Page 90 of The Mastermind

I couldn’t believe it when the elusive figure haunting my memory formed into a clear image.

“Who is it?” He interlaced his fingers with mine.

“Uncle Derek.” Hot tears burned my eyes, and I tried to fight them back, but they slid down my face. “I don’t understand.” A shudder ran through me as I saw the image vividly. “Why was he peeking through the window? He should’ve been shopping with Mom and Grayson. I don’t understand.” I raked a frustrated hand through my hair.

Remi rubbed circles on my back, calming my erratic nerves.

“I remember that moment clearly now. He saw me, and I saw him. He went away and came back. Why didn’t he try to save Dad and me?”

Remi’s jaw tightened, and his frigid eyes burned with a glacial blue that could kill. “How was Derek’s relationship with your father?”

“From what I remember, it was great. He owned a third of the business. The other portions belonged to my mom and dad. I was young, so my perception could have been skewed.” My throat became dry, so I sipped the tea. “While I was reorganizing the cabinet, I saw him talking on the phone. He spotted me, waved, then came closer, and peeked in.Thatgesture, that familiarity, triggered my memory. The way he tilted his shoulder and angled his head. What had once been a mere silhouette became clear at that moment.”

Icy knots formed in my stomach. My uncle saw me dying and did nothing. Why? He was my uncle. Questions multiplied in my head.

“I’ll help you figure this out, but I think you’ve had enough for tonight.” Remi wrapped an arm around me.

I dropped my head onto his strong shoulder and rested my palm over his chest. “I’m done shoving everything under the rug. I need to know everything. I don’t want to be afraid of fire or anything else from my past, Remi.”

“You shouldn’t be afraid of anything. I’ll be right here beside you.”

I didn’t want to think about it anymore. My brain and body were exhausted. I needed something to take my mind off of everything until I could figure out the next step.

I straightened up from the couch. “There’s a WaterFire event next weekend. Wanna go? I haven’t been in a while because . . . obvious reasons, but I’m ready now. I want to enjoy my life.”

His eyes sparkled. “Sure. I’d love to go with you.”

A glaring reminder flashed through my mind.

“One more thing, I have a charity fashion show in two weeks. It’s on a Friday. I almost forgot about it with all that’s happened. Is your schedule open—”

“I’m not going to miss that show. You’ve been working on it for a while, and I want to see you shine.” He lifted my hand to his lips, and my heart skipped a beat . . . another beat, then another.

The seconds that followed opened my heart wider and wider. Everything slipped from my mind—all concerns, anxiety, memories, dinner with Mom, the thing with my uncle—they all disappeared, leaving one glaring truth throbbing in my chest.

I’m in love.

The profound realization made everything else less important. With each beat of my heart, I fell more in love with him. The wave of emotion rose in me, and I snuggled closer to him. In the last hour, I’d experienced two surges that overwhelmed me. Both were transformational.

I placed a hand over his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his breath, wondering if his heart could hear mine. We stayed like that for a while as another epiphany dawned on me. The symbolism behind my jewelry line, Epiphanii had been missing one important detail, one imperative meaning that had just revealed itself.

It was true what they said about things arriving in threes, good or bad. Today I had three profound realizations—clarity of my past, I was in love, and I discovered the essence behind Epiphanii, and Remi was a critical aspect of it.

I could feel the petals of my heart unfurling, opening up to so many emotions, but fear intertwined with the excitement. The more my heart swelled, the more I had to lose.

I had to think about this clearly before I shared it with him.

CHAPTERFORTY-FOUR

REMINGTON

I stoppedby Starke Financial looking for my dad. His assistant, Peggy, sat behind a desk with a large orchid display. Her hair in a graceful French twist, she looked elegant in her navy jacket and matching skirt. She glanced up and beamed at me.

“Remington! It’s so good to see you. How are you?”

She rose from her chair, rounded the desk, and gave me a big hug. Peggy had been the administrative assistant for my parents when they first started the company and stayed on even after my mom died. She used to sneak me candy bars when I came to the office with my mom.

“I’m doing well.” I veered back and looked down at her compact frame. “You look good as always, Peggy.”