Kate took off her reading glasses and offered me a gentle smile. “I hope you don’t mind, but I couldn’t help myself.”
I shook my head because I was too emotional to form any words. Kate crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “The world needs to see this book, Gypsy. The world needs to know who Lucian West was.”
That was exactly what I wanted. I wanted the world to know who he really was.
“I know it’s not my place,” Kate continued. “But Kal made you an offer. He wants to help you. He wants to meet you in person.”
I wiped the leaky corners of my eyes and took a fortifying breath. “What kind of an offer?”
“He has his own publishing company. He’s connected, and he’s excited about this project. He’s even talking about a documentary.”
The corners of my lips tilted in a smile that felt rusty on my face. It was exciting, and it was happening so fast. My immediate instinct was to say yes to everything, but that instinct felt vulnerable only a second later.
“What is it?” Kate asked as my smile fell.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “This is everything I wanted, but I just can’t help wondering if it’s what Lucian would have wanted.”
Kate gave me an understanding nod. “He was quite the enigma, wasn’t he? It’s difficult to say how he would feel about it. He never did a good deed for the reward. I suppose that’s why he didn’t boast of his wins or even bother to tally them. In his eyes, it didn’t matter how many people he helped because he always fell short. He was entirely too hard on himself.”
“And he was so private,” I added. “I don’t know how he would feel about having his entire life splashed on print for the world to see.”
Kate was quiet for a moment while she considered it. “I really don’t know. But I know that it would be a shame for such a great man to leave this world without his legacy ever being heard.”
I stared into my cup of tea, wishing I had the right answer. I didn’t want to do anything that would dishonor Lucian. When I set out with this project, I didn’t know exactly where it was going. I only knew that it needed to be done. And now, I didn’t know what to do with any of it.
“Can I think about it for a while?” I asked.
“Of course.” Kate nodded. “Take some time. I’ll hold off Kal in the interim until you decide.”
“Thank you.” I gave her a watery smile. “For everything.”
“IS THERE SOMETHING GOING ONwith you and my sister?”
Ace looked up at me, an amused expression playing across his face. “Is that why you wanted to talk to me?”
“That’s part of it.” I shifted, trying to get more comfortable on the sofa. Birdie had made a quick trip to the grocery store for me, and I had a limited window of time to have this conversation with Ace.
“I have a girlfriend,” he muttered. “I’m not interested in your sister.”
He said it like she wasn’t even a blip on his radar, but I saw the way he looked at her sometimes when she wasn’t paying attention.
“Well, I just think you should know that Birdie isn’t as tough as she seems, okay? She’s fragile, and I don’t want anyone using her, you included.”
A shadow passed over Ace’s face as he growled out his response. “I would never use your sister. I told you, I’m not interested in her.”
“Well, let’s just say in case you ever do get interested,” I said. “You shouldn’t start anything with her you can’t finish because Birdie is hard work. She’s vulnerable, and she deserves someone who can see past her when she gets angry. She needs someone who’s rock solid, and if you can’t be that, then just don’t even think about being a part of her life, okay?”
Ace dragged a hand over his face and sighed. “Yeah, okay. I get it, but like I said, I have a girlfriend.”
“Well, I’m sure she just loves you being over here all the time,” I mused, “which brings me to my next point. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me over the past few months. I know we aren’t really friends and the only thing we have in common is that we both cared about Lucian, but your presence has meant a lot to me.”
“It’s not a problem, really,” Ace said with a mildness he rarely displayed. I’d come to learn that despite his exterior, he was really just a gentle giant.
“We’ve come a long way since you first held a gun to me,” I joked.
He smirked and scratched at his beard. “Yeah, I guess we have.”
“Anyway, I’m not going to say that I’m fine because I don’t think I’ll ever be that again, but I’m not a complete mess incapable of taking care of myself anymore. And I want you to go back to living your life and doing whatever it is you do.”