The approval process for the temporary flight route got the fast track, and the Gulfstream private jet took off from the private terminal, heading straight for Capital City Airport. When Phillip pulled up before the Watson Manor, four hours had passed.
His visit was a spur-of-the-moment decision, unplanned, and he hadn't considered that Tina might already be asleep at this hour.
Perhaps he had thought of it, but the impulsive heat of the moment overrode his usual rational thinking, which was a rare occurrence for him.
The house was in the serene darkness of the early hours, with no light from Tina's third-floor window, which suggested she had turned in for the night.
Phillip stood at the curb, leaning against his car door, pulling out a cigarette from the pack.
A voice cut through the night air as he was about to light it. "What are you doing by standing outside my house in the middle of the night?"
Phillip paused and turned his gaze toward the vineyard in the yard.
The lush grapevines covered a small gazebo, and in the dim light of the lamps, he hadn't noticed someone was sitting there.
Tina was swinging on a garden bench barefoot, cradling a glass bowl filled with washed green grapes.
She popped one into her mouth, breaking the firm skin to let the juice burst forth, her eyes fixed on the figure by the car.
It was one of those unpredictable, beautiful coincidences. Phillip hadn't imagined finding the occupant of that darkened room down there eating grapes at the time, just as Tina hadn't expected her whimsical decision to enjoy the cool night air would have her encountering someone who wasn't supposed to be there.
The summer night breeze brought a pleasant chill, and with the garden lights off, the lamps barely illuminated Phillip's expression.
He pocketed his unlit cigarette and stood there, looking at her.
Tina reached for her slippers, slipped them on, and walked to him, following his gaze upwards.
"Got a lot of time on your hands, coming all this way just to spy on my room?"
Phillip's low voice reached her ears, and Tina realized perhaps, just maybe, she had missed him a bit.
"Why aren't you asleep?"
"I've been messing with a new espresso machine all day. Drank too much caffeine to sleep."
Tina raised the bowl in her hand. "Want some?"
The fresh, tart scent of the grapes wafted between them.
"Forget it. You never like sour things." Without waiting for Phillip to respond, she retracted the bowl and returned to sit on the bench, patting the spot beside her. "Sit for a while?"
Phillip walked over and sat down beside her.
It had been six months since they last sat together like that. A gentle breeze rustled through the grapevine in the quiet of the deep night.
"You came looking for me?" Tina didn't want to assume, but him standing outside at this hour wasn't to see her dad. "Why didn't you call?"
"I didn't want to wake you." Phillip didn't deny it.
'What is he here for?' Tina wondered, considering he usually avoided her on his visits.
She turned to look at him, his face half-hidden in shadow but undeniably handsome, with a tall nose and deep-set eyes.
The Richardson family was blessed
with good looks. Both the
Richardson brothers were attractive, but with his refined elegance, Phillip stood out more than his carefree younger brother.
So, she initially disliked him but ended up enchanted. Could any woman resist such charm?
"What do you want then, coming to congratulate me again?" Tina's voice came with a hint of acidity, not just from the grapes. She sifted through the bowl, looking for a sweeter one among the identical fruits. "We haven't set the engagement date yet, but you're welcome to come if you want."
"I'm sorry." Phillip's voice was low.
Puzzled, she turned to him. "Huh?"
"I didn't come to congratulate you." The frustration simmering in Phillip all night finally found its outlet, sparked by her words. His tone was flat but charged, "Ms. Watson, your choice of a fiancé is poor."
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