door to her favorite diner and eat instead of doing brunch Sunday. They’re headed to the Hamptons.”
“It sounds like fun,” I say. “I’d love that.” He returns to the call. “We’ll be there. Yes. Yes. I’ll keep her. If she lets me.” He hangs up. “She’s very excited that you’re coming.”
“I’m excited, too, but that means more cookies. If I keep eating like we’ve been eating, I’m going to need a new wardrobe. I need to workout.”
“I workout before I play in the morning. Why don’t you get up with me in the morning?”
“I’d like that,” I say.
He stands and helps me off my stool. “Let’s go shower and I want to show you something on the way.”
That something is a rectangle-shaped den-style office upstairs. A modern stainless steel and gray half-moon-shaped desk sits center stage as you enter and to the left is an extended room with rows and rows of books framing two cozy-looking gray chairs to the left.
He leans on the desk. “You think you can make this work for an office? I know you have business to attend to and that you’re eager to dive into that Riptide offer Mark and Crystal made you. I saw it in your face.”
“Kace, Mark, and Crystal know who I am.”
“I know that, which is why I want you to see this.” He snags his phone from his pocket punching keys before he hands it to me.
I glance at the screen to find a contract. My brows dip and my eyes jerk to his. “This is your power of attorney. Why am I looking at your power of attorney? You are not allowed to die.”
He laughs. “I don’t intend to. Look at who it’s assigned to.”
Reluctantly, I eye the document, and then once again my gaze jerks to his. “Mark has your power of attorney?”
“I trust him and I travel too much not to have someone in place. He knows how to manage financial assets, and he won’t kill me off for my money. He has his own. And if I were to die, he knows who to take care of and how. My point is, I trust him quite literally with my life.”
“As much as you are worth, some believe I possess a priceless jewel in that formula.”
“He won’t burn you and neither will Crystal.” He snags my hip and walks me to him, fitting my legs to his. “I know it’s hard to get used to, but you now have a circle of trust filled with friends.”