Mathison laughed in his booming voice. “Tell him to bring it on. Who’s he been playing with?”
“Carter Morrison. You remember him, right? He spent the day with us last weekend.”
“Carter Morrison,” Ward murmured. “Is that right?”
“Madison and Becca really took to him.”
“How ’bout yourself? What do you think of the man?”
“Did you want to talk to me about anything in particular?” Grace asked, ignoring her father’s question.
“Nothing that can’t wait ’til I see you. But some time soon, okay?”
“Now you’ve got me curious.”
He chuckled. “Now you’ll have to wait. Bye, baby. Call me when you can.”
This time Grace actually made it through the office door into the corridor when the phone rang again. This time she ignored it and went to her meeting. An hour later she was back in her office, listening to her voice messages, including one from Carter. He was just getting to his reason for calling when a staffer stopped by her office, knocked gently on the door, and announced that there was someone waiting to see her at the entrance. Carter’s voice message made it clear that he was on his way to her office and was going to take her to lunch.
Grace sat for a moment, processing the unexpected visit, analyzing the past and present, and speculating on the future. The very first thought that came to her was the lingering impression of Carter’s good-night kiss. In truth, it could hardly be called a kiss. But she still remembered it. She wondered at the wisdom of encouraging a relationship with Carter, even for the sake of Madison, for whom, she admitted, she couldn’t have picked a better role model. But Carter was part of the past as well, and she wanted to be done with that. At least, she kept telling herself that.
He was in conversation with the security guard when she arrived at the entrance. As she approached, Grace noticed that he was dressed less casually than when he visited the weekend before but was definitely dressed down from business attire. He was wearing a winter overcoat, and a long chenille scarf was wound rakishly around his neck. At his side was a packed folding garment bag made of black leather, with numerous pockets and straps. He looked so worldly. He seemed so together. He was so...
“Hi,” Grace said, drawing his attention.
“Hi, yourself. I was hoping you’d be free. Sorry I couldn’t give you more warning about getting together. I’m leaving a day early for Chicago.”
“It’s a busy day, but I can do lunch.”
“My treat,” Carter said, lifting his bag and walking with her out to the street.
“You better believe it,” she responded tartly, making him laugh. “Where would you like to go?”
“Downtown,” he said, walking to the curb, where the town car was again double-parked.
“Downtown? Why? There are plenty of good places a few blocks from here.”
“I want to show you something first. It won’t take long, and then we can find a place.” He opened the passenger door and held it for her.
Grace didn’t move. She was puzzled and more than a little suspicious. “What’s going on?’
“Remember I told you about viewing some apartments? I want your advice. Are you with me?”
She slowly nodded. “Okay.”
“Good.”
During the ride, Carter told her about the apartments that had been arranged for him to see in Battery Park City, an enclave several blocks away from the site of the former World Trade Center towers. Grace listened as he tried to describe the area, but she confessed that she didn’t know anything about that part of Lower Manhattan. She was surprised that he would consider living there but flattered that he cared about what she thought. Grace also felt a rising apprehension that Carter’s move to New York was becoming real. He’d be able to spend time with Madison. That meant spending time with her.
For all the new construction and the contemporary sleekness of the high-rise buildings, the manufactured parks and promenades, and upscale shops and restaurants in Battery Park City, Grace found the setting sterile and artificial. Carter parked behind one such rectangular high-rise and led her through a maze of security procedures. Before they’d even boarded the elevator, Grace hated every inch of what she’d seen so far. This was a place for men and women whose lives were ruled by work and the clock. It was a residence, but not a home. It was fine for singles and couples, but terrible for a family.
As Carter led the way into one of the apartments on his list, on a floor high enough to induce a nosebleed, Grace couldn’t help but wonder if this was really the way he wanted to live. The rooms were rather small, except for the master bedroom, which had a walk-in closet, a large dressing room area, a Jacuzzi in the bathroom and heating racks for towels. One wall of the bedroom was almost entirely glass and overlooked the Hudson River and the undistinguished shoreline of New Jersey on the other side. She watched Carter’s broad shoulders and his erect posture as he stared silently out the window.
“There isn’t much room for... Do you expect to get married some day? Do you see yourself having kids?” she asked carefully, not sure if she was crossing the line of “too personal.”
He turned to face her and seemed mildly surprised by the question. “Definitely. What do you think?” Carter asked.
“It’s nice,” Grace said politely.
“You hate it,” he said without rancor. “Be honest with me—that’s why I brought you to see it.”
“Carter, it really doesn’t matter what I think. I don’t have to live here, or raise a family here.”
“But you have a woman’s point of view, and that’s important. I trust you. You won’t hurt my feelings.”
Grace felt trapped and sighed helplessly. She looked around again, hoping to find one redeeming quality, one positive thing to say about the space, for his sake.
“It will work fine for your lifestyle,” Grace began, trying to sound enthusiastic. “You have a fast-track life right now. You could make this place comfortable, simple and easy to maintain. And it’s not permanent, right? You can always get something different in a few years, if anything changes.”
“I expect it to,” Carter said, watching her move about the empty rooms.
They went to see two more apartment units, but to Grace’s thinking, there wasn’t much difference between them. It was hard to generate excitement about places that seemed little more than compartmentalized boxes. It was hard to imagine Carter living in any of them, with or without a significant other.
They finished seeing the last place and headed back to the elevator. The presence of other passengers forestalled any conversation until they were both back in the car. She was relieved when he didn’t question her further right away but turned the conversation to his work and what his new responsibilities would be. He drove in search of someplace to eat. Grace could tell that he was excited about starting again in New York, but she was sure she detected an edge, almost an uncertainty,
