A Fare To Remember_ Just Whistle_Driven - Vicki Lewis Thompson [104]
“What? I never would have sold the building? Believe me, Bina, I have been thinking about that for a very long time. Or perhaps you are talking about something different. If you wouldn’t have invited him in, you wouldn’t have fallen in love with him. Is that it?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t love him.”
“But he loves you,” Ruta said. “I made sure of that.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked, getting to her feet and dusting off her hands.
“The charm I gave you,” Ruta explained. “It worked. And then I gave him the potion that night when he was lying in your bed. It was in the tea.”
Sabina’s jaw fell and she stared at her grandmother. “You put a potion in his tea? Damn it, Nana, I told you, no more potions!”
Ruta shrugged. “It was just a little potion. But it did the job.”
“And you think I’m happy about that? Why would I want to trick a man into loving me?”
“It is no trick, it is just a bit of encouragement. It gave him time to realize that you are the woman for him. Believe me, some men would never get there on their own.”
Sabina grabbed the envelope. “This whole thing has been a nightmare and I just want to put an end to it once and for all. I’ll take the papers over there and that will be it. I’ll never have to set eyes on Alec Harnett again.”
But as Sabina walked to the door, she knew that she’d still see him every night in her dreams. It would be years before she’d put this mistake behind her and move on. Maybe her grandmother was right. She needed a fresh start, perhaps in a new city where she wouldn’t have to worry about running into Alec on the street.
She glanced down at the envelope. Fifty-ninth Street between Park and Lexington. She could catch the F train and be outside his building in a matter of minutes. But as she walked to the subway stop near Washington Park, Sabina began to worry.
What if her grandmother was right? What if he did love her? And what if she refused to see those same feelings in herself just to prove a silly point? So he’d accomplished his goal—he’d bought her grandmother’s building. Did that really negate everything they’d shared?
He’d made such a point of separating business from pleasure. But could he make that disconnect, or was that just a smoke screen to lure her in?
The subway was stifling, the air humid and close. Sabina found a seat and closed her eyes, the rocking of the car relaxing her. If she had anything to say to Alec, then perhaps it was best to get it done and get on with her life.
Sabina counted the stops—Fourteenth, Twenty-third, Thirty-fourth, Forty-second. By the time the train reached Rockefeller Center she was certain she’d simply turn around and go back home. But she’d regained her resolve when the train made the turn toward Queens. She got out at the Lexington Avenue stop and slowly walked up the stairs to the street level.
It was only a short walk to the spot where the building stood. Sabina stood across the street and stared at the sign above the door. “Harnett Property Development,” she murmured.
She glanced both ways, then cut across the street midblock. A security guard opened the door for her and she gave him a tight smile. Sabina cleared her throat. “I’m looking for Alec Harnett.”
“Fifth floor, the receptionist there will take your name.”
“Fifth floor,” Sabina muttered as she hurried to the elevator. The doors opened immediately and she stepped inside. But as the elevator rose, she felt her uneasiness rise as well. Could she handle seeing him again? Or would she be consumed with thoughts of kissing him or touching him?
The doors opened onto an airy reception area. A pretty young woman sat behind the desk—Karen Donnelly, her nameplate read. She smiled as Sabina approached.
“I’m here to see Alec Harnett. Just let him know that Ruta’s granddaughter, Sabina, is here.”
The receptionist’s eyes went wide. “Ruta, the Gypsy lady?”
“Yes,” Sabina said.
The receptionist quickly punched in a number on her phone, an whispered into her headset. Then she glanced up at Sabina. “He’ll be right with you. Would you like a beverage?