A Second Chance (34 page)

‘Wow, this is amazing
.
’
H
e
stepped closer, his
gaze
going over his home with a pleasure that was almost palpable. ‘
You
’ve done
wonders in these few days I
wasn’t
here, Jade. I
’
m lost for words.’

‘That’s good
.
’
I
t
was easier now, his obvious approval of her choices giving her the extra boost she needed to continue. ‘
But
this is not exactly what I wanted to show you, Liam. Follow me
.
’

She
walked ahead, descending the staircase to the lower
level. The
house was built on a slope, the front deceptively low while the back split into two floors, the lower one forming a huge room with a wall of glass overlooking the ocean. She had asked him at the very beginning what he wanted her to plan for this large open space that had been used for a party room with a pool table
,
a wet bar
,
and a
bathroom.

Liam
had
thought it was the
perfect spot for his studio, the
bright natural
light and abundance of inspiration from outside in sync
hrony
with his creative
nature
. He
had
told her jokingly that if she
just
managed to make it livable,
that
would be enough, since he was usually so engrossed in his work that the details of his surrounding
s
escaped him anyway. But she
had
tried to make it more than
that
.
With
time on her hands waiting for the work to be finished on the
upp
er
level, she
had used
the
opportunity to create a space that she hoped would be what he needed. Laura
had helped
her with it, providing items that
Jade
wanted to incorporate in her design.

He was right behind her
,
and
her skin
prickl
ed
with awareness of his presence. She was nervous about his verdict and waited, knowing that by now he must have seen her vision for the room.
H
e was quiet
—
scarily so
—
and
she held her breath, not willing to turn around and read whatever was
o
n
his face.

‘I
don’t really know what to say, J
ade
.
’
H
is
voice was heavy with
an
emotion too strong to be
suppressed
,
and she felt his hand
on
her shoulder as he
gently
turned her to him.
‘
This
is perfect. Absolutely perfect. Better than anything I could have ever imagined.’

He smiled at her
,
and she had to step back, overwhelmed with the warmth in his eyes.
Warmth
and also something else
—
gratitude and happiness
c
ame
to her mind first. Which
was
ridiculous because she hadn’t rea
lly done that much.

‘So you like it?’ she managed to ask, trying desperately to recapture her more professional tone
.
‘I was a bit worried, since you didn’t exactly specify what you wanted it to be
,
and I improvised a lot
.
’

‘
Are you kidding me
?’ he laughed, the
care
free
sound of his voice reward enough
after
the somber heaviness from just half an hour ago. ‘
This
is the best studio I
could
have
ever
imagine
d
.
I love it!’

He walked
around,
pausing at one of the walls where a gallery of photographs in simple black frames created a subtle background for the large modern desk and black swivel chair
.
She remembered being surprised at
the cost of
the simple furniture
.

The room was casual, even Spartan in its utilitarian simplicity. She had decided to not distract too much from
its
spectacular view,
letting
white walls and
a
simple geometrical rug in black and white carry the fresh tone.
A
massive desk, bookcases
,
and state
-
of
-
the
-
art sound system
blend
ed
perfectly with the modern lighting and art,
which consisted of
mostly black and white photography.

The
sitting area was the
absolutely unexpected
part
that
add
ed
a true punch of color,
with
the loveseat and the two matching armchairs that surrounded the glass coffee table a
high
-
impact
red that couldn’t be
ignor
ed
. She
had
picked the poppy
-
red pieces remembering the red in Liam’s house when
they were growing
up,
with
Laura’s enthusiasm making it
a definite
choice.

He was looking at the photographs, his eyes almost wistfully glued to the images. She had asked Laura for some of their family’s photos,
which
she combine
d
with shots from his trips and project
locations
that he
had
provided.

She came to stand next to him
before
the photo that had captured his attention
.
It was Laura’s favorite from over two decades ago. She was barely more than a chubby toddler, her dark hair
in
two pigtails tied with ribbons.
Wearing a
puffy winter jacket and pants, she was holding on to Liam, her little hand wrapped around his. It was her first time skating
,
and he was teaching her, his infectious grin and exuberance vibrant.

‘I remember my uncle taking this
,
’ he said, smiling
.
‘Laura had a fit and refused to wear a helmet, which was my fault. I was not the best example, you know
.
’

‘I
c
ould
figure
that
out
.
’
S
he
nodded casually
.
‘I remember your aunt complaining that one day she
would
have to lock you in your room
until you learned to listen
.’

‘
Well
, she tried
.
’
H
e
was laughing now, shaking his dark head in
acknowledgement
.
‘I
snuck
out through the window and down this huge linden tree that was growing right outside it. They found me two hours later biking
down the ravine
with my friends
. I was bleeding and had a million bruises from all the falls, but I was happy. I
had
just learned how to do
a
three-sixty
without falling off
,
and I figured it was well worth it. Still, I was grounded for a month afterwards, I remember
.
’

He
looked at
the other photos, the mementos of his childhood and youth cleverly interwoven with spectacular vistas from his trips around the world.

‘I hope you don’t mind I used some of those personal photos?’ she asked hesitantly as he paused at yet another pic
ture
of his family, his mother’s arms around him and Laura.

‘
Of
course not
.
’
H
e
turned to her, as if
awakening
from a trance.
H
is face
looked softer now, the bitter lines around his mouth that
had
made him so somber at the cemetery erased
with
happy
memories of times gone by.

‘
Thank
you
,
’ he
whispered,
his fingers reaching out to put a strand of her hair behind her ear, the touch of his fingertips only the lightest of caresses against the sensitive skin of her scalp. ‘
This
place is perfect. You
’
re amazing
.
’

‘I just wanted to show you something good tonight
,
’ she said helplessly, cursing her own inability to put
her feelings
into words
.
‘
T
o
make you see that you are so much more than a man who made mistakes and
now
lives to regret them. You are here, in these photos
.
’
S
he
gestured behind her
self
, hoping he could make some sense of her rambling
.
‘
H
ere you are, with the people who love you, the awards you
’ve
won, the
things
you
’ve done
.
L
ots of good things
that
can’t be forgotten.’

She wasn’t sure he would understand
; she
wasn’t
even
sure she did. All she knew was that when she
had
watched him so desperate and guilt
-
ridden at the grave of the woman he had loved, she
had
remembered this wall full of mementos of his past. He
was alive
in them
—
be it holding his baby sister with the same dedication and care as
he handled
her
now, fooling around with his friends
,
or winning prizes at school competitions.
One could feel h
is
wide, open smile and raw energy by watching him in a sequence of photos. She wanted him to see it for himself, celebrate it
,
and even enjoy
it, because
it seemed that he had not allowed himself to remember the good things for a long
,
long time
.

‘
It
’
s almost scary how well you can read me
.
’
H
e
was still smiling, but
his gaze
was intens
e
, the light brush of his fingers on her skin much more
persistent
. ‘
You
look at me and see me for
wh
o
I really am, Jade.’

‘There is nothing scary about it
.
’
S
he
could barely talk as she felt his hand going to the nape of her
neck
, gently pulling her to him, until they were standing close enough for her to feel the heat of his skin on hers. ‘I
’
m just someone who
’s
known you for a while now
.
’

‘
Aren’t
you afraid of what you see?’
H
e
waited for her answer, his tall body tense like a string of a well
-
tuned guitar. ‘
Do
you still see the boy from the pictures when you look at me now?’