At Any Cost by Cara Ellison

Author:Cara Ellison
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION/Romance/Suspense
Publisher: Diversion Books
Published: 2013-05-06T04:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

The bitter cold made conversation almost impossible. Leah hunkered down in her pea coat, scarf, and cap and walked as fast as she could, matching Collin’s long strides, step for step. They ducked into the Farragut West Metro, thankful for the weak heat. At the kiosk, she bought a ticket. She was not quite sure what was going on. Despite Collin’s flirtation at Nordstrom, he was now unreadable, being charming at times but not reliably so. To make it even more awkward, when she tried to respond, he seemed indifferent. After dinner and drinks, he said, “I’ll walk you to the Metro.”

Leah felt like she’d made a fool of herself, though she couldn’t think of anything she had done specifically wrong. She was just embarrassed for having thought he would be her Prince Charming. It was impossible trying to date. Interpreting statements and gestures, trying to decipher if he was interested in her or not. She wished she could just stop wanting to find a relationship. Indifference would solve so much.

After the machine spit out the Metro ticket, to her surprise, Collin fed some money into the machine. Unwilling to confess her hope even by asking what he was doing, Leah said, “Well, thanks …”

He grabbed the Metro card and said, “I was going to ride back with you, if that’s okay. To make sure you get home safe.”

Leah smiled, hope flickering anew. “I’d like that.” Together they proceeded through the turnstiles to the trains. It was warmer down here in the concourse, and Leah relaxed slightly as they sat on a bench and waited for the next orange line train. Collin made small talk, and Leah continued to try and figure out his intentions. He did not seem particularly romantic, but it was possible that was because they did not yet know each other well.

It was only a ten-minute ride to Court House but it felt much longer. She could not calm down, could not get a read on what Collin was doing or what he wanted. At the Court House Plaza apartment building, Leah swiped her magnetic entrance fob and they rode up to the twentieth floor.

Her apartment was tidy and plain, but the view was breathtaking. Collin drifted to the glass doors of the snow-covered terrace and peered out. Leah joined him, shivering in the cold. “It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

The Capitol Building and Washington Memorial were visible among the smattering of lights. The White House looked noble, blazingly white against the eclipsed sky. A necklace of airplanes landing at Regan National Airport sparkled along the horizon. She stood very still, contemplating the view as if it was the first time she’d ever seen it.

“There’s a really pretty roof where the view is even better,” she said. “This is the tallest building in Arlington, so you can see everything.”

“Really? Can we take a look?”

“Sure,” she said and led him to the elevators.

The roof, as Leah had promised, was extraordinary. A large pool was covered for the winter, and numerous chaises were laid out.

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