Page 7 of Heart of Stone

My hair was in complete disarray. I reached up to smooth out the unruly curls.

Just great. Blue Eyes got to see me rocking the Medusa look.

I turned to one side, then the other. My behind was sore and I was surprised to see that there wasn’t any bruising. However, despite the fact that I managed to escape any real damage to my rump, I still frowned at what I saw.

I really need to hit the gym.

A week off and I was already seeing and feeling the effects. My voluptuous behind wasn’t going to fit into a size six much longer if I didn’t get back into a routine. Some girls were just naturally skinny. Unfortunately, that wasn’t me. I had to work at it.

My stomach rumbled yet again, reminding me to get a move on.

I quickly showered, then went back to the kitchen to heat up the leftover pasta. Once the microwave beeped, signaling that the food was heated, I tiredly made my way into the living room with a steaming bowl of garlic pesto farfalle. I sat down on the couch and sank into the deep cushions, relishing the feeling of my weary bones settling, as every muscle in my body began to relax for the first time that day.

Angelo’s right. I have been working too much lately.

I leaned over to pick up my book from the coffee table and opened it to where I had it marked.

An hour later, I found myself staring at the words in front of me. I had only read five pages, and had barely comprehended any of them. I couldn’t concentrate at all on the text. Every time I would start a new sentence, my focus would drift to a pair piercing sapphire eyes. Eyes so powerful, that just the thought of them had my stomach doing flips.

Who is the man with the blue eyes? Is he the investor?

If he was, hopefully today’s mishap didn’t mess anything up for Wally’s. I’d hate to be the reason for a potential investor to pull out. The memory of his promise to see me again echoed through my mind.

Why did he say that?

So many questions bounced around in my head. Frustrated over my lack of concentration, I set the book aside and brought my empty dinner bowl to the kitchen sink.

Maybe if I have a few answers about exactly who this mysterious man is, then I’ll be able to stop thinking about him.

I retrieved my laptop from my bedroom and went back to the couch. Once the computer was fired up, I started to type BLUE EYES into the search engine, but then I caught myself.

Seriously? What is wrong with me?

I erased the letters and typed STONE NYC instead. I scrolled through the list of articles. Information on gem stones, imported stones, and commercial stones populated my screen. I frowned at the findings. It was obviously not what I had been looking for.

I narrowed the search and tried STONE NYC INVESTOR WALLYS. That turned up better results. Right away I saw an article related to Wally’s and I clicked on it.

“Despite the many problems, there may still be hope on the horizon for Wally’s Grocery Store. The New York City real estate tycoon, Alexander Stone, is looking to step in and possibly save the struggling grocer.”

Alexander Stone? I’ve never heard of him.

I was pretty sure it was the same Mr. Stone that I was introduced to. I clicked on the internet images to see if there were any pictures of him.

I sucked in a breath, my stomach instantly clenching into a knot. There he was, gazing at me through the screen. Even on a computer screen, those smoldering blue eyes could sear right through me, causing desire to burn hot in my belly.

Easy, girl. It’s just a computer image.

Reining in my wild thoughts, I changed the search to ALEXANDER STONE NYC. The number of articles that came up was staggering. I clicked on the first one.

“This afternoon, New York City’s beloved opera house announced that they would begin their long awaited renovation, a project that was made possible by the $4 million dollar donation from The Stoneworks Foundation. The opera has experienced extraordinary difficulties in recent years and is extremely thankful to Alexander Stone for his support.”

The article went on to talk about the financial difficulties that the opera had been struggling with, but I didn’t finish reading it. I clicked the back button to see what else I could find.

“The groundbreaking ceremony for a new women’s shelter in Queens took place on Monday, with Alexander Stone present to cut the ribbon. Mr. Stone, founder of The Stoneworks Foundation, has donated $1.2 million to building a shelter for battered women. The shelter should be near completion early next year.”

Interesting.So what’s wrong with him?

He was good-looking, rich, and involved in charitable causes. I found it hard to believe that any guy was that picture perfect. I clicked on the next article.

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