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. She heard the smile in his voice, the song of thebirds again in the background.His moods turned and twisted with the breeze.She couldnever be sure how he might feel or react from one moment to the next.It was a delicate balance, talking to her father, spending time with him, even after allthese years.She hadn t moved out of his home for fear of disappointing him.Plus, hecould be scatterbrained.He rarely locked the doors to the house and tended to wanderoff, only to reappear a few hours later, always seemingly happy, always smiling.While she paced the house, worried out of her mind thinking something awful hadhappened to him.Guilt assuaged her.She shouldn t leave him.He needed her.What if somethinghappened? She d never forgive herself.But she wasn t a child anymore.She needed to live her own life, branch out and pursueher career.She couldn t take care of her father forever& I will impress him.I ll impress everyone at Worth, I promise, she said firmly.He chuckled. I have no doubt that you will do just that.They spoke of general banalities before they finally hung up, Ella promising she d callhim first thing tomorrow.She carefully set her cell phone on the bedside table, staring atit unseeingly as worry gnawed at her.She had no one else to turn to, no one else to count on but her father, which meant hehad no one but her.Her mother had died in childbirth and she d never known her,though she knew she looked like her.She had no siblings, no cousins, nothing.Her fatherhad been the baby in his family and now at the age of seventy-two, his older brother andsister were long dead.He hadn t stayed close to his nieces or nephews and they were allstill in France.Her childhood had been isolating.But she d never minded then.Had simply thought itnormal and besides, she d had her vivid imagination to keep her company.All of thepeople who d come in and out of her father s life had seemed to adore her, including herin their social events.Of course, they hadn t had a choice.When a company hired MichelDurand, he was a package deal.And Gabriella Durand had always been a part of thatpackage.Only in the last few years had she realized just how abnormal her childhood was.Isolated and lonely, she d never really gone to school, having been tutored during herfather s travels.For once, she wanted to do something on her own.Something that belonged only toher.Frowning, she tore her gaze from the phone, taking in the stack of papers that satbeside it.Just looking at that contract gave her a headache.And okay, maybe it hurt tothink that she didn t necessarily get this job at Worth on her own merits but by gosh, shewas going to prove to them she was capable of being a master perfumer.Perhaps almostas good as her father once was even.She lay back down on the comfortable bed, her head cradled by the plush pillow.Thesheets were soft, the comforter thick, and she closed her eyes, willing herself to drift offinto sleep.A little nap would definitely help and she had time.After traveling and all theexcitement the day brought forth, she was exhausted.A little overwhelmed.And a lot excited.Rhett had gone home and changed before he went to the Warwick Hotel to pick upGabriella.At first he d thought it best if he stayed in his suit, wanting to convey that hemeant business, even if they were discussing it over dinner.But then he feared he might intimidate her and considering she seemed a tad skittish,he decided it best to keep his approach as simple and friendly as possible.Hence the jeans and simple button-up shirt, understated and casual.He d madereservations at a favorite restaurant that wasn t too trendy or expensive.He wasn tnecessarily trying to impress her and this definitely wasn t a date.It was strictly business.And that was exactly how he wanted to approach it.Frowning, he stood in front of her hotel room door, unsure how to greet her.If thisreally was a date, he d lay on the charm and flirt his way into her panties by the end ofthe night [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]