He turned and headed for the door. “Good-bye, Ivy. And don’t worry. I won’t come back again.”
She waited until the door slammed shut.
“I did stay for you,” she whispered to the empty lab. She had stupidly thought one night would be enough. She’d believed she could live in the fantasy for a little while and then walk away with her funding. And now she wanted both—the man and the lifeline to her research. But she couldn’t date him while he shut down her life’s work.
“But now I’m staying away for me,” she said. “So you won’t break my heart over and over.”
Chapter 23
“This is a surprise.”
Carter strode into his mother’s penthouse and walked over to the round, marble dining room table. Her second decorator had selected a pure white theme. And his mother had dressed to match in a crisp, cream suit. For seventy, she looked regal and beautiful. Of course, he might be biased.
He bent and kissed her cheek. “For me, too,” he said as he straightened. “But I need your advice.”
He walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows and stared down at Central Park. He searched the trees, scanning the fields until he found the castle. It looked small from his mother’s home in the sky. He glanced back at his mom’s elaborately decorated breakfast area.
He would give all of this up—his entire kingdom—for his princess.
But it’s not all mine to give.
He’d come this far for his mother, his shareholders, and yes, himself. And he owed all of them a responsibility to work hard and keep their best interests in mind. But what about his best interests? If he was being honest with himself, he needed to face the fact that he’d exploded at Ivy an hour ago because agreeing to keep her lab open would’ve disappointed a lot of people. She’d fed him the all too familiar line about needing to focus on work, and he’d been tempted to tell her exactly what he thought about that. So he settled for telling his mother instead.
Carter turned to her at the table. “I fell in love on Friday night.”
He waited for his mother to laugh and tell him it was lust, boredom, or a mirage. But she simply set her china cup on the table and beamed.
“Excellent,” she said. “I’ve been hoping for grandchildren.”
Carter shook his head. “It’s not that simple.”
Then he explained how Ivy had burst into his office, how she’d led him one adventure to another, how he’d fallen for her drive, her passion, her beauty. And how he’d hit a dead end.
“Do you believe she was only interested in your money?” his mother asked.
“No,” he said flatly.
Not my money. My company’s funds.
“But it doesn’t matter,” he lied. He wanted to believe she’d stayed for him, not her work. But he knew her priorities mirrored his. “She’d put her job first.”
“Sounds familiar.” His mother reclaimed her cup and lifted it to her lips. “And you’re certain you can’t provide the funding?”
“It’s not up to me. I have shareholders to think about.”
“And you don’t want to let any of us down,” his mother said. She rose and joined him by the window. The top of her head barely reached his shoulder, but her presence felt solid and strong, just like when he was a child. “Do you know I would give all of this up, the view, the apartment—all of it, to make you happy?”
He glanced down at his mother. “Are you suggesting that I offer her my personal fortune? For an open-ended research project that may end up costing half a billion?”
“That’s one option,” his mother said. “But I think you should talk to your shareholders first. You’re so afraid to let them down. But have you stopped to think that they might support keeping this project going?”
“But the numbers—”
“The money isn’t always the most important thing, Carter. Asking for help from a room full of people who’ve supported your vision and your attempts to contribute something good to this world for a long time—that’s not a sign of weakness or failure.”
Carter stared out at the castle nestled in the trees. Hope rose up. His mother was right. If he got out of his own way for once, he could try to make Ivy’s dreams come true.
“I’ll do it.” He draped his arm over his mother’s shoulder. “I’ll ask.”