Page 64 of Captivated

Right on time, we leave her flat and head to the subway station. When we step outside, we find Ms. Talisman watering the flowers in the ground floor window boxes.

“Good morning, handsome,” the woman says to me. Then she winks at Kennedy. “You lucky girl.”

When we arrive at Kennedy’s office building, she asks me, “So, what’s on your agenda for today?”

“I thought I’d visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art.” I figure that sounds impressive. I’ll hang out at the museum until it’s time for my appointment with George Sanderson at two o’clock.

I notice Kennedy’s friend, Lauren, loitering just inside the front entrance. Obviously, she’s waiting to go up in the lift with Kennedy. When she spots us, she waves. I wave back.

“I’ll see you at five,” Kennedy says. She surprises me by going up on her toes to kiss me goodbye, right in front of the doorman.

Once she’s out of sight, I hail a taxi. After visiting the museum, I grab two hotdogs from an outdoor vendor for lunch. Then I hail another taxi.

“Where to?” the driver asks.

I slide into the back seat and reel off the address to George Sanderson’s office. When I arrive, I stroll in through the heavy glass doors, bypass the reception staff, and head straight for Sanderson’s office.

“Sir!” A young red head calls after me, but I raise my hand and cut her off.

“Mr. Sanderson is expecting me,” I say. And without another word I knock on his door.

“Come in,” he says.

I walk in to find Sanderson seated at his desk, a stack of papers in his hands.

“Well?” I ask.

“It’s all right here.” George gestures to the chair across his desk. “Have a seat.”

“I trust you received the money.” I know for a fact that he did, because my banker confirmed the transfer as soon as it was made.

George nods, and sifting through the paperwork, he pulls out a large Manila envelope. “I had my attorney make out the deed as you requested.”

I take the envelop from him, pull out the pages, and verify that it’s been put in Kennedy’s name.

“Young man,” Sanderson begins, “unless the property in question is built over a pot of gold, then I believe you have more money than sense.”

“Perhaps,” I say, slipping the paperwork back into the envelope. “But as I said, it’s my business.” I tip my head out of politeness and head toward the door. “I’ll forward this to my solicitor, and he’ll be in touch if we need anything more.”

“Why’d you buy it, really?” he asks, sounding genuinely curious.

I pause at the door. “It’s an engagement present.” Then I turn to face him. “And for the record, I would have paid more if you’d insisted.”

Sanderson laughs. “Youareinsane.”

“No, I’m in love.”

The sound of his laughter follows me out the door and down the corridor.

I can’t wait to hand Kennedy the deed to her apartment building. The fate of that building now rests in her hands.

Chapter 24

Kennedy Takahashi

After I get off work, Connor meets me in the lobby of my building, and we catch a taxi to my parents’ home on the Upper West Side. My parents, along with my grandmother, live in a two-story townhouse in a quiet, residential neighborhood.

The taxi drops us off in front of their home. Connor follows me up the stone steps to their front door.

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