“Perhaps you misunderstood my call. I didn’t call to seek your permission to see my ex-wife. I called to inform you that I will be seeing my ex-wife. I’m taking her to dinner tomorrow night.”

“Please, if I may be so direct, be discreet.”

“Didn’t you just say that we’re both watched people? How discreet do you expect me to be?”

Shelly sighed. “Mr. Rawlings, I believe that if you set your mind to something—even the seemingly impossible—you will accomplish that goal.”

“I wanted you informed, and I’ll do what I can on my end. You do your job and spin it however it needs to be spun.”

“Thank you for the advance notice. I’ll do my best.”

“I’m sure you will, Shelly. You never disappoint.”

Tony didn’t appreciate Shelly, Catherine, or anyone else telling him what he should or shouldn’t do with his private life. Granted, it was Shelly’s job, and that’s why he called her in the first place. Catherine, on the other hand, was family—dysfunctional and totally messed up—but as close to family as either one had.

Truthfully, Catherine did have family, even if she wasn’t ready to admit it. Another goal of Tony’s trip to California was to do his part to bring Catherine’s daughter into the art fold of Northern California. If Catherine was family, then so was Sophia. Tony had made a promise to Nathaniel to watch over Sophia and help her. He’d tried, but too often Tony’s personal life had gotten in the way. Now he intended to help her focus on her talent and career. After the web conference concluded, Tony had a scheduled meeting with Roger Cunningham of Shedis-tics to discuss one of his newest employees, Derek Burke. Perhaps Sophia believed that she needed to follow Derek to California because of his new income. Today, Tony would decide if Burke would be allowed to continue that new position. Surely, enticing Derek Burke to California just to take it all away would be difficult on their marriage. Maybe that would be the way to rid her of the man who didn’t deserve her.

There was also another plan in the works. After the meeting with Cunningham, Tony had an appointment in Palo Alto with the curator of a small art studio, Mr. George. Sophia Rossi Burke had already received worldwide recognition for her art. Unfortunately, recognition didn’t always equate to financial freedom. With Mr. George’s assistance, Tony had a plan to help Sophia achieve both. It was an offer that Mr. George couldn’t refuse.

Cameron Andrews had unearthed Mr. George’s dubious past. Apparently, he’d made more than a few bad business dealings. One major misstep resulted in the loss of a larger studio and his home in southern California, as well as a divorce. When it was all said and done, Mr. George was left with a small studio in Palo Alto. Currently, that business hung by a financial thread. If Mr. George didn’t receive assistance—or a savior—soon, his life’s work and passion would be gone, just like his wife and children. While Tony had no influence over Mr. George’s past, he believed he could impact his future. This afternoon, Tony would take a personal interest in learning how far Mr. George was willing to go in order to save the remaining pieces of his life.

With a busy day ahead of him, the pièce de résistance were his plans for dinner. It had to be perfect. In the event of paparazzi, Tony had sent Claire a stunning outfit from Neiman Marcus. It was delivered prior to her trip to Texas and included his dinner invitation. Tony waited to hear from her, some acknowledgement of their reunion. When he didn’t, he decided that the absence of a refusal was the equivalent to an acceptance.

He had the entire evening planned from the wine to the dessert. On The Embarcadero, in San Francisco, was a restaurant with a sweeping view of San Francisco Bay and the Bay Bridge. It was consistently busy with both locals and tourists. Patricia booked the private upstairs dining room. Although the facility’s private area sat sixty, tonight it would seat two. There was a car scheduled to pick Claire up at her condominium and bring her to him. Even Phillip Roach had been given the night off. Tony had thought of everything and didn’t want their reunion interrupted.

The last time he saw Claire, in person, was at the Iowa jail. To say he was upset at that meeting would be an understatement. She’d asked him to take her home, and instead, he’d offered an alternative to her impending prison sentence. That alternative had been the perfect option. It covered all bases—Tony’s fulfillment of his obligation to Nathaniel, as well as his promise to love and keep Claire. As a psychiatric patient at a private facility, Tony would have been able to facilitate her release. When he first mentioned divorce to Brent, it was a gut reaction to Claire’s failure to pass his test. If she’d accepted his offer, taken the insanity plea, Tony wouldn’t have divorced her. Their legal bond would have allowed him to control the length of her treatment.

Refusing his offer, pleading no contest, and continuing her disappointing behavior further fueled his rage. For appearances alone, Tony distanced himself from Ms. Nichols and her reputation. It worked. The world pitied the lonely, wealthy man who was deceived by the gold-digging, treacherous woman.

Tonight, Tony would explain that he wanted that distance to end; he was ready to forgive her for the past and move on. It was quite a gift. After all, Anthony Rawlings didn’t easily forgive, but he would. She’d failed a test and paid the price. It was time to go on with their lives—together. Claire was his. She had been his since she was eighteen years old. He wouldn’t tell her that, even though it was true. Together they would rebuild the trust that she’d severed.