Reckless In Love

“Oh, sweetie.” She gave him a hug for all his woes.

“You must have tapped out all the na

It was the unfortunate truth. He didn’t know how he’d managed to find every bad caregiver in the area—but he had. He’d have to look farther afield and hope the candidate wanted to move.

Above the din, the tinkle of metal on glass gathered attention. The sun was a foot from the fabulous fountain. Matt glanced at his watch. It was closing in on noon.

Rapping his champagne flute with a spoon, Sebastian stepped onto a small dais erected by the fountain. As the crowd began to quiet, he pulled Charlie up beside him.

“Oh my,” Susan said in a breathy voice. “She’s absolutely beautiful.”

Matt had to agree. Her black dress was short and flirty, her back draped with strands of pearls, her red hair pulled up. Even from here, he recognized adoration brimming in Sebastian’s eyes.

“That must be her mother.” Bob indicated the elderly woman seated close by in a chair brought especially for her. “Sebastian told us her story, and she’s a marvel. Even with her terrible arthritis, she walks a mile every day.”

“I can’t wait to meet her.” Susan said. “I have so much to thank her for. Raising such a marvelous woman who’s so perfect for Sebastian.”

Sebastian held up his hands, and the last of the noise died down. “Thank you all for coming to celebrate the opening of my new headquarters here in San Francisco. In a few moments, the sun will be at its zenith, and you’ll all see why I chose this space. Because it’s a special spot, I needed a special sculpture to do it justice.” He put his arm around Charlie, kissed her temple. “In the process I found this very special, brilliant woman who has agreed to be my wife.”

The crowd erupted with oohs and aahs, and Susan wiped her eyes.

It was then that Matt saw Whitney, to Sebastian’s right, with Evan slightly behind her. If looks could kill, every last one of them would be dead. Whitney didn’t like all the attention going to anyone else. Sometimes Matt wished he could fire her ass too.

But only Evan could do that.

“Step back, folks,” Sebastian called out. “The sun’s coming.”

Those closest to the fountain shuffled back as the sun crept up the first tiles and they burst into glowing rainbows of color.

“I present to you The Chariot Race by Charlie Ballard.” Sebastian waved his arm, and the silk drape was whisked away, disappearing somewhere above the mezzanine.

A pin dropping in the fountain’s waters could have been heard at the other end of the lobby. Four magnificent stallions strained against their harnesses, racing into the sky. The fountain’s waters began to churn and hiss, billowing up like the dirt and dust beneath the animals’ charge as they dragged the broken chariot behind them. They were triumphant while their driver had been lost in defeat.

As the sun hit the metal, the splendid animals came to life and Matt could almost hear the roar of their hoof beats. With no driver, the reins blew wild in the wind, and their copper tails flew out behind them like flames. Everything was awash in color, even the mosaic gleaming on the platform of the fallen chariot as it was exposed by the oncoming light. The spectators were utterly in thrall of the sculpture’s power as the sun moved over it.

He heard whispered words like genius and brilliant. On the other side of the fountain, Charlie glowed as brightly as the chimera she’d created. Matt was in awe that she could produce such beauty from all its disparate parts—pitchforks and bicycle wheels, tractor seats and pipe fittings. She made sense out of senselessness. And in turn gave power and strength to everyone who gazed at her masterpiece.

The sun revealed new facets like diamonds sparkling in radiant light. His gaze followed its path until he saw a woman beyond the fountain, hidden in the shadows until the sun found her.

Her long blond hair turned a fiery gold as the light hit her, and she was suddenly the only thing Matt could see, young and lithesome, pretty and wholesome, pure and sweet.

It was the girl from the group home, the one who’d played with Noah. Ariana.

Noah had adored her, and she’d been so good with him, endlessly patient, her smile angelic as they played in the dirt. Would she want to be Noah’s na