Page 52 of The Exposed Heiress

Emma looked over his shoulder. “It looks delicious. What made you think of coq au vin?”

He shrugged. “The caterer suggested it. The terrace or the dinning room?”

Gathering the plates and silverware from the counter, she said, “The terrace.”

He fully opened the wall of glass doors leading out onto the terrace. They worked together to set the table and arrange the meal.

“Is a French chardonnay fine?” He reached into the wine refrigerator and selected a bottle.

“Absolutely.”

Emma sliced bread and he poured them both a glass of wine.

“I love this terrace, but obviously an old warehouse in this area wouldn’t have had a terrace.”

He sat across from her and took a sip of his wine. “I knew that if I were going to live here that I needed outside space. This is the main terrace, but there’s another one off the master bedroom.”

She smiled. “Funny, I’ve not seen your bedroom.”

He smiled broadly and allowed himself to relax. “I’ll show you after dinner.”

Taking a bite of the meal, Emma said, “I don’t want you to feel pushed into renting the lower space to Francis Bolles.”

He nodded. His adversaries would have a difficult time recognizing him. He wasn’t thought of as someone who could be easily controlled. “I don’t allow myself to be pushed into things. It’s time. This building is more commercial than residential, and it’s time that life gets breathed back into it.”

She placed her fork down. “It sounds as if you’re moving on.”

Taking another sip of wine, he said, “I don’t know what the future holds. I’ll help you get everything settled with the transition. Hopefully in a year, you’ll be planning an expansion.”

She sliced a small piece of potato. “I have to finish the collection.”

He served himself more food. “I’ll give you a formal tour of the building tomorrow. The second and third floors have numerous possibilities. You could have a private studio away from the craziness.”

“I can’t quite fathom how much you’ve helped me.”

Leo leaned back in his chair. “It’s odd the way the world works. All those years ago, when your father rescued me, I had no idea that one day I’d be helping salvage his legacy.”

The warm July evening seeped into his bones. He couldn’t ask for anything more in his life. His career exceeded his expectations, his family had survived, and now he’d be free of an old debt.

Emma pushed her hair behind her shoulders. “I’ve not always been proud of the choices made by my family, but it’s reassuring that my father honored an old friend and helped his nephews. I don’t know why he doesn’t talk about it.”

He shrugged. “It’s an ingrained idea that if one speaks about their good works, then that is their reward. If the deed is done anonymously, then one reaps rewards far greater.”

Emma looked at him. “Do you have the impression of my father that he does good works anonymously?”

He took a sip of wine. “You don’t think so?”

She gazed off in the distance and then turned back to him. “I don’t know. In my family, most things were done for show. If he helped out at a soup kitchen or donated a sum of money, than typically there was a photo opportunity. There was always a sense that the business came first and needed to be supported.”

He hesitated, and then said, “You’ve kept that going.”

Her eyes widened. “Putting the business needs first?”

He nodded. She took on the burden of her entire family. It was something that he recognized about himself.

She twisted the stem of her wine glass. “Part of it is that I’m a fashion designer by trade. But some of it is the legacy. I never wanted to disappoint my family.”

He stood and held his hand out to her. “It’s a choice. They had their life, and you have yours.”

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