Still, on the slight chance that she’d neglected to do so, it was worth a try.
“Did I tell you about my idea for opening a pub in the village?” Syssi broke the silence.
“A pub?” Kalugal asked. “I like the sound of that. Is it going to be near the café?”
Lifting her coffee cup for Oshidu to refill, Syssi cast a sidelong glance at Kian. “Can I tell everyone about the eastern slope development?”
He shrugged. “It’s not a secret. I’m sure that Gavin has already spread the rumor.”
“I didn’t hear anything,” Amanda said.
“I did not hear any rumors either.” The goddess turned to her son. “Are you embarking on a new building project, Kian?”
“The idea came up only a day before we left, so it’s not like I was trying to keep it a secret from you all. I just wasn’t a hundred percent sure that I would go through with it.” He looked at Syssi. “Do you want to tell Mother how it all started?”
“Sure.” She put her coffee cup down. “I wanted a larger dining room so I can host family dinners.” She smiled at Kalugal. “Our family keeps growing, which is absolutely fantastic, but as you’ve pointed out, our house is too small. We decided to put in an addition and enlarge the dining room, but even with the addition it’s still not big enough. Kian suggested that we build a larger house, but since there is no space in the village, he thought about building it on the eastern slope. Except, it doesn’t make sense to build just one house there. Naturally, we will also need several houses for the Guardians assigned to us. And since we are already putting up a new neighborhood, we thought about adding several amenities, like a full-service restaurant and a pub.”
Kian leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Syssi met with Gavin the same day, so hopefully, by the time we return, he will have some initial sketches for us.” He looked at Sari. “My initial offer still stands. So, if you want to move your people into the village, this is your chance to design your new habitats the way you want them.”
“I thought that you were offering me the houses in phase two.”
“You can have your pick.”
Sari sighed. “I have to admit that it’s tempting, and I could use the change of pace, but we need the European base.”
“What you need is a Chinese center,” Kalugal said. “China is the next superpower, and those who establish a base there will have a big advantage over everyone else. The problem with that is that operating under the Chinese government’s nose would be extremely difficult.”
Raking his fingers through his hair, Kian cast a sidelong glance at Kalugal. “I know what you are thinking. In a decade or so, Jin could be the perfect leader for that center. But right now, she’s too young and inexperienced.”
Kalugal shrugged. “Someone who has the experience can join her. Given her unique talent, just imagine what she could do for the clan.”
6
Eleanor
It was after midnight when Eleanor picked up her new phone for the umpteenth time and stared at it as if it was her damnation and the answer to her prayers at the same time.
She’d had the phone since Thursday, but she’d been too chicken to make the call.
What if Greggory didn’t want to hear from her?
If he wanted to talk to her, he could’ve found a way. He wasn’t as restricted as she was. He could’ve called Onegus and asked for Vivian’s home or cell phone numbers. And if he didn’t have Onegus’s number, his boss could have gotten it for him.
Bottom line, Greggory had the means to contact her but hadn’t, so he was either uninterested in pursuing their so-called relationship, or he lacked initiative and was too much of a yes-man.
Granted, he wasn’t the brightest or most intriguing guy she’d ever met, but there was something about him that called to her.
For some inexplicable reason, he made her feel safe, and that was something that Eleanor hadn’t felt even as a little girl living with her parents.
Her entire life, she’d relied only on herself. Some of it was the knowledge that she could do better than most people, so why bother, but a big part of it was her conviction that no one had her back, and that she was on her own.
It hadn’t been only in her mind either.
Even though her expectations of people were very low to start with, they still managed to disappoint her time and again.
People were selfish, fearful, and mostly indifferent.
Not that she was any better, but sometimes Eleanor wondered if it was the chicken or the egg that came first, and whether she was that way because of how she’d been treated, or she’d been treated badly because of the way she’d behaved toward others.
Perhaps subconsciously, she’d made sure to be unworthy because she’d been let down too many times. Believing that she’d been treated like a pariah because she’d earned it was better than having no reason for it at all.
Leaning on the pillows stacked against her headboard, Eleanor opened the device. It was already cued in with Greggory’s number on the screen. All she had to do was to press the green call button, but her finger refused to close the distance.
“Don’t be such a damn chicken, Eleanor.” She let her head drop back.
Greggory would probably disappoint her just as everyone else had done. She should just get it over with and find out one way or another. He wasn’t the only fish in the sea, and if he didn’t want her, others would.
“Since when were you such a coward?”
Since she’d found out that not everyone was inherently bad.
It suddenly dawned on her that it was Vivian’s fault.
Well, not exclusively. She shared the blame with Kri.
The two had proven to Eleanor that not everyone was selfish and indifferent. Vivian had come through for her when she’d had absolutely no reason to, welcoming her into her home and sharing her family with her.
Parker was such a great kid. He was happy to have his aunt living with him, accepting her even though she had never been there for him in that capacity before.
And as for Kri, she had befriended Eleanor despite what everyone thought of her, and even helped her get a phone.
What that meant was that Greggory might surprise her as well, but the fear of getting that hope smashed was paralyzing. As long as she didn’t call and confront him, that hope could remain alive.
Except, living with the uncertainty was driving her insane. She had to know. If he didn’t want anything to do with her, she might take Kri’s advice and start hanging out in the café. Perhaps someone else would be willing to take a chance on her.
Right. There might be plenty of takers for hookups, but nothing more than that. Besides, she didn’t want anyone else in her bed. Hell, just thinking about hooking up with anyone other than Greggory made her feel dirty.
It was stupid. They were not in a committed relationship or any kind of relationship for that matter. She was free to sleep with whomever she wanted.
Angry at herself and at Greggory, Eleanor forced her finger the rest of the way and touched the green circle.
The phone rang twice before Greggory answered in his familiar baritone. “Who is it?”